The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1912-12-26
AN OCEAN WRECK
CLAIMS q LIVES.
WAVES POUND STEAMER FLOR
ENCE TO PIECES OFF
NEWFOUNDLAND.
ONLY 5 SAILORS SAVED
These Had Gone on Hunt for Plac,
to land-Exhausted Survivors
Bring News Of Sea Ira
gedy to ST. Johns.

st. Johns. NJ w. Dec 24.-Twenty
two Of the ~ members of the crew oi
the Frness line steamer. Florence
from Halifax, n. s.. for ST Johns lost
their lives in the wreck of the vcsst!
on the lodges west Of St Shots dur
ing northwest gale last Friday Five
exhausted survivors. who reached land
in boat. brought the news to Tre
passey. The steamer carried no pas
sengers
All Reached Shore.
Captain Barr Of the steamer and al
his men reached shore after the YES
sci struck. hut the lofty. inaccessible
cliffs of ST. Shots prevented their cs
cape. The big tide hacked up by
the northwest gale. made it impossible
to remain there and all hands were
obliged to put back TO the ship. which
was pounding heavily
Captain Barr felt confident that tn.
wind would 80 down. but Second Mate
]. Hedley volunteered to take foul
men in one of the ships boats and
seek more favorable landing place
further along the coast In the heavy
seas then running the captain was un.
willing to risk more lives and gave
his consent to the second mates cx,
pedition with reluctance
Men Swept in Safety.
With great difficulty. Hadley piloted
his small boat along the coast until ha
saw break in the rugged line Of
r1i D,ir ~f
directly into the surf. avoiding the
outlying rocks and. on the crest of
great breaker. ran his craft in with.
out being upset. Tumbling ont hasti
ly to avoid being sucked back by ,he
undcrtow the mate and his four men
dragged their boat up the beach. out
of reach of the sea. and made their
way back along the cliff to where the
steamer lay. The wind and sea in the
meantime had increased.
The combcrs broke continually over
the decks Of the vessel which was
grinding heavily on the jagged rocks
Hedley and his men searched in vain
for some path by which the cliff
might be scaled or the crew OF the
Florence helped. The coast in that
vicinity was uninhabited The few
fshermcns huts were deserted for the
winter and the five men had TO take
refuge for the night in one of these
abandoned shacks.
Vessel Had Gone Down.
At daybreak Saturday. Hedley found
that the wind had heen steadily in,
creasing. IIurrying back to the point.
off which the Florence lay. he could
see no sign Of the steamer. Consider.
able OF her cargo of lumber was float.
ing along the shore. but no small boats
were visible.
The five survivors made long and
thorough search along the coast for
their shipmates but no trace of them
was TO be found They then started
for St. Shotts. the nearest inhabited
place. several miles distant. Two of
them were so exhausted from cold
and exposure that they had to be as.
sisted. These two were left at St,
Shots to recuperate while the others
pushed on to Trepassey. whence they
sent word of the disaster to this city.
They are not expected to arrive here
before the middle of the week.
The Survivors.
Besides Mate J. Hedley, the surviv-
ors are Seamen w. Wright. o. Malm.
quist, E. Taylor and T. Smeding.
The steamer Florence was o: 1909
tons burden and was built in Sunder.
land. England, in 1889. She was 1893 S
feet long, 4o.2 feet beam, with depth
of 26.1 feet.