Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-28
LINER FL0R|zEL'S
DEATH LIST IS 90
Torty.fOur Survivors Taken of
the Wrecked Red Cross
Steamship.
TEN WOMEN AMONG DEAD.
None Of the -Four Children Aboard Are
Snved--RcMcue Work Il an
Heroic Endcavor.

st. Johns. N. F., Feb 25.-Boat crews
from the New Foundland steamer Pros
pero, Drawing the breakers which are bat
tering to pieces the wreck of the Red
Cross liner Florizel or the lodges north Of
Cape Race. to-day took off A SURVIVORS
all that were left alive of the ships com =
pany of 1876. The death list stood at S.
OF tn, rescued II are passengers. Only
two OF tho ~ women on board and none
of the four children were saved.
Captain William J. Martin OF the Flor"
:roi. and Major Michael Sullivan Of the
Newfoundland forestry battalion. who was
OF. his way to rejoin his command IN Scot
and we're among those rescued. Ralph
Eurnhar, one Of the six cadets OF the
ROYAL Flying corpj on the lost steamer
was Included among the survivors
The rescue was performed with great
nallantry. The rlCrzel wan iE.ptlcd en-
a rock, surrounded by half submerged
Lodges, and lay 900 feet from shore be
tvvesr her half submerged hulk CnG Tia
cliffs which, tut from the waters cuge
to a ns!sht Of 300 o" 400 feet. with no
beach to speak of al high Ide. the weIer
Is white with an almost urbroken swirl
IT breakers, making IL impossible to SEND
out lifeboat. detachment or naval
gunners from this city managed to saoot
but those on board were powerless to
make it fast, as the foreparr of the
steamer was continually buffeted by huge
seas, the aftermath Of yesterdays bliz-
card.
In the forecastle, into which the break
ers smashed their way. and in the fore
rigging the A survivors huddled help
lessy. outside the ring of surf lay a
fleet Of rescue steamers, including the
Prospero, which had been sent by the
government to the scene with special life
saving apparatus. BY virtue of this
equipment the Prospero's crew claimed
the honor of running the breakers and
picking off the helpless survivors.
Although the sea had moderated
somewhat as compared with the surf
breaking on the lodges during the bliz-
card yesterday, when the Florizel
struck. 1t looked like a foolhardy at
tempt at rescue
This is just the kind Of work, how
ever. to which New Foundland sailors
are brought up to in these waters. Vol
unteers went over the side Of the Pros.
pero in three surf boats and four dor
les. Shooting the breakers with great
daring the flotilla worked under the
lee of the Florizel and helped the two
women and the AZ men into the boats
It was suicidal to attempt to make q
landing under the cliffs and the return
trip, with crowded boats of exhausted
survivors against the heavily running
seas was accomplished with difficulty
The surf boats. especially constructed
for this kind Of rescue work. wealth
cred the seas safely. But not one bi
behind were the dingy dories of tn
fishermen. They were handled b.
specially picked dorymen who knew
= every trick of their trade and the dory
men placed their human freight aboar,
the rescue fleet without the loss of
man or a single mishap.
After making sure that no one was lef
alive on the wrecked liner the fleet pu
about and headed for st. Johns.
radio message from one of the ship
announced that John Shannon Mum
managing director of Bowring Brothers
Limited. owners Of the ship, with hi
three-year-old daughter. Betty. and tn
child's nurse were among the first to b.
swept from the ships deck. They wer
among the passengers who rushed VI
from below as the Florizel struck tn
rocks with terrific crash early yester
day morning in the binding blizzard.
Most of those lost were swept over
board within a few minutes after thu
vessel struck. When the ship settled, unit
she was submerged aft from the funnel
those able to do so made their way t,
the forecastle which was held above tn
level of the sea by the rock which ha,
pierced the .armor plated hull.
For while the forecaste afforded ,
safe shelter. But as the ship settled lowe
the seas battered down the doors of tn
forecastle, flooding the compartment.