Splinter Fleet

Alphabet Fleet

Early Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding Today

Education

 

Home

Contact Us

Documents

HOW THE “FIFE” WAS LOST

From passengers who arrived by the way train last night and men on the ‘Walrus’ while collecting the ballot boxes in St. Barbe’s, we got the details of the loss of the s.s. ‘Fife.’ Four days the ‘Walrus’ lay in St. Barbe Hr., during a continues storm. On Friday 16th the ‘Fife’ made the port and had to remain all night. Leaving Saturday morning, the weather was all that could be desired. In crossing outside St. John’s [sic] Bay, second officer Kennedy was in charge of the bridge, while Capt. Major went below. The land was quite visible and the inner Twin Island was supposed by Kennedy to be.

The Nearest Land.

At 11:30 a.m. the lookout left his place and was lighting his pipe in the galley, and Kennedy was in the wheel-house, when, to their surprise, and that of all on board, the steamer struck on a shoal. She was then at full speed-10 knots. The velocity attained carried her right over the sharp rocks into deep water, but fearful rents had been made in her bottom, water poured in everywhere and it was fortunate she continued on to the low-lying rock that marks the Outer Twin. She ran up forward for some distance, and within a few hours sank stem first until.

She lay on the bottom.

The water flowed over her aft to the funnel, even the rail being under, and the crew barely managed to get clear in boats with their clothes. The ‘Walrus’ shortly after came up and took the crew to Bonne Bay, with the exception of Capt. Major, officer Kennedy, stewed Smith and H. Crossman, who remained on the nearest island, 200 yards from the wreck, where three houses, with stoves and fuel, erected by the residents of St. John’s Bay for summer fishing, provided them with shelter. On arrival of the ‘Glencoe’ at Bonne Bay last week she took on board the crew who were there and proceeded to the wreck, but it is thought will do no good, as during the past week a heavy N.E. gale swept the Straits and played sad havoc along the coast. As a fearful sea is generally created about the Twin Islands the ‘Fife’ had undoubtedly become a total loss.

The Evening Herald

November 29, 1900

 

Images

 

Acknowledgements

|

Links

|

Copyright