The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-11
CUT IN TWO.
BAEKENTINE FLORENCE RUN DOWN
BY Al STEAMSHIP.

Five Lives Los, One OF Ii U~Dfortuustes
Three minute s-An Happtned During a
Dense Fog.
The Allen Line steamer Scandina.
Wan arrived at Boston Wednesday af-
ternoon from Glasgow and brought
with her the four survivors ofthe crew
of the British barkentine Florence,
Captain Henry Olsen, which was sunk
in a collision with tho Scandinavian
last Saturday while in a dense fog 90
miles south of Cape Racs Four mem
befs of the crew were drowned, to.
gether with the wife Of Captain Olsen.
The Florence was bound from Sydney,
S B to St Johns, N. f., with a cargo
of coal. The men wro lost their lives
are: Noah Myers. cook, aged 81
years; William Yabs]ey, aged Is years,
nephew of The captains wife; James
herman, sc: 'ran, aged 80 years.
William Fry. ;, .n,an, aged 80 yesrs
of Poole, Eng. The fnrraer three
were from st. Johns. N +.
Captain O'sen said: I'VE left port
on Tuesday, the 20lh inst, for st.
Johns N. f Thinking we were ap.
preaching land, the vessel put about
on the starboard tack. At 1928 p. m.
a shrill blast of steamers whistle was
heard right abeam and before the
sound died away, there doomed up,
making directly for US, the huge hull
Of an ocean steamer.
Il was below when the first intima.
ton came of the steamers approach
and was hurriedly called OIL deck by
the lockout. On the way out of the
cabin I called to my wife and she in
turn aroused First Mate Edward Brod.
nick, who had come eff watch at noon
and was in his bunk. Hardly had he
reached the deck when the steamer,
which proved TO be the Scandinavian,
was upon us. She struck us on the
port side between the main and miz
zen rigging, and before her head way
was stopped, she went half Way
through us. While the vessels were
locked together. we were in M immsdi
ate danger except from falling spars.
~tica we're dropping all about us on
,h4d.cas. The order to reverse the
slsa nec's engines, which had been
given when we were first sighted,
soon had the etfec; of breaking her
away from us and in about three min.
utes after she pulled her sharp bow
out CT the gaping wound in the side
OF our vessel, the Florence went down
stern first in 40 fathoms of water. OF
the vessels crew, Norris, the cook,
Yabsley and Norman were never seen
after the vessel struck US. They were
probably asleep in the fore castle.
When the impact came Ole Olsen,
the boatswaln, and Seaman Robert
E:sens jumped into the main rigging
and were soon followed by Mate Brod.
nick and all three men swung them.
selves onto the steamers deck by
means of the lower guard, being as
sisted in doing so by the carpenter OF
the steamer. Poor Fry appeared at
the side of the vessel just before him
by his shipmates on board the steamer
and was pulled half way up the steam
er's side when he relaxed his hold, fell
into the water and was never seen
again."
The captain was too much overcome
to tell of the drowning of his wife and
Mate Brodnick took up the thread of
the captains narrative. After telling
of his being summoned from his bunk
by the captains wife and jumping on
deck clad only in his shirt, he said:
Immediately after reaching the
deck of the Scandinavian I got a coil
of rope aud threw it to Capt. Olsen,
who by this time was standing near
the galley of the bankentiae with his
arms around his wife. Mrs. Olsen
was crying and I heard the captain
say that if need be they would die to.
gether. The captain secured the end
of the rope and attempted to make it
fast about his wife, but the rope was
not long enough and the steamer, just
then backing away from the wreck.
pulled the line from his hands. I
called to those on the steamer to lower
the life boat and Olsen, Sensin and
myself assisted the crew in getting
the boat out of the davits. In the ex.
element aud confusion no one seemed
to know just what to do. No knife
could be found to cut the lashings Of
the life boat and finally the carpe lter
was obliged to sever the grips with a
hatchetr ALI this was valuable time
lost and before the life boat had been
gotten into the water the vessel went
down. When the vessel took her last
plange, the captain became separated
from his wife. Both were drawn into
the vortex caused by the sinking craft
and Mrs. Olsen never r%eappeared
above the water. The captain soon
came to the surface and swan to a life
buoy thrown from the steamer, and
this, with the life belt which he after
wards received and adjusted, kept
him afoat until the life boat manned
by the second officer of the steamer,
three of her crew and myself reached
him. lie was completely exhausted.
When it was found that there was no
hope for the remainder of the crew,
the steamer was headed west and she
continued on her way to B3ston."
The Florence registered 1873 tons
net, and her dimensions were:
Length. 114.8 feet; breadth, "a 5 feet;
depth of hold, ID feet. She was built
at Brixhall, England is 1873.
Bloody Deeds In Alabama.
Jack Knight, the negro who shot
and killed Jack Dantzler Wednesday
night neal Mobile, Ala, and shot and