Have you ever seen a story in an old newspaper and wondered “Why don’t I know about this?”
The New York newspaper story about the 1959 Yellowstone earthquake, which I’ve posted in my blog in the past, was one of those stories that I had never heard of. (https://newspaperproject2012.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/1959-yellowstone-earthquake-revisited-2/)
This next story is also a story that I have not heard of and I am sure not many of my readers have heard of either and yet it is filled with tragedy and triumph.
[news item]

Wreck of the Scotsman
September 22, 1899
“11 Drowned – 24 Deaths in All”
“…The Scotsman, which left Liverpool on September 14th, bound for Montreal went on the rocks in a dense fog on the south-east coast of Change Island, eight miles south-east of Belle Isle lighthouse, at 2:40 on the morning of Friday, Sept. 22nd…”
According to the newspaper story:
“…The story told by the passengers of the wreck and their subsequent experiences until they were rescued off the coast of Belle Isle by the steamship Montfort, is probably one of the most sensational stories on record…”
Below is the link to the newspaper story:
Bedford and St. Johns, P.Q.
The Bedford News – Oct 6, 1899
Friday
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NK9LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DzoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1580%2C49529
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After I read the newspaper story I did a search for more information and found the following web sites:

“…The Scotsman is a total wreck. The names of those who were drowned were: Mrs. Robertson, wife of the manager of’ the Sunlight Soap Co., of Toronto; Miss Robertson, her daughter; Mrs. Childs, Wife of the stage manager of the “Sign of the Cross” company; Miss Street, of Montreal, travelling companion of Miss Duncan, of Montreal; Mrs. Dickson, of Windsor, Ont., wife of a former editor of the Toronto Globe.
These were first cabin passengers. Miss R. Weavers, Mrs. Talbot, Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Skelton and an infant of Mrs. Roberts’ were second cabin and steerage passengers. The names of the others who are missing cannot be obtained…”
Below is the link to the web site:
Great Disasters
The sinking of the Dominion Line steamship “Scotsman” in 1899
The Saint John Globe 1899 – transcribed By Børge Solem 2004
http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/great-disasters.asp?articleid=84&zoneid=1
Here is another web site.
Below is the link to the web site:
Port Cities Southampton
Wreck Report for ‘Scotsman’, 1899
http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/17803.asp
Here is another web site.

Below is the link to the web site:
SS Scotsman (+1899)
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?139956
Here is another web site.

Below is the link to the web site:
The Ships List-L Archives
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/TheShipsList/2002-01/1010950337
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I hope the information I’ve provided will prompt you to do more research on the subject.
Thank You.
Jose from Clarkston, Michigan
Oh, what a sad story, Jose. Great research here. I wonder sometimes if we don’t know about some of these stories because when people die, if they don’t leave living children behind, nobody is left in that branch of the family to pass on a story. But then there are stories in my family nobody bothered to pass on!