FROM THE BERMUDAS

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12622, 6 December 1926, Page 7

FROM THE BERMUDAS

SUNK IN HURRICANE VALERIAN’S SURVIVORS A STOKER'S PLUCK Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received December 5, 11.0 p.m.) LONDON, December 5. Tli© survivors of the Valerian have arrived at London. Tho men particularly praise one of the stokers who swam with a lifebelt from a raft saying that ho was “out visiting’ ’and cheered up the men who were in an exhausted condition after twenty-one hours in the sea. The loss of the British sloop of war alerian and the British freighter itastway, with a total of 100 lives, damage to many buildings and an unprecedented loss of harbour shipping represented the toll of a hurricane which swept Bermuda on October 22nd. lGighty of the crew of the Valerian were lost. Twenty survivors were picked up by H.M.S. Capetown from a raft on which they had been afloat ulmost 24 hours. Captain Usher, the commander, and one other officer were saved.

The ship sank at one o’clock on Friiuy afternoon, when returning to the Bahamas, when she had sailed to carry succour to hurricane-stricken

victims of a month ago. The cruiser Curley, which was also returning from the West Indies, answered the Valerian’s call for help, but failed to locate her.