The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-25
RED CROSS
LINER IS
WRECKED
Florizel Pounded to Pieces on
Ledge While q Few 20
on Board Are ].
Rescued.
A.Os,S
PLOT IS sss 0TED
Bodies Washing a. Courageous
Fishing g. ~ Attempt
to Save Those
Behind.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.J
ST. JOHNS, NJ F., Feb. 26.--
Twenty-seven persons were rescued
from the wrecked Red Cross liner
F1ortzel this morning.
There are seventeen more still
alive aboard the steamer. which IS
pounding on ledge at Broad cove,
where she ran on the rocks early sun
day morning.
Seven bodies have been washed
ashore from the wrecked vessel. "
these SOME have been idenftneo.
Captain Joe Keen, q son OF Captain
Abraham Keen, noted seal killer, ID
among them.
Fred Froud, we'll known local busi.
ness man, is another. An undermined
woman's body was one Of the first 70
reach shore.
Treachery aboard the ship. Is be-
'lieved to have sent her smashing on
the rocks of Broad cove.
That Captain Martin, one OF the
best shippers in the business. should
take his ship fifteen miles out OF Its
course is regarded as astounding.
Tampering with the compass is pe-
lieved to have been responsible. Per.
sons here are inclined to blame the
tragedy on German agents.
Reports differ as to the number OF
persons aboard the crack liner OF the
Red Cross fleet, when she hit the
rocks. Az first it was supposed there
were 1876 aboard. Other reports give
lower figures.
Rescue work began at dawn today.
Courageous fishing craft sailors; men
from the life saving stations ana
others Joined in the almost Impossible
task Of getting the survivors OH the
wrecked craft. Seventeen were LETT
aboard alive after the first work had
been done and twenty-seven urenched,
shivering persons landed.
There is no apparatus in the vicin-
ity Of Broad cove for rescuing persons
from wrecked vessels. but naval gun
ners were rushed to the scene ana
fired a line across the bows of the
ship last night There was no enort
to make it fast or use 1t. Five men
later were seen in the rigging weakly
signalling for help. They were blot
ted out in darkness soon afterward.
All day Sunday the beach near the
pounding steamer was crowded with
lookers-on, helpless to send aid. Huge
waves lifted from the cold sea. and
rising over LuS NcS6Cl, uSoSCNuSN
crashingly and swept her decks.
Men could be seen after these tor.
rents Of water had receded. Some OF
then appeared to be lashed to masts
or the rail. The stern Of the vessel
was submerged. Only her forward
part was offering a haven Of refuge
for the miserable humans who strug-
gled tenaciously with the waves and
the cold for their lives.
The foggy ice-filled waters near
Cape Race have taken heavy toll OF
steamships i, the last forty years.
Among those which have gone down
are the Rhodona, Assyrian, Gran
brook, Delmar, Louisa, Scottish King,
Titanic, Lady Beatrice. Ivydene, Pale
china and fifteen others.
In addition more than fifty sailing
vessels have been sunk.
Tales Of heroism by New Foundland
sailors and inhabitants along the
rocky coast go hand In hand with rec
ords OF the local vessels.
They were there again today, lend
ing almost superhuman efforts to a
task of getting survivors of the Flor
fzel.
The Offices of the line stated today
there were 1856 persons aboard the
F1orizel. OF these seventy-seven were
passengers. Reports that forty-four
were known to be alive would leave a
death list of ninety-two, provided no
others are found
Forty-four Taken Off.
ST. JOHNS, N. F., Feb. 25.-Early
today forty-four survivors had been
taken off the wrecked steamship
Florizel, which went on the rocks at