The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-05-21
Loss OF THE SCHILLER.

i hItt''fh'" III "a i'f' f"' "''" '''
500 LirrS Lost.
After n long respite from ocean dlsiS-
ters to passenger steamers, the terrible
news III of the loss of the Schiller,
belonging to the Eagle line, and II Of
the largest and fastest beats III the trans
continental lines. The Inflated vessel
sailed from New York on the 2Sth Of
April for Hamburg, witt! l49 cabin ana
1O6 steerage passengers, and Il large and
valuable cargo. All went well until
Friday evening, May 7, at 10 o'clock, ut
which time Il heavy fog prevailed, dur
ing which she struck upon the rocks
Of the Sicily Islands, lying on the
southwest coast Of England, about
80 miles from Lands End. The sea was
very heavy at the time, and, owing to
the dense fog, the Sicily lights could
not be seen. The fearful loss of life is
the suddest feature of the disaster. The
passengers seem to have been almost en-
tirely Germans, on their way to the
Fathcrland to revisit friends from whom
they had been long severed. This news,
therefore, is doubly sad, i'll that 1t, will
bring sorrow into hundreds of houses,
both in the New and Old World, not
only among the friends left behind but
among the friends anXiOusly awaiting
them. Latest reports state that BIZ lives
are certainly lost, and only forty-four
persons are known to be saved. Swarms
Of people were crushed and drowned by
the falling of the masts, and two boat
loads dropped in the sea by management
of the tackle, while other crowdson deck
were engulfed by the rising tide. 1t ap-
pears to have been one of those cataStro-
Plies against which 10 provision could
be made, and which no foresight could
have averted. The weather was foggy
and the steamer lost her reckoning, al
though under the command of an ex-
perienccd and careful Captain.
The Ucraid correspondent succeeded
in interviewing Mr.. POLICEMAN, the second
officer of the Schiller, Henry Stern and
Mr.. Frahm, tirst-class passengers. From
their narrative we gather that tho voyage
was moderately good until May 4. The
last three days it was impossible to take
observations. The ship was out of her
course half a mile at the time of the
catastrophe. Capt. Thomas was Oh deck
night and day for four entire days. At
7 o'clock on the evening of the It'll, there
was a dense fog, the sails were taken III,
the engines put on half speed, and the
fog-bells used. Bishops light was I'M
seen, though only Il half mile distant.
At 10 o'clock we struck the reef, and,
after four bumps, the steamer settled
down.
There was a violent sea, and the tide
was rising. The darkness was intense.
Most of the male passengers were awake,
and there was the usual rush for the
boats, but nearly all the boats were
STAYED. One boat with Il few sailors left
the ship, eowardly refusing aid. Two
boats were saved. The Captain endeav-
ored to compel obedience by firing Il
revolver over their heads. During two
hours six cannon shots We're fired, when
the powder dampened. Distress signals,
rockets, and blue lights wereunanswered.
At midnight the fog lifted a minute, re-
vealing the lighthouse, and the waves,
sweeping the decks and carrying away
victims. At 2 o'clock the deck-hOuse, III
which were tie women and chill
dren, was swept away. The cries and
shrieks Of the victims We're heart-rend-
ing. There followed a ghastly silence
aft. The smoke-stack fell, crushing
some of the boats, and others were
carried away. The remainder followed
the Captain to the forward bridge. Each
succeeding wave took fresh victims.
Some sought refuge on the mainmast,
and some on the foremost.
At 3 o'clock the Captain and two other
officers were on the bridge. The Cap
tain descended for a moment to render
assistance and was swept away. Thus
persisted Il brave man, says Mr.. Stern.
st this time about ten persons were