The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-27
OCEAN CLAIMS
 SCORE IF SOULS Steamer Hestia Goes Down In
 Bay of Fundy DEAD MAY REACH THIRTY 
Man At the Wheel Is Thought To Have Mistaken His Bearings and Steered Ship on Shoal-Mis-
 hap With Small Boats.

Eastport Me, October 26.-rhe North Atlantic annual toll of lives and vessels received the first 1.-the of the winter sea- son from it's trbutary-the Bay of Fundy today in the loss of at least d score of souls and the destruction on shoal inside of Old Proprietors ledge. off Seal Cove. Grand Mannan, of the Donaldson line steamer Hestia. bound from Glasgow for St. Johns and Baltimore Four of the victms-young Scotch laddies-were pas sengers on the ill-fated steamer and the others were members Of the crew. Cap tain Newman and 20 or more members of the crew were last seen this morning in ships boat which was being tossed on the stormy sea.
 Of the 40 persons who were aboard the steamer when she piled npon the shoal at l o'clock this morning only six are positively known to have been saved. ! They were forced to cling to the wreck. ] shifting their precarious positions often the steamer was tossed by the seas It was not until D. today that life savers were able to man their boats and reach the stranded vessel. When rescued ! the survivors were in a weak state after l their l4-hour ordeal
 l Those known to be saved: Third Mate Stewart, Second Engineer Morgan and Seamen Keen, Mckenzie, Smith and McVickar
 i Wheelman's Mistake.
 heavy northeasterly gale is believed to have been responsible for the Hestia's fate. although it is supposed that a mis- take of the man at the wheel in believing he had proceeded up Gannett Rock light, while really discerning the sleams of the lighthouse on Machias Seal island. sev- eral miles southwest, carried the ship i many miles off her course. Immediately after the vessel struck Cap tain Newman ordered his men to prepare to put the life boats overheard. Three of the life boats were available and one ! by one they were swung from the deck. but while the tackle of one of the boats i was being unfastened the small craft
 dropped from tho davit into the sea and
 was soon beyond recovery. -s...-t--ss 2 Then preparations were made to pre- | vent second similar mishap Into an- other boat were placed the four passen- gers and over a dozen members of the crew. They had barely taken their places when the tackle gave way and the boat, with it's occupants, were precipitated into the turbulent waters. The craft oapszed, but soon righted and one of the boys was seen clinging to the bot tom.
 Boat Disappears.
 
 time disappeared.
 Meanwhile those aboard the vessel launched the third boat. It was their
 last remaining hope and they tarried some little time to make certain that this craft should not go the way of it's predecessors. Captain Newman and all the remaining seamen except six entered the boat These six were the ones res- cued by the life savers this afternoon.
 Captain Newman and his men succeed ed in hauling two of those struggling in the water into their overcrowded c<ift. but they unable to rescue others whose cries could be heard above the gale.
 In the face of the gale nearly a score of fishing craft went to the rescue of the wrecked steamer. One by one. how ever. they were forced to turn back after answering the signals of the Hestia. Finally life savers were able to get to the Hestia and after considerable difficult ty succeeded in taking off the six men. The vessel is a total wreck. The boat which carried Captain New man and about 20 men was missing at a late hour tonight and may possibly have perished.
 The Hesta was a steel screw steamer built in 1890 and was formerly the Mary Beyts.
 She registered 244O tons net, and hailed from Glasgow.