Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-11-01
SIXTY PERISH.
SCHOONER AND STEAMER COLLIDE IN THE
NIGHT OFF BARNEGAT.
B1lh Vessels Sink in Short Tina After the
Accident-Smviyors Spend the Night in the
Rigging-A Timely Resoue-Ths
Story sf the Disaster.

steamer Vizcaya which sailed yesterday
for Havana. lie saw several persons in
the rigging and sent boat to their res
cue. The chief and second officer, sur
geon, one engineer aud eight of the
crew were taken off and brought here.
The persons rescued state that on the
evening OF the thirtieth instant at eight
o'clock they were run into by a four
mastcd coal la6en schooner, supposed
to be bound north. Both vessels sank
within five mi lltcS. One coloucd boy
was taken ashc.e by the schOoner's boat
and landed at Barnegat. Capt. Cumill
was drowned, as were also part OF the
crew. in all about SiXty-onc persons.
The four passengers of the Ni2caya
were all lost. They were u
Cuban millionaire, his wife and
two children. The captain and crew of
the schooner are supposed TO have been
drowned. The survivors are unable TO
give the particulars Of the collision or
its cause. The Vzcaya was of 1,33S
tons register. She belonged to the
Spanish line Of steamers plying between
New York and Havana. The steamer
was bound for Central American ports
with a general cargo of merchandise,
The captain was Francisco Cumlll. one
of the most experienced and trusted
officers of the company. Thcr other
officers were: First Officer, Felipe llaza;
Second Officer, Francisco C0vaS; Third
Officer, name not known; PurSer. Senior
Dcza: Doctor, Valdez Ricon; Chief En-
cineer. Francisco Sierra. The vessel
was Staunch aud Scaworthy and had
been entirely renovated and new cabin
placed in Sho.t time ago.
The following is list of passengers:
Juan Pedro. NJ. A. Calvo, wife, son and
maid: Mr.. Pur.and and three children,
Mr.. A. Ruiz, oSe Acadia, Ramon Al
varcz. Juan +. Herman. Oscar lSlaur,
Ligui Relion: lose II. Garcia.
Juan Pedro vas not included among
the regular passengers. He is mem
Der of the steamship company and Il
Spanish millionaire.
From DIR. Rio the following account
Of the catastrophe was obtained. Dr.
Rico said: "Before the collision the
weather was line, the moon Shone
bright and the sea was smooth. II was
about O'Clock when ! was on deck. |
did not see any vessel near US. The
shin was in charge of the first officer,
who was on ne bridge. Suddenly
heard the gong in the engine room
ring the stop signal. Before !
could even wonder what it was for,
there came an awful shock, and the
steamer rolled well over on her port
side. Everybody in the saloon was
thrown down. The bridge deck house
and frc-rigging were all torn away.
There was great cash in the Starboard
side. inst abaft the coal bunkcrS. and
through this opening water poured IN.
Close by our starboard beam was Big
four-mastcd schooner, with her DOW
Srit and foreriging gone and her beams
stove in. She. too. was filling rapidly.
Men were running wildly about on our
decks shouting all kinds Of orders.
The next thing | knew the water
was washing over our decks.
The steamer was faft sinking.
With wild idea Of saving ourselves
several of Us scrambled up the port fore
rigging. Down went the steamer ana
mn wa climbed. We reached the fore
ton gallant yard, and just then the hull
reached the bottom. This left us Just
above the surface Of the water, but
there every swell dropped ON our lower
limbs. There were twelve OF us IN the
rigging. Some of our crew mad tried
10 reach the schooner, but she had gone
IA the bottom almost as quickly rs the
Vizcaya had. and as far we could see
there was not a sail in sight to bring Us
succor one of the men in the yard
said that while climbing the rigging he
had seen i boat lowered from the schooh-
er and seven men got into IL and
rowcd away. We looked around
but could not see anything. Then in
the hope of attracting the attention OF
some paSSing vessel, or some one on the
shore, we cut the tarred ropes on the
ward into pieces, one or two leet III
length, and lighting these. shook them
the air as long as they lasted. The
lights brought no one to our rescue, ana
ali through the long night we clung TO
that ward. growing colder and sitter as
each hour passed Toward daybreak. a
cold fog settled on us and made matters
worse. When one Of the men on the
ward said that hc thought he heard Il
! steamer passing by. We all shouted rs
lond rs our enfecbled voices would per
nit. Then boat made its appearance,
and we were taken on board the Hum
boldt We could not have endured the
ordeal longer
Late tonight one OF the Shipwrccked
men was seen on board the steamer
Cindad Condal. another vessel belong
ing To CeballoS & Co.. lying at Pier 2l.
North river. He repeated the story told
| bv DR.. Rico. adding that at the time OF
the collision nearly all OF the VIA
caya's crew were asleep. being worn
ont with the hard work attendant
uDon leaving port. Only those on
duty were up and about. lie SAID that
before the lashingS of the boats could
be- taken off. preparatory to lowering
them, the Nizacaya'S decks were under
water. He saw several persons In the
water, clinging to floating debris SparS,
matches and wreckers after he was on
the yard, but all those soon sank. AT
the Office of the company but little in
formation could be obtained. The
Vizacaya'S cargo was valued at about
S15O. 600. The vessel was insured.
LEwEs. DEL. October 3l.-The tug
Hercules arrived this evening, and re-
ports that the schooner Cornelius Har-
graves and the Spanish steamer Nizcaya
collidcd the evening of the thirtieth,
fifteen miles off Barncgat. Both YES
sells sank in fifteen fathomS OF water.
Ten men from the HargraveS and seven
from the Vizacaya were picked up by
the schooner Sarah l.. Davis and were
transferred to the Hercules.
The latter proceeded from the
wreck to 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. They
picked up the body of woman. The
survivors report nearly hundred peo-
ple were clnging TO the wreck at one
time. The survivors have been landed
at the Lewes Life Station, also the
corpse of the woman picked up. She is
reported to have been StewardeSs Of
the steamer
The schooner Cornelius HargraveS.
CAPTAIN Allen. cleared from this port
October 27th. with a cargo OF coal for
Fall River, Mass.
4 PERMANENT CURE.-For years | was
t,-1 ...;,b Tho most mali icrnauf tvDp of