Birmingham state herald., 1897-07-29

noon from Glasgow and brought with her 'ehe four survivors of the crew of The British barkentne Florence. Captain Henry Olsen, which sunk in a collision with the Scandinavian last Saturday while in dense fog, twenty miles south of Cape Race. Four members of ths crew were drowned. together with the wife of Capt Olsen. The Florence was bound from Sydney, N s. w., to St. Johns. NE.
 The men who lost their lives were:
 NOAH MORRIS, cook, aged 2S years.
 ABE DLSELY, aged 25, nephew of the captains wife. ,a
 JAMES NORMAN. seaman, aged S2 years.
 WILLIAM FRY, seaman, aged S5 years. of Poole, England.
 The former thrse were from St. Johns, N F.
 Capt. Olsen said: "We lef, port on Tues day, the 20th inst, for St. Johns, N. F. Thinking we were approaching band l ordered the vessel put about sta1ooard tack. At 10 D. m he shrin blast of a steamers whistle was heard right aDeam and b5fore the sound died away there doomed up, making directly for us, the huge hull of an ocean steamer.
 T was below when the first intimaton came of the steamers approach and was hurriedly called on deck by the lookout. On the way out from the cabin l called to my wifi, and she in turn aroused tiist Mate Edward Brodnick, who came OH watch alt D. m., and was sleeping 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 beitwesn the main and mizzen rigging and before her headWay was stopped sine went haM way through us While the vessels were locked to-
 1 1f4.tA fla n except from falling spars which were dropping al about us on The deck. The order to reverse the steamers engines which were given as soon as shs saw us soon had the effect of backing her away from us, and soon she pulled her shar 2 nose out of our bow and our vessel. the Florence, wen down in ninety fathoms oi water Of our crew, Norris, Elsley, Nor man and Fry, were never seen after the collision. They were probably asleep Tn their hunks When the shock came three seamsn jumped into the main rigging and were soon followed by Mate Brodr nick. and all the men swung themselves on to the steamers deck by means of the lower guard being assisted in doing so by the carpFpter of the steamer. Poor Fry appeared onithe side of the steamer il.l before she went down. A rope was thrown to him by his mates on board the steamer He was pulled half way up the st. amer'ts side, when he relaxed his hold and was never seen again"
 The captain was too much overcome to tell eff the drowning of his wife ard Mate Brodnfck took up the thread of the captains narrative.
 After telling of being summoned out of his bunk by the captain wife and jumr- ing on deck clad only in his shirt and trousers. he said:
 s.In,mediately after reaching the Scan dinavians deck I got rope and threw it to Capt. Olsen, who all this timr was standing near the g9llsy of the barxe ntine with his arms around his wife. Mrs o. ssn was crying and l heard the capta n say that if need be they would die to- gether. The captain secured the end of the rope and attempted to make it fast around hss wife, but the rope was not long enough, and the steamer backing away pulled the rope from his hand. I called to those on the steamer to lower a boat and Oliver and myself took hold and aS- sisted the crew in getting the boat out. In the confusion no one knew just what to do No knife could be found to cut the la shings of the life boat, and finally the carpenter was ordered to sever the cr,ps with a hatchat. Al this was vaIulble time lost, and before the life boat had been gotten into the water the barkentine had gone down. When the vessel took her last plunge the captain became sepa- rated from his wife. They were both drawn into the vortex caused by the sink ing craft and Mrs, Olsen never reap peared above the water The captain soon came to the surface and swain to the life bouy thrown from the steamer and this, with life belt which he had secured and adjusted kept him afioat until the life boat. marned by the second officer of the steamer, three of the crew and myself, reached him. He was com pletely exhausted and inconsolable at the loss of his wife. When it was four d there was TO hope for the rest of the crew the steamers bow was headed west and she continued on her way''
 The Florence registered 179 tons r,7t, and her dimensions were 11S feet: brsa1th. 24 feet: depth of hold. 13 feet. She wss built at Br.xham. England, in 1S73 and was valued alt $4,500. I