From The Evening Telegram, 13 January 1913, page 5.
Ththe schooner Mary Pauline wrecked at Sand Dunes, St. Pierre et Miquelon. Last owned by Pierce Fudge, a merchant of Carbonear in 1955. Six of the seven crew members drowned. The only survivor was First Mate Sylvester Hynes.
From The Evening Telegram, 23 December 1963, page 3.
Rescue vessel stands by helpless as 6 drown from battered freighter
The heart-rending story of the loss of the six seamen from the coastal freighter Mary Pauline unfolded at Burin Sunday.
In an emotion-filled voice Captain Byron Adams of the small fishing dragger Zeta said he brought his vessel to port at Burin near midnight Saturday, after three days of being buffeted by the worst Atlantic Storm he had ever experienced. He brought with him the only survivor of the disaster – Sylvester Hynes of St Bernard’s, Newfoundland. Mr. Hynes, whose age could not be learned, suffered no ill effects from his experience and is at home with his family
Capt. Adams said he Stood on his own heaving deck only a few yards from the Mary Pauline when the crew abandoned and watched as six of the seven men were drowned. He said the whole sequence of events took less than two minutes.
The Zeta was about 20 yards from the Mary Pauline when the crew decided to abandon. The vessel had radioed earlier that her stern was smashed by pounding seas, that she filled with water and drifting toward the sand dunes off Miquelon Island, a French island off Newfoundland’s south coast. The captain had been injured and could not walk.
Capt. Adams said there was some delay by the crew of the Mary Paulina in getting aboard the dories because of the captain’s injuries. When the dories at last got clear of the sinking vessel, Sylvester Hynes, engineer, John Clark of Halifax and Captain John Mills of Lunenburg, N.S. were in one boat and the other boat carried Walter Baldwin of Corner Brook, Nicholas Whittle of St. Bernard’s, Nfld., Aubrey Rice and Chesley Windsor, both of Tridon, Notre Dame Bay, Nfld.
The Wind Velocity was about 70 miles an hour and the dories were being tossed about on mountainous waves. Suddenly the oars were torn from the men’s hands and both dories capsized throwing the crew into the boiling sea. Only Sylvester Hynes managed to grasp one of the lines thrown from the Zeta. The Other men went under and were not seen again.
Capt. Adams said the towering waves prevented him from doing anything more and he took his ship out to the open sea to ride out the storm. He Started for his home port of Burin Saturday morning.
The first indication that the Mary Pauline was in trouble came at 11:30 p.m. Thursday when the captain radioed that his ship had its stern smashed and was taking in water. The engine had also stalled.
Captain Adams said the last time he sat the Mary Pauline she was about to go aground on the Islands sand dunes.
