The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-30
RUN DOWN AT SEA.
A BRITISH b aRKENTINE SUNK
BY A STEAMER.

D0n00
the Florence Amidships, Cutting Nearly
TO Her Center-The Bsrkentine Sinks In
Three Minutes After tho Steamer Backs
On-The Wife Of tho Captain and Four Of
tho Grew Perish with the Vessel
Boston. July 2S.-The Allen Line
steamer Scandinavian arrived this af-
ternOOn from Glasgow and brought
with her the four survivors of the crew
of the British barkentine Florence,
Captain Henry Olsen, which was sunk
in collision with the Scandinavian last
Saturday, while in a dense fog twenty
miles south Of Cape Race. Four men,
bers Of the crew were drowned, to-
gether with the wife of Captain Olsen.
The Florence was bound from Sydney,
N. B., to st. Johns, N. F. Captain Olsen
said:
I'VE left port Tuesday, the 22nd, for
st. Johns, N. F. On Saturday, after
being nearly three days in the fog and
standing in all the time in the direc-
tion Of Cape Race, N. F., thinking We
were approaching land, I ordered the
vessel put about on the starboard tack
At 1:20 o'clock p. m. the shrill blast OF
a steamers whistle was heard right
abeam, and before the sound died away
there loomed up, making directly for
US, the huge hull Of an ocean steamer.
/ was below when the first intimatiOn
came Of the steamers approach, and
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 no immediate danger, ex-
cept from falling spars, which were
dropping all about us on the deck. The
order to reverse the steamers engines,
which had been given when we were
first sighted, soon had the effect Of
breaking 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 ninety faith
Oms Of water. OF the vessels crew,
Norris, the cook. and Yabsley and Nor
man were never seen after the vessel
struck us. They were probably asleep
in the fOrecastle.
when the impact came, Ole Olsen,
the boatswain, and Seaman Robert Es-
sen jumped into the main rigging and
were soon followed by Mate BrOdnick,
and all three men swung themselves
onto the steamers deck by means of
the lower guard, being assisted in doing
so by the carpenter of the steamer.
Poor Fry appeared at the side Of the
vessel just before she went down. A
rope was thrown him by his shipmates
on board the steamer and he was pull
ed half way up the steamers side,
when he relaxed his hold, fell back 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 shirt and trousers, he
said:
Immediately after reaching the deck
of the Scandinavian got a coil of rope
and threw it to Captain Olsen, who at
this time was standing near the galley
on the barkentine with his arms
around his wife. Mrs, Olsen was cry
ing, and heard the captain say that
if need be they would die together. 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. called to those on
the steamer to lower the lifeboat, and
Olsen and myself took hold and as
sisted the crew in getting the boat out
of the chucks. In the excitement and
confusion no one seemed to know just
what to do. No knife could be found
to cut the lashings of the 1ifeboat, and
finally the carpenter was obliged to
sever the grips with g. hatchet. All
this was valuable time lost and before
the lifeboat had been gotten into the
water the vessel had gone down.
when the vessel took her last plunge
the captain became separated from his
wife. They were both drawn into the
vortex caused by the sinking craft, and
Mrs. Olsen never reappeared above the
water. The captain soon came to the
surface and swan to life buoy thrown
from the steamer, and this, with life
belt, which he afterwards secured and
adjusted, kept him afloat until the life
boat, manned by the second officer Of
the steamer, three of her crew and my
self, reached him. He was completely
exhausted and inconsolable at the loss
of his wife. When it was found that
there was no hope for the remainder
of the crew, the steamers bow was
headed west and she continued on her
way to Boston.
Reed Doesn't Expect to be Speaker Always
washington POst.)
Speaker Reed has his weather eye
open on the future. He rather antici-