THE LOSS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA-NARRATIVE OF A SURVIVOR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 30 July 1884, Page 2

THE LOSS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA-NARRATIVE OF A SURVIVOR.

The clearest account of the Florida wreck is given by the ship's surgeon, Dr Andrew Steele. He says" A"iout ten o'clock in the evening on April 18 I was reading in my cabin. I had been on deck, and noticed that it was a clear, starlight night. Suddenly I heard a clang going in _ iho engine room fignalling tho engineer to back the engines at full speed. At the same time there was confused tramping on deck, I hastened on deck, when I saw plainly the spars and canvass of a big sailing ship heading direotly for us. Her port light was distinctly visible, The men about the deck shouted, The collision took place the next moment, Our ship rolled to starbord on a big wave, and the other vessel crashed into us, striking nearly amidships on the starboard side, Tho shock completely demoralised every* one. The men cried, "Take to the boats," but many were too fiightened to help themselves, even after the boats were in the water. The ship was sinking too rapidly to enable the crew to do much to save life. The stewardess was lowered ■into a boat, but no other woman was on board. 1 entered one boat, In« very few minutes both vessela sank, The captain and two seamen of the barque were focna dinging to the wreckaee of their vessel E)iid.taken into one. There were forty-, four of ua in the boat. We drifted for two days, having neither lood nor water The weal her was fair, but we suffered severely from'cold, On the 20th we attracted the attention of .liie Norwegian barque Theresa, bound for Quebec, which picked ns up, treated ua kindlj, and two days later transferred twenty of us to the barque Louise, bound for Quebec, as we were making serious inroads ontbe provisions,', The third officer of % Florida says that the night was perfectly clear, that the chief officer'was in charge, and that the captain, Med to realise the gravity of the situation until too late to save life, Nobody is able to account for the collision in such weather, '