The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-11-12
SWALLOWED BY THE WAVES.
= Thrilling Story of Shipwreck on
S3rNeg

y EW OTk, OCT. 3I.-Ihc captain CT
the steamer Humboldt from South
American ports, which arrived here
to-day, reports that at 6 o'clock this
morning six miles East Of Barnegat he
sighted a wreck and bore down to it.
The wrecked vessel proved to be the
steamer Eizcaya, which sailed from
hence yesterday for Havana. lie saw
several persons in the rigging and sent
4 boat to th.i" rescue. The chief officer,
second oilicer, surgeon, one engineer
and eight Of the crew were taken off
and brought here. The persons rescued
state that on the evening OF the 3Oth
inst, at 5 O'Clock, the steamer was run
into by Il four-masted coal laden
schooner supposed to be bound North
ward. 3oth vessels sank within tive
minutes Captain Cunill Of the EiZcaya
was drowned, rs were also a part OF
her crew. in all about eighty-SiN per-
sons, sixteen of whom were passengers.
The tug Hercules arrived this even
ing reports that the schooner Cornelius
Hargrave and the Spanish steamer
ViZcaya collided at : o'clock on the
evening of the 30th. fifteen miles Oil
Barnegat. Both vessels sank in fifteen
fathoms Of water Ten men from the
Hargrare and seven from the EiZcaya
We're picked up by the schooner Sarah
L. nayis and were transferred to the
Hercules The latter proceeded for the
wreck 10 render assistance, but at mid
night met the tug Battler, which had
been to the scene and found both YES
sells sunk and all hands gone, She pick
ed up the body OF q woman. The sur
vivors report that nearly hundred
people were clinging to the wreck at
one time. The survivors have been
landed at Lewes life station, also the
corpse Of the woman picked Up. She
is reported to have Eeen the steWardess
Of the steamer.
DR.. Rico, the ships doctor. tells this
story: The weather was fine. the moon
shone bright and the sea was smooth.
The ship was in charge Of the first
officer, who was on the bridge. l was in
the saloon talking with Mrs. Calvo.
when suddenly | heard the stop signal.
Before l could even wonder what it
was for, there came an awful shock, a
crashing. scraping sound on the deck
over our heads, and the steamer rolled
well over on her port side. Every
body in the saloon Was thrown down.
All was excitement, men, women and
children shrieking tor help. | started
up to the deck. A terrible scene Of
confusion met my eyes. The bridge,
deck house and fore rigging were all
torn away. There was great cash in
the starboard side, Just abaft the coal
Dunkers. and into this opening the
water poured.
Close BY, on Our Starboard beam, was
a BIG four-masted schooner with her
bowsprit and forerigging gone and her
boats stove IN. She, too, was tlllng
rapidly. ;,
Men were running here and there all
over the decks, shouting all kinds OF
orders. The steamer was fast sinking.
With the wild idea Of saving ourselves,
several of US scrambled up the port
forerigging. Down went the steamer
and up we climbed. We reached the
foretop gallant and the hull reached
The bottom. This left Us just above the
surface Of the water. but every swell
Grenched our lower limbs.
There were twelve Of us in the rlgg-
ing. Some of our crew had tried to
reach the schooner, but she had gone to
the bottom almost as quickly as the
Vizcaya had. One Of the men said q
boat with seven men from the schooner
was IoWed away.
Ali through the night we clung to
that yard, growing colder and suffer
as each hour passed. Toward day
break cold fog settled on us and made
matters worse. When one of the party
said he thought he heard pssslng
steamer, we ali hallooed as loud as we
could. Then a boat made its appear
ance, and We were taken on board the
Humboldt. We could not have endur-
ed the ordeal longer.
From the second officer some facts
were obtained. He was standing on
the upper deck under the bridge when
the collision occurred. He said the
steamers lights were burning all right
and the watch on deck were at their
posts. lie did not see the schooner
until the first officer on the bridge rang
the bell to stop. At the time he rang
the bell to stop, said second officer
Covas, Capt. Cunill had jutst came
from supper, and was going up on the
bridge. Before We had time to move
the schooner struck us, and as far as
could see, instantly killed Capt. Cunilk
Our headway carried it along and the
bowsprit knocked down the bridge
house and rigging. l was covered by
debris and was badly cut iu the head
and side of the neck. I got out of the
tangle about the time the water COM
melced to run over, and then ! took to
the rigging with the others. We stay
ed there from 9 in the evening until
5 next morning, and were completely
exhausted when taken off by the crew
of the Humboldt.