Evening Telegram, 18 January 1908, page 6.
Awful Experience Of the S. S. Tolsby’s Crew.
Almost Perished on the Beach—Shivering all Night Around Wreckage Fire—Hauled Over Cliff 500 Feet High— Gallant Act of Joseph Perry of Drook, Trepassey—Humane Conduct of Fishermen—Wreck Crew Make Up Subscription.
The D.P. Ingraham, Captain L. Young, arrived here at 1 p.m. to-day, bringing Capt. Payne and the wrecked crew of the S. S. Tolesby. Two TELEGRAM reporters boarded the tug as soon as she arrived at Bennett’s wharf and interviewed the captain and officers. The crew are all well, but look as if they have gone through a hard experience, which on getting their story was found to be the case. The Capt. was so upset at the loss of his vessel that he was unable to give a report about it and asked the mate and the chief engineer to give our reporters all the information required. Capt. Strong came on board and made arrangements to procure boarding places for the crew. The Captain and officers will go to Crosbie hotel.
The Mate’s Report.
Mate W. H. Phillips, who is a native of Cardiff, gave the TELEGRAM his version of the loss of the ship. The S.S. Tolesby left Galveston, Texas, on the 27th of December with a load of cotton for Havre, France. The voyage was uneventful till the ship came off the coast of Newfoundland 0n January 13th, Monday, when a thick snow-storm set in. At 12.30 p.m. it was thick that it was impossible to see the length of the ship ahead. The Capt. had meantime heard the whistle on Powel’s Head and not knowing anything about any other whistle than that on Cape Race, believed that he was a safe distance
OFF THE LATTER CAPE.
Suddenly the ship struck on the rocks off Freshwater Point near Little Seal Cove. She struck forehead on and caught on the rocks for a minute and then swung round broadside to the surf that was running at a tremendous rate. The crew believed that they were all doomed when they got a glimpse through the thickly falling snow of the cliff 500 feet or more high looming above them, with its abrupt front, forbidding any possibility of ascent. At first there was a hope of remaining on the ship, but soon she began to break up aft and all hands were told by the captain to look out for their lives. The boats were lowered, but as fast as they were put out they were broken and filled with water, all except one boat with five men in it which
GOT AWAY FROM THE SHIP
and put off to sea. Several attempts were made by the crew who remained on the ship to get to the beach. The life boat on which we all depended filled with water and was crushed on the rocks by the heavy sea running. The crew got into other boats which also were smashed between the ship and the reef, but the men jumped out and swam and ran through the surf and reached the beach safely. There they huddled, wet, cold and miserable on the rocks. Meantime the boat that put to sea with three sailors and two firemen in her came back at 4 o’clock p.m. and got aboard the steamer again. They had a narrow escape from being drowned as their boat filled with water. As the Tolesby was fast going to pieces they also decided that their chances of life were best on the rocks with the rest of the crew. They passed their boat around the stern with a line and then
MADE A DASH FOR THE SHORE,
the boat filled with water but they held on to her and were driven on the shore, when they jumped out of her in safety. The position of the crew on the narrow strip of shore in the cove that intervened between the sea and the cliff was becoming now dangerous every moment. The surf was dashing its spray over them according as the tide rose and was driving them back to the cliff foot by foot. They realized that they would be all drowned if they remained there during the night. The boatswain, a Swede, Alexander Wind berg,
VOLUNTEERED TO CLIMB THE CLIFT
by using a marline spike. He succeeded and three others followed him. The tide now had risen so high and seas swept in so that the rest of the crew were unable to get to the point where the four made their ascent. A rope was put down by the men above, but they were unable to avail of it. The night was spent in the most abject state of wretchedness by the men in the cove. They picked up some wreckage as it drove ashore and managed to make a fire, but the sea increased and put the fire out and drove the men
BACK TO THE EXTREME END OF THE COVE.
Snow fell heavily during the night and made life more miserable. Occasionally rocks would fall, too, out of the cliff, and they did not know what minute one of them would strike one of their number, which meant death in another shape. They were between Scylla and Charybdis with a vengeance.
