The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-01
A COLLISION ON THE SEA
A STEAMER AND a SCHOONER GO
DOWN WITH MANY LIVES.

The Scene OF the Crash on Barneeat.
Eighty-slx Persons on the Steamer.
Twelve of Them Saved by Taking to
the Rigging-The Captain Killed In
stantly.
NEW YORK. Oct S1.-The captain Of the
steamer Humboldt, from South American
ports, which arrived here o-day, reports
that at 8 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 Viscaya, which
sailed hence yesterday for Havana.
de saw several persons in the zig
glng and SEM Ia boat to their rescue. The
chief officer, second officer. surgeon.
one engineer and eight of the crew
were taken off and brought here.
The persons rescued state that at s o'clock
last night the steamer was run into by a
four-masted coal-laden schooner, supposed
TO be bound northward. Both vessels sank
within five minutes. Capt Cunill of the
Vlzcaya was drowned. as were also part of
her crew, in all about seventeen persons,
sixteen OF whom were passengers.
Ihe ViEcaya had eighty-six persons on
board.
STORY OF THE DOCTOR.
DIR. Rice, 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. / was In the saloon
talking with Mrs Calvo, when suddenly
heard the stop signal. Before could even
wonder what il was for there came an
awful shock and a crashing, scraping sound
on the deck over our heads aud the steamer
rolled well over on her port side. Every
body In the saloon was thrown down,
A WILD PANIC.
All was excitement. men. women and
children shrieking for help. I started up
to the deok. 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 bunkers, and into this OPEN
ing the water poured. Close by on our
starboard beam was a big four-masted
schooner, with her bowsprit and fore rig
ging gone and her boats stove in. She, too.
was filing rapidly. Men were running
here and there all over the decks shouting
all kinds OF orders. The steamer was fast
sinking.
SCRAMBLED UP THE RIGGING.
with wild idea OF saving ourselves
several Of US scrambled up the port fore
rigging Down went the steamer and up
we climed. We reached the foretop gallant
and the hull reached the bottom. This left
us JUS above the surface of the water, but
every swell drenched our lower limbs.
There were twelve of us in the rigging.
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 boat with men from the
schooner was rowed away.
IN THE YARD ALL NIGHT.
"All through that long night we clung to
that yard, growing colder and sitter as
each hour passed. Toward day break cold
fog settled and made matters worse When
one Of the men on the yard said he thought
he heard passing steamer we all halloOed
as loud as our enfeebled voices would
permit. Then boat made It's appearances
and we were taken on board the Humboldt
We could not have endured the ordeal much
longer"
STORY OF THE SECOND OFFICER
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. He didn't see the
schooner until the first officer on the bridge
rang the bell TO stop. "At the time he
n.
Capt. Cunill had just come from supper
and was going up on the bridge.
THE CAPTAIN INSTANTLY KILLED.
Before we had time to move the
schooner struck us; and as far
as could see, instantly killed
Capt. CuniH. Our headway carried
it along, and the bowsprit knocked down
the bridge house and rigging. ! was cov-
cred by debris, and was badly cut In the
head and side Of my neck. got out Of the
tangle about the time the water commenced
to run on the decks and then / took to the
rigging with the others. We stayed there
from o'clock at night till o'clock the
next morning, and were completely ex-
hausted when taken Off by the crew Of the
humboldt"
SANK IN FIFTEEN FATHOMS.
LewEs, DEL, Oct. 31.--The tug Hercules
arrived this afternoon aud reports that the
schooner Cornelius Hargrave and the
| Spanish steamer Vizcaya collided at o
O'Clock last night fifteen miles off Barnegat.
Both vessels sank IN fifteen fathoms Of
water Ten men from the Hargrave and
seven from the Vizcaya were picked up by
the schooner Sarah L. Davis, and
were transferred to the Hercules.
The latter proceeded for the wreck
to render assistance, but at midnight met
the tug Battler, which had been to the
scene and found the vessels sunk and all
hands gone. She had picked up the body Of
a woman. The survivors report that nearly
a hundred people were clinging to the
wreck at one time. The SURVIVORS have
been landed at the Lewes life saving station
and also tho corpse Of the woman picked up.
Sne is reported to have been the stewardess