The Truxton/Pollux Disaster

In the early morning hours of February 18, 1942, a US Navy destroyer and a supply ship grounded themselves on the rocks of Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula. A few men from the Truxton struggled to shore and wandered, frozen and covered in oil, until they found a group of miners on their way to work. The miners roused the surrounding towns of Lawn and St. Lawrence and mounted a massive rescue effort, some of the townspeople lost in the process to the high waves and cold temperatures. 200 men died that night, but the Newfoundlanders managed to rescue 168 and nurse them back to health. The President of the US showed his gratitude by having an elementary school built for the St. Lawrence area. In 1988, survior Lanier Phillips retunred and donated $2,000 dollars and a memorial plaque to the school.