In this predicament they remained till next day at 11 a.m., when the fishermen residing at Drook, a near-by settlement, saw them in the cove, and at once took steps to rescue them. Three or four men who had got over the cliff in the night also returned during the forenoon to the brow of the cliff. They had wandered about on the shore all night seeking human habitations, but found none, except an empty hut, where they put up till morning.
When the men of Drook took in the situation they procured a rope and Joseph Perry bravely tied a rope around his waist and decended the cliff, then he tied the rope around the men one by one and they were pulled up by the fishermen of the Drook. The wrecked crew then travelled to Drook and where they were kindly treated by the inhabitants, whose kindness the captain and officers will never forget.
Chief Engineer Osborne’s Story.
Chief engineer Osborne’s tale is as follows: We sent a boat on shore in which were five men. They brought a line to the shore and by this means the remaining portion of the crew were hauled on shore. We had to wade ashore through the beating surf, which at times threatened to drown us; but after some hard fighting we managed to reach the cove. The men that came ashore in the boat climbed the cliff before the tide rose. It was then setting in dark, and the heavy seas were washing over the cliff. We made fires on the beach with some of the ship’s wreckage, and did everything we could to make things as cheerful as possible. All this time the wind was howling and the sea was beating madly on the beach, and after some time the sea came on the beach so strong that it washed all the fires out.
We had to keep shifting about all night to keep ourselves from freezing. We once more attempted to light some fires which we were successful in doing and by their heat we kept ourselves pretty warm until daylight. We made several attempts to get up the cliff but failed owing to the surf breaking against it. Large pieces of rock tumbled down the cliff in all directions, making us feel nervous. This continued at intervals and we were afraid at times that we would meet our death by the falling pieces of rock.
Finally, when we were beginning to feel uncomfortable, a fisherman was seen coming down the cliff with a line made fast around his body. The fishermen on the cliff belonging to Seal Cove were lowering him down. As be descended we noticed him every now and then clearing away large portions of the rocks and other stuff from the cliff to make for us a passageway up as feasible as possible. When he landed in the cove he tied us one after the other with the rope, and we were pulled to the top by the fishermen. The fisherman who was lowered down the cliff, and who tied us up with the rope, is named Joseph Perry, and I might say that he is worth a medal for his bravery.
He worked to get us safely landed as I never witnessed a man working before. When we were all landed the inhabitants came and took us to their homes and made us as comfortable as possible. The coat that 1 have on my back was given to me by a fisherman. I saved nothing except my watch and chain. I would like the newspapers to thank these fine men who were the means under Providence in saving our lifes. Too much praise cannot be given to them.
Names of Captain and Crew.
C- J. Payne—Captain.
W. H. Phillips—Chief Officer.
A. Boothroyd —Second Officer.
J. Searle—Steward.
Gregory Perer—Cook.
Alexander Windberg—Boatswain.
Miguel Niclord—Able Seaman.
J. Jenkins-Able Seaman.
Joseph Caboran — Able Seaman.
J. Fergeraldo—Able Seaman.
Joseph Forres—Able Seaman.
Hvpolito Layian—Able Seaman.
F. H. Osborne—Chief Engineer.
W. J. Robson — 2nd Engineer.
J. McDonald—3rd Engineer.
J. Anthony—4th Engineer.
W. Pike—Donkeyman.
S. Camereliua—Fireman.
Toguro Longroad—Fireman.
Joseph Romeo— Fi reman.
Albeit Butz—Fireman.
Louis Maryrim—Fireman.
Andre Feodores— Fireman.
Boy Apprentices—Stamp Scott, David Osmond.
On the way from Trepassey a collection was made upon board the D. P. Ingraham and five pounds ten shillings was realized. This was taken up by the crew of the wrecked steamer and thev are going to send it to the men who saved their lives, as a small token of esteem for their heroic services performed by them when they were cast ashore.