Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-08-16
THRILLING STORY OF A sEIPWRECK.


Bothnia, Of the Cunard line, which arrived
at New York from Liverpool Wednesday,
were Senor Joaquin Cores, Scnor Enrique D.
Granadas. Senor Pedro Obesa and Senor
Diego Perez, who were among those saved
from the wreck of the Spanish steamer Gil
ion, which was sunk on July p by collision
with the English steamer Laxham in the
Bay Of Biscay. Senor Grenadas gives the
following account Of the sad affair:
captain Ealdamar Iglesas at once order
ed the engines of the Giion to bestoppcd, so
that the men Of the other steamer, which
turned cut TO be an English vessel. the Lax
ham, might be able to leap on board. His
orders were obeyed and nineteen men out
of twenty three reached our vessel. They
told us. however, that the captain of the
English steamer, with his wife and infant
daughter, were either OH the Layham or in
the water, and our captain at once
lowered Il boat and after y short search
found them and brought them OH board.
4 few seconds later the boilers OF the Lax
ham burst. and within eight minutes after
the collision took place she had disappeared
from sight. As she went down a curious
grinding noise was heard in our hold, and
we all knew that the Gijon had been dam
aged by the bursting engines OF the LaXham
and was doomed to 60 down also. Captain
Iglcsias acted like 4 hero. He badc his men
lower the boats and see that the passengers
lives were saved. Four out Of the eight
boats were quickly lowered and SO out of
the 100 persons on board crowded into them.
The other four boats could not be lowered
as the vessel was sinking too rapidly.
xf thnIp l,n- he.
suffering from seasickness, and had not
even come on deck at the sound Of the col
lsion: the English captain was in the engi-
nccr's Snteroom, whittier his wife had been
taken in a fainling condition; the Spanish
captain was giving his orders as screnely rs
if nothing was the matter and the dense
throng of uIcn and women were dropping
silently and one by one into tine four boats.
"ili Of them, of course, could not lind
roon and it was piteous TO see the agon-
lied faces and hear the awful cries of hus
bands and wives who stood ciutchlng the
iron rails of the vessel and clasping their
little children TO their arms. The ago1y of
one family was terrible to witness. II was
composed OF u gentleman from Poio Rico,
his two siStyrs-ir law, his wife, his grand
mo-; her and his nine little children. He
might have escaped. hut he preferred - die
with his Kindred than 10 live without them.
Nothing, too, could exceed the beroism Of
the Two captains The English one, though
he inusI have Known that our vessel WAS
sinking, stayed behind to comfort his poor
wife, ana Captain glesias refused positively
to quit The steamer while there was Il tim
Der Of her together and sWorc that he
would shoot any man OF Li5 crew VINO
liuchrd from his work rs long as there was
breath in his body. And he meant II, too,
tor | saw him standing there Oh the deck
with his revolver ii his hand, and long ac
ter had left TIE vessel heard him cxhort
ns those Of the crew who stayed by him 10
do their work up TO the last, and thcn, if
nee, s>;ry, meet their doom like men.
ala lhi: way died two brave captains,
resumed; senior Gr,nad;.s, while something
like :. soG shook his huge herculean frame,
'and "ilh them died 10 other persons, in
cludln. most Of the crew Of the English
steamer anl most all the first and second
class passengers Of the Gijon.
Il had the luck TO find room i'll Il boat in
which there were sixteen Others. They
were composed OF Il Spanish priest, Pedro
MendeZ. seven passengers-Pedro Obcst,
Diego Perez. Joaquin Ccores, Lorenzo Ar
naiz, Bamon ID. Eariega, Baborno Mencia
and Enrique Perez: two English sailors
Charles Davis and James Lawrence-and
six Spanish sailors-redro, Perez, Batista
Ors. Jaime liars, Juan Lanserica, Pedro La
terre and Romua!do CaeZ. | give you their
names. because many of their friends be-
lievc that they are dead. aud it would be
charity TO relieve their minds. There were
no women Oh our boat.
$50, sir, the seventeen of Us rowed away
from the GioH, Keeping clear OF the other
three equally we'll loaded boats, which, by
the way, we never saw aitcrward, though
we heard that they got safe to land; ana
when we were twenty fathoms away
blood -curdling scream rang out over the
water, and we looked and saw that the I'll
ion had disappeared. We rowed on as best
we could, and presently voice hailed Us:
and in :, little while the third officer OF the
Giion swan alongside and we took him on
board. He had been ordered by Captain
Iglesias to so to the rescue of drowning
English sailor, and had thus managed TO
save his own life. He was the only officer
who escaped.
"Well. sir, we rowed all that night in the
Bay of Biscay, and when the morning came
and s puff of breeze sprang up we made a
sail ont of Diego PereZ's top coat and two
ibis out of a couple of pocket handkerchieis'
and so managed to make good headWay un-
til the night fell again. All this time, re-
member. we were without food or drink OF
any kind, and, bravely as we tried to bear
our bad luck. some of us began to lose heart
and to whisper that if no succor came at
dawn it would be necessary to draw lots IN
order that some one of us might be com
PEELED to offer himself as victim Tor the
rest. Soon the whisper grew into !. steady
| 1,nor1 ,nl or last tn fhn or
Pedro Mendez. the Roman Catholic priest.
Imagine the horror with which he heard
! that honest, Godfearing Spaniards were
| x.sa.,.a.il,nr 70 their GuaS hN feasi