The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-29
lhe Florence Sunk In Three Minutes After
Being Struck by The Scandinavian.
FOUR Men WENT DOWN IN THE WRECK
Before tho Sound of tho Steamers
Whistle had DIod Away. Her Prov
Crashed Into tho BriSantinc-The
Captains Vito snnk in tho Vortex
and WINS Not sccn Agoins
Boston. July 2s. 1897.

arrived this afternoon 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 Scandi-
navian last Saturday, while in u dense
fog twenty miles south OF Cape Race
Four members of the crew were drown
ed, together with the wife of Captain
Olsen. The Florence was bound from
Sydney. G. B.. to st. Johns. N. T., with
cargo Of coal.
The men who lost their lives were:
Noah Norris. cook, aged fifty-one years;
William YabSley, aged twenty-five
years. nephew OF the Captains wife;
James Norman, seaman, aged thirty two
years; William Fry. seaman, aged thir-
ty-three years. OF Poole, Eng. The for
mer three were from st. Johns, N. T..
Captain Olsen said: I'VE left port on
Tuesday, the goth instant, for ST. Johns
N. n. On Saturday, after being nearly
three days In the fog, and standing IN
all that time in the direction of Cape
Race, N. F., thinking we were APP
preaching land, ordered the vessel put
about on the starboard tack. At 1:20 p.
M, the shrill blast Of n steamers whis-
tie was heard right abeam. and before
the sound died away. there loomed up
making directly for us, the huge hull of
IN ocean steamer.
I was below when the first intima-
tion came of the steamers approach
and was hurriedly called on deck by the
lookout. On the way out of the cabin
called to my wife, and she In turn
aroused First Mate Brodnick, who had
come off watch ut 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
N aft, i .S,t, ,,F. ~tx..- \.
her headway was stopped She went half
way through us. While the vessels
were locked together we were in no I'M
mediate 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 We're first sighted soon had the
effect Of breaking her away from u.s.
and In about three minutes after she
pulled her sharp bow out of the gaping
hole In the side OF Our vessel the Flor
ence went down stern first. in ninety
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
forecastle.
when the impact came Ole Olsen. the
boatswain, and Seaman Robert Esscns
jumped into the main rigging, and we-e
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 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 Brodnlck 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 night shirt and
trousers. he said:
Immediately after reaching the deck
OF the Scandinavian I got coil Of rope
and threw 1t to Captain Olsen, who at
this time was standing near the galley
on the barkentine, with his arms
around his wife. Mrs Olsen was crying.
and heard the Captain say that II need
be they would die together. The Cap
tain secured the end of the rope and at
tempted to make 1t 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 steam
er to lower the lifeboat, and Olsen, Es-
gems and myself took hold and assisted
the crew in getting the boat out of the
ohuckH. In the excitement and confu-
sion no one seemed to know Just what
to do. Nc knife could be found to cut
the lashings Of the lifeboat, and finally
the carpenter was obliged 10 sever the
grips with hatchet. All this was
valuable time lost, and before the life
boat 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 tho
vortex caused by the sinking craft, and
Mrs. Olsen never reappeared above wa
ter. The captain soon came to the sur
face and swan to a life buoy thrown
from the steamer and this. with o, life
belt which he afterward secured and~ad-
justed, kept him afioat until the life
boat, manned by the second officer Of
the steamer. three of her crew and my
self, reached him. lie was completely
exhausted and insolablc at the loss
Of his wife, When 1t 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,"
The Florence registered 100 tons net,
and her dimensions were: Length, 11d.S
feet; breadth. 24.5 feet; depth or hold
1871 feet. She was built in BriXham,
England, In 1873, and was valued at
$500.
~. r,1y nr, N1rSrtrcsD. Dr,n ,y,or