The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-29
CUT FLORENCE In TWAIN.
Barkentine Run Down by Steamer
Scandinavian.
FOUR MEMBERS OF CREW AND
CAPTAINS WIFE DROWNED.

Remainder Brought Into Boston by the
Scandinavian Yesterday-Mate Brod-
nick's story of the Terrible Disaster
Collision Occurred in Thick Fog.
Boston, July 1S.-The Allan line steam
er Scandinavian arrived this afternoon
from Glasgow, and brought with her the
four survivors of the crew of the British
barkentine Florence, Capt. Olson, which
was sunk in collision with the Scandi-
navian last Saturday while in dense
fog twenty miles south of Cape Race.
Four members of the crew were drowned
together with the wife of Captain Olson.
The Florence was bound from Sydney,
G. B. to St. Johns, N. F., with a cargo
of COAL The names of the men who lost
their lives were Noah Norris, cook, aged
81 years of St. Johns, N. F.; who leaves
an invalid wife and two children, VIM.
Yabsley, aged 25 nephew of the cap
tain's wife, single: James Norman, sea-
man, aged 80 years, single, both of St.
Johns, N. F., and VIM. Frye, 33 years OF
age, seamen, belonging in Poole, Eng.
The story of the sad disaster is best told
in the words of Capt. Henry Olson. He
said:
'We left that port on Tuesday, the goth
after being nearly three days in the fog
and standing in all that time in the di-
rection of Cape Race, N.F., thinking we
were approaching land, ordered the YES
sci put about on the starboard tack. At
1.20 p. m, the shrill blast of q steamer S
whistle was heard right abeam, and be-
fore the sound died away there loomed
up, making directly for us, the huge hull
of an ocean steamer.
II was below when the first intimation
came of the steamers approach, but was
hurriedly called on deck by the lookout.
On the way out of the cabin I called to
my wife and she in turn aroused First
Mate Edward Brodnick, who had come
| off watch at noon and was asleep 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 mizzen rigging, and before her
headway was stopped she went half way
| through us. While the vessels were locked
together we were IN II! no immediate danger
except from falling spars which were
dropping all about us on the decks. The
order to reverse the steamers engines
which had been given when we were
first sighted soon had the effect of break
ing her away from us, and in about three
minutes after she pulled her sharp bow
out of the gaping hole in the side of our
vessel, the Florence went down stern
| first in go fathoms of water. OF the ves-
sel's crew, Norris, the cook, Yabsley and
Norman were never seen after the vessel
struck us, and they were probably asleep
| in the forecaStle.
"When the impact came, Ole Olsen,
the boatswain and Seaman Robert Es-
seems, jumped into the main rigging and
were soon followed by Mate Brodnick and
all three men swung themselves on to
the steamers deck by means of the lower
guard, being assisted in doing SO by the
carpenter of the steamer. Poor Fry ap-
peared at the side of the vessel just be-
fore she went down. A rope was thrown
him by his shipmates on board the steam
er, and he was pulled half way up the
steamers side when he relaxed his hold
fell back into the water and was never
4 seen again"
u The captain was too much overcome tc
tell of the drowning of his poor wife an6
Mate Brodnick took up the thread of the
being summoned from his bunk by the
/ Captains wife, and jumping Oh deck
clad only in his shirt and trousers, ht
4 said: & M g
4 Immediately after reaching the decl
| of the Scandinavian, got coil of ropt
and threw it to Capt. Olsen, who at thi.
time was standing near the galley on thu
barkentine with his arms around his
wife. Mrs. Olsen was crying and heard
the captain say that if need be they
would die together. The cartain secured
the end Of the rope and attempted to make
1t fast about his wife, but the rope Wal