The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-01-17
ALL ON BOARD PERISH.
Every Vestige Of Wreck on St..
Mary's Bay Dis
appeared. 81
IDENTITY UNKNOWN.
Many of the Helpless People Drown
While frying to Reach
Land.

st. Johns, n f., Jan. 13.-The officials
of the French Gable company are appre
hensive that the wrecked steamer may be
their cable-repairing boat Francis Arago,
which carries crew of 120 men. She
was known to be off the Newfoundland
coast engaged in cable work, and she
has not been reported for several days.
New York, Jan. 13.-The general man
ager here of the French Cable line to-
day said that he does not believe that the
vessel lost off the banks of Newfoundland
was the French cable boat, Francois
Aroga. The Francois Arroyo left Havre
about a week ago bound for st. Pierre,
Nliquelon. This boat, he said, was a
slow one and was not yet due to arrive.
According to estimates she is now 600
miles south of Newfoundland and is not
due to reach her destination until Sun
day. For this reason he does not be-
lieye that it was the Arago which was
lost.
st. Johns, n. F.. Jan 13.-No word
has been received from Peters river i'll
regard to the Unknown steamer wrecked
and on fire III q reef in st. Mary's bay.
The storm is still raging and boats
cannot put off from the land. nor can
sailing vessels approach the vessel. 1t is
feared that her hull has broken up,
which will increase the difficulty of iden
tifying her unless divers are dispatched
to the scene. Definite news is expected
this evening.
A trunk has drifted ashore at Peters
river containing 4 womans clothing and
millinery, which shows that women were
on the ship. Other garments also were
picked up. including a pair of trousers
marked j. j." 3a.
In a Treacherous Current.
The steamer, presumably eastbound,
unrlf l.h I:oI,t i.
morning. A treacherous current, I'M
charted because Of it's varying move
ments, runs into st. Mary5s bay, and
drags many a ship TO destruction, as, it
did this one. A snowstorm ragged all
Wednesday night and the shrewdest
How this ship came to- grief will ever
remain mystery, for not a soul on
board remains alive to tell the tale.
The first knowledge the fishermen had
OF the disaster was seeing a column of
fire some miles down the coast, plainly
telling of shpwreck, knowing that little
hope existed for the mariners, the people
of Peters river and Holyrood started for
the scene, arriving at 10 o'clock to find n
large steamer, variously estimated at
from 5000 to 1000 tons, battering its
bows out on the rocky shelf running sea Il
ward 500 feet below the steep cliffs
which form this dangerous coast. & ~ 1
II mad struck bow on, teleScOped its
forepart, and then slid back into deeper
water. caught as it went by rocks that
crashed through its bottom, and tore the
forehead out 1t; sank by the head until
the waves covered it beyond the foremost.
Its afterpart was correspondingly ele-
waited, and by some means had taken
fire. its cargo and saloon quarters maxi
ing flames visible for miles.
Lifeboats Crushed.
Three men alone of all the ships COM
pany were visible. Two, presumably the
captain and chief officer, were on the 1
bridge. The third was dashed in the
maintop. The mass of wreckage broken
and upturned boats, deck gear and fit
ments told their own story.
When the ship struck and was seen to
be hopelessly wrecked, the crew launched
the boats and tried to get away from the
doomed steamer, but the mountainous
seas crushed the frail boats and every
person on them persisted. One boat with
two bodies, one believed to be that of a
woman, was washed ashore in cove but
SO far it has been too stormy to attempt
getting at it. How many men stuck by
the ship none can tell, but these three
were the fOrlOrn hope.
When men appeared on shore the three
made piteous appeals for help, but none
could be given. The precipice drops
sheer 500 feet to the water below, In
the tempest no boat could live, and the
would-bee rescuers lacked life-saving ap-
planes.
All through the forenoon gusts of snow
swept the horizon, the cold was that of a
Newfoundland winter. and the poor
Wretches could only gaze up at the cliffs
lined with fellow beings powerless to help
them and wait for the death they knew
soon must come.
Tragic Struggle in the Water.
r. ~ II
than usual swept the sea. and when it
passed the bridge was no longer there
1t had been Wrenched from it's fastenings
and hurled. overheard with it's human
freight
This tragedy nerved the man in the rig
ging to superhuman efforts to save him
self. He cast off his lashings, beat him
self furiously for fifteen or twenty min |
utes with his hand to restore his ilnpeded
circulation, and then made his way down
the rattlines to the water. He plunged in
and swan madly to the base of the cliff,
ment on the rocks. Back he swan to
ship, rested himself for while, and then
desperately renewed the attempt.
The crowd of spectators on the summit
Of the cliff cheered him with shouts and
directions, and he struggled valiantly for
half an hour. But his strength was eX-
hausted, and he used his last efforts to
swim back to the wreck, where he re-
gained the rigging and dashed himself to
the mast again. He was an elderly man,
for his bald head was distinctly seen by
the watchers through their glasses. At
intervals after returning he waved his
;oilcoat in appeal, but night fell and left
him to his despairing vigil.
Burning Ship His Pyre.
The flames of the burning hull lit up
the gloom and formed a funeral pyre for
this viking, for few hours later the
limp figure hanging in the shroud told
that the end had come.
The gale changed during the night and
created a cross sea, which further dam
aged the battered ship. 1t gradually
sank, the fire was extinguished, and this
morning it was almost below the waves.
AS the day advanced it sank lower, and
when the last messenger left who could
reach the far-distant telegraph office in
time to send this dispatch it was burned
below the funnel, the CHASTITY figure in
the maintop being still visible.
Many bodies were seen floating about
in the surf and fragments of cargo
wreckage were working out of the ships
hold, but nobody dared approach it from
the shore.
Thought to be an Allan Line Ship.