The Portland daily press., 1898-03-28
FORTY-ElGHT PERISHEC.
Sealers Lost on the Ice
Felix's.

St.Jolns NF., March s6.-The steam
er Greenland, returning from the seal
fishery, put into Bay de Verde tonight,
and reported a terrible disaster. On
Wednesday last when among the ice foes,
while her crew were travelling about the
foes in search of seals, terrible storm
arose. accompanied by q binding snow
frost. The members of the crew who
were OH the ice could not regain the vessel
and were exposed to the terrible weather
throughout the night and all Of the next
day. Forty eight men perished and be-
tween so and 60 were so badly frost-bit-
ten that the amputation of one or more
of their limbs will have to be undergone
by all of them. Yesterday, the Greenland
succeeded in recovering the bodies OF 70
Of the victims, but the remaining % We're
buried beneath the snow drifts. All the
frost-bitten mon on aboard the steamer
are suffering terribly, having been with
out proper medical attendance.
From the circumstances of the disaster
it is feared that other steamers have
suffered in similar manner.
The city is in terrible state of excite
ment. The disaster is the worst recorded
in the history of the sealing industry.
Most of the victims were married men.
The Greenland is expected to arrive here
tomorrow and the governments is making
preparations for the accommodation
of the frost-bitten sufferers.
Further facts concerning the disaster
are difficult to obtain because of a heavy
snow storm that Is now raging, interfering
with the telegraph wires The steaIller
is lying off Bay de Verde and further
messages cannot be delivered tonight
owing to the heavy seas. Walter Baine
Grieve, owner of the Greenland, gives
out the following statement:
my opinion is that the Greenland
met with the misfortune on Monday.
On Sunday night heavy gale ragged
all along the Atlantic seaboaId OF the
island ard reached the northern latitude,
where the Greenland was cruising
Monday forenoon. Being frozen solid
" in the foe she sent her crew out on
the ice perhaps ten or twenty miles in
search of seals. The crews are usuallvi
divided into three watches or companies.
Her crew being 80, she would have go
men in each wstch When the storm
arose the men, scattered over the foe,
in parties of TWO or three, probably
tried to make for the ship. My belief
is that the first watch started worked
farthest away from. the ship and is
the watch which lost the most men.
Only the master OF the watch would
have a compass. The crew were unable
to find him any more than the ship.
with snow drifts binding their sight
during the night and feared to move be-
cause a false step might send them
through assures in the ice into the
ocean.
1.-The men, fearing to move, lay be-
meath the shelter of ice hummocks where
many were overcome by intense cold and
porished. Others were smothered to
death beneath snow drifts, being un-
able to maintain sufficient vital energy
to struggle for life. / believe the storm
continued Tuesday and the steamer could
not reach the men either. During that
evening and night others perished. hung
er being added to the cold. On Wednes
day when the steamer was able to start
to pick up the remnant of the men, few
of these were able to help themselves.
Another night probably would have
caused the death of all ON the foe. Most
of the crew, $50 at least, were from
Green's Pond, and the neighborhood
OF Bona Vista Bay, and nearly all were
This will prove terrible
disaster in every respect, especially in
the number of widows and orphans made.
l would not be surprised II one or more
other steamers had met the came mis-