New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-26
A WRECK STREWN COAST
Record of Lives Lost off Ne7o-
foundLand and NoUa Scotia.

St. Johns N F., Dec 20 (SpeciaD.-The White
Star Steamship Company has just PROVIDED
sum of money for the restoration OF the
graves of the 30 victims of the wreck OF
the steamer Atlantic, which persisted on Meagher
Rock off Halifax. in April. 1873, and for the
erection of a monument which Will commemorate
this thrilling story of the sea- II Is now
suggested that a similar step be taken by the
Allan Line to commemorate the loss of the Anglo
Saxon at Clam Cove. near Cape Race, which was
a still more terrible disaster, seeing that IN It
1872 human beings persisted under conditions even
worse. Some indeed, advocate marking the sites
of all the wrecks that have Uttered this rock
ribbed Terranovan foreshore, and If this IDEA Is
ever carried out there Is not mile Of the Ill starred
peninsula Of which Cape Race is the termination
but will have its granite shaft or tablet muteV
recording some CHASTITY marine disaster Pre-
eminent among these of course. was the terrible
tragedy of the Anglo-Saxon one of the crack
clippers of her day. making into the cape to trans
fer her European dispatches to The Associated
Press newsboat, for in those times there was no
Atlantic cable and eastbound westbound liners
obtained supplied the very latest Intelligence
at this point. She struck on a Saturday night
April o. 1863, Just years before the Atlantlcs
loss, and in few hours the heavy seas broke her
up. News of the mishap sped rapidly along the
Shore and the coast folk hurriedIy gathered at
the sceue to help as best they might Amid storm
and tempest they battled with the waves to succor
those alive, and later wrest from the oceans
NAV for decent burial the hapless ones who had
met their fate. On the hillside to-day can be seen
the trenches in which scores of nameless ones-the
unknown dead-are inferred while garrulous old
fishermen who participated in the grewsome scenes
of the awful days which succeeded her strand
ing will identify particular graves whose occupants
they had helped to this hasty sepulture on for
eign shore.
1t is sad to think that scores Of those who persisted
in this catastrophe lost their lives through over
loading their persons with gold after the steamer
struck. Forty years ago the fashion was for tTav-
oilers to carry large in gold their persons.
and scarcely body recovered from the NnSi3-
Saxon but afforded evidence of this Where 1denti-
fcatiori was possible the authorities tmpounded
gold iewelrv and effects for the relatives. but
otherwise the isherfoik allowed to keep all
they came by I'VE hccked up one man." said an
old salt who had go pieces Of gold in a belt
around his waist and three Of US shared them
We had to bury him IN his boots. too, because we
could not get them off there being a superstition
against allowing the interment of a body which
retains it's footwear Maurice Kearsey." he con-
tinued lived in a shack in Clam Cove. where the
steamer came ashore, and was fishing there that
summer He had the bright golden sovereigns
ranged along on the pole that kept up the rafters
Whenever we went on the fishing grounds we were
almost certain to bring up body, and my brother
who was the bravest among us, carried three dead
women in his arms up to the graveyard, where we
buried them. They had beautiful watches ard
rings but we never tried to get the jewelry of
their hands"
No such restraint affected them when it came to
saIvaging her cargo. which was large. varied and
valuable. The narrator and his family saved thirty
bales in all, worth about $1,000. The practice was
that when the custom house officer came around,
If you had ESQ or $40 worth of stuff saved. you'd
give him 81 and he'd go along and ask no more
questions" The best of brandy, saved from that
wreck sold IN st. Johns then for 20 shillings
gallon" and you could buy champagne. a com
parativeIy unknown and unappreciated drink with
telaD in a ceQtS),
a bottle"
LITTLE ATTENTION TO COAST GUARDS.
With regard to general goods even less attention
was paid by the coast guards in these good old times
The custom to pay nominal fee to the officer II
he happened along but appropriate everything If he
didn't The same doctrine applied six years later
when in 1862 three fine steamers went ashore to-
gether in the same vicinity. One was the Cleo
patra which ended herself in Trepassey Bay while
houeward bound from Montreal with a cargo OF
whaIebone oil and other products, furs and Hud-
son Bay peltries. Her crew took to the boats
when she struck. and nearly all of them persisted
She had forty-six casks of whale oil on deck and
hold full OF skins, and there not soul
aboard when the daring coast folk focked over
her rail. They brought their fishing smacks along
side and transferred all this oil thereto. Then they
secured what fur was above water in the hold
skins ana got e66 for Another obtained E1SO for
paid f610 for his salvage Of peltries Another ship
then ashore was The Germania, a big frelgbter,
eastbound from Montreal with flour ana other 1000
stuffs. The crew escaped and the settlers Ior
miles around procured noun bacon Sa anu O ty
commodities IN pracucdl4y uIlLIh4Ieo Qu--4lIt c
Then, crown their good fortune, sugar vessel
such fashion that she remained intact for months
and scores of spacks carried away loads OF the
own use and selling the remainder in st Johns,
which town 10 this day Goes large ouslness an II,
and wrecksam' On board the GerTnania was
large Quantity of specie which overs brought up,
SUdi IS
returning there later. recovered it, and lived IN
Amazing indeed, are the condolences with re-
spect to these NeWfoundland shipWr52ks captain
Brown who was master of the big Allan liner Ba-
varian when she stranded in the st. Lawrence in
November was fourth oIncer OF me on On
the Cleopatra when she met ruin in 1863 had a son
Bay State, the finest cargo boat in existence at the
time which also went 70 pieces har,d3IIy a stones
GUS is the fact that in 1S4s grandfather, Captain
HaTso WAS 5GSt o c4 bs canfa Watson
persisted with forty-three others in the steamer
Manasco by striking the sheer cliff in the same
vicinity in 1875 and grandson Captain Watson,
Went down with all hands there IN the ste. steamer
in vessel which was bound TO Ireland from New
e w''h cr f IN Witch then desoIated be
Emerald Isle sat she was dismasted Off Cape Face
crew left and tried to reach the land but never
succeeded IL that endeavor. The ship, however,
kept afoat and drifted slowly north from Cape
Race toward ST. Johns within few miles OF the
go out and help himself to the -four. They cut
holes In the deck and removed the upper tiers OF
barrels. and then with every motion OF the craft
and every surge of water In her hold other barrels
would be forced up and being caught with Crap
ping irons by the waiting fishermen, would be
transferred TO their boats Eventually she drove
ward and foundered but she left the seaboard well
supplied with -four, for the water only soaked
about an inch into each barrel then cakng leav-
ing the centre as dry and sweet as the day II
was milled so that II It did not serve the people
Of Ireland It was OF substantial benefit to their
descendants In Newfoundland.
MANY WRECKS IN los
ms
The steamer City OF Quebec drove against the
coast and went down with all hands-seventy-seven