Help by Land

Black and white archival photograph. Group of twenty men on a beach wearing rain gear, caps, and suits holding long poles. On the hill behind the group of men are two groups of men to the left is four men sitting on the hill, and to the right is seven men standing up.

Rescuers from Cappahayden and Renews.

Cracked in Two
The people of Cappahayden and Renews learn of the wreck after Mass on Sunday morning. Shipwrecks are not uncommon on the Southern Shore, so this is not the first time many locals seek a way to help.

Some people head south overland. Close to Horn Head, they begin to find bodies on the rocky beach. Just offshore they see the Florizel—battered by the waves, looking like it’s cracked in two. A few men launch boats to help the survivors. Their dories quickly capsize. Rescue from shore is not possible.

Audio with transcript: A Rescuer’s Account

All afternoon, people take bodies to the train station in Renews, lining them up on the platform. The station master keeps count. It’s sad, unnerving work. Once, after accidentally stepping on a body, he faints—and is briefly mistaken for one of the departed.

Passengers: Billy Guzzwell, Margaret Keough, Leonard Nicholl, James Daly, and John Lynch Rescuers: Tom Kane and Paddy McCarthy