New-York tribune., 1905-02-08
STEAMER AND LIVES LOST.
THE DAMARA FOUNDERS.
Nineteen SaUed- Captain and Pas
Sengers BelieUed DrOzcned.

Halifax, Feb THE ocean steamer Damara,
of the Furness Line. ran on the rocks at Mus
quodoboit, thirty miles east Of Halifax. early
to-day. and is believed to have foundered. with
the loss of many lives.
The first officer of the ship with eighteen Of
the crew escaped in one of the HfebOats and
landed at Pleasant Point, after a terrific
struggle with wind and sea- Captain Gorst,
master of the Damara, four passengers and the
remainder of the steamers crew left the vessel
in another lfeboat. and have not been heard of
since. II is feared they have perished.
The occupants of the boat which reached shore
were utterly exhausted and many of them were
badly frostbitten. They had a narrowing ex-
perience, battling in the darkness for hours in
the open boat against tempestuous seas on a
treacherous coast. with the thermometer 10 de-
grees below zero and blizzard raging They
reached the telegraph office at Musquodoboit
harbor this evening, whence they sent the
first intelligence of the disaster TO the agents of
the Furness Line at Halifax. whittier the Da-
mara was bound.
The survivors say that the steamer sunk about
2 o'clock this morning. when the blizzard was
so thick that it was impossible to see ships
length ahead. How the steamer got so far out
of her course they do not know.
An immense hole. through which the sea
poured in torrents. smashed in the bow or
the steamer. The shock of the impact shiv-
cred the vessel from stem to stern. waking every
one on board, and huge breakers swept the yes
sci fore and aft Lifeboats Immediately were
ordered over the side. and all hands left the
ship.
1t is believed that the steamer must have
foundered quickly. and small hope is entertained
by the survivors Of the wreck that the captain
and other occupants OF the missing lifeboat
could have successfully withstood the extreme
r1gor of the storm prevailing on this coast Tor
the last twenty-four hours.
The wind tonight was offshore. and If the
missing boat has not already been swamped It
has been driven seaward many miles. and is
probably adrift on the Atlantic.
Tugs were dispatched from this haroor to-
night to search for the boat and to ascertain
IL any vestige Of the hull of the Dauara re-
mains
The Damara left Liverpool on January "a for
Halifax, by way of St. Johns. n. F.. and left
qUodoboit Ledge. which she struck, is Ave
miles from the mainland.
The names Of the survivors could not be
learned, but it is known that all Of the crew
were shipped IN England.
There were thirty-foUr persons board the
Damara. of whom four We're passengers. one of
the latter being woman from St Johns. n. Z.
The captain and fourteen persons are missing.
Gable dispatches from St. Johns say that only
two passengers were booked there for the
Damara. They were Robert Scott and Mrs.
AlgernOn PrOwse..
The British steamer Damara single screw.
steel hull vessel, hermaphrodte rig. She was
launched in February. 1885, by her builders, A.
Stephen & Son. of Glasgow. She halls from West
Hartlepool and is owned by Furness. Witty & Co,
Ltd. Her net tonnage Is LIS. length 275 feet. beam
35 feet and depth % feet