The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-03-26
WATERY GRAVES.
FIVE HUNDRED ITALIANS DROWNED
AT THE BAY OF GIBRALTAR.

Filled with wild, I"rribl. Appeals
| and Shrisks of Terror.
GIBRALTAR, March lS.--It is now be-
| lievcd that the loss of life by the siuk-
ing OF the Anchor Line steamer I'topia,
which cOllidpd yesterday with the Brit
lsh lronclad Rodney while entering the
bay here, was much larger than at first
estimated. 1t Is calculated that Of the
| 'UO Italian emigrantS and crew on board
the steamer $40 persons were drowned.
Several bodies of those who luSt their
! lives In the disaster have been washed
ashore on the Spanish coast.
| Another account Of the disaster attri-
| butcs 1t to the fact that the British war
ship AnSon was drifting before the gale
and rammed the Utopia abaft the fun
mel. After ramming the Utopia the
| AnS0n Is said to have reversed her en-
glneS, which caused her to back away
| from the tOpia, which vessel WAS
practically impaled on the spur Of the
AnSon's ram, and the Utopia almost inn
mcdlately afterwards sank. Everything
! possible was done by the officers and
seamen Of the British war ship in their
esortS to save life, and four &pamen
were washed over board ana drowned
from one of the war ships steam
launches while taking part in IL" work
| OF rescue. Among the t'lDpia., officers
and petty officers who were sawed nv
tho boats Of the war ship were Cantain
Mckcaguc, the ships doctor, hoaiSwajn.
| chief steward and carpenter.
The scene after the collision has pro-
badly never before been cIualleh in Tie
history OF miritime disaster. On one
side WAS the passenger steamship
| n H.
filled the air with wild. hurrihls an
peals for help and shrickS OF terror,
overhead the clouds rushed ruriouSly,
driven along by Il strong SnuthwrN;
| gale, which had been one Of She causes
OF the calamity. TO the right and l"tt
| or the sinking NpSSc! were the two
| monster battle ships, Rodney and An
son pouring the light Of their powerful
electric reilCctOr& upon the disabled
steamship, lighting up the agony uI her
passengers and showing too clearly the
terrible position in which they were
! placed. Here and there were the war
ships small boats, manned by sturdy
blue jackets, who strained every nerve
STRIVING to reach the drowning paSs"N-
gers.
The rescued, estimated to the numhrr
of $50. were most kindly cared for on
board the ships and were taken ashore
and housed in different government
buildings. At 3 o'clock the loss OF life
was placed at 4OO or under.
y naval court Of inquiry will be con.
vcned on board the AnSou. 1t is OK.
pected that the Anchor line people vii
shortly take steps to forward the ITO
pias Survivors to their destinations in
the United States by another steamship
of their line. Some Of the Italians, how.
ever, are SO badly scared by their rApp-
rlenceS of last night that they announce
their intention OF never again Drawing
the dangers of an ocean voyage.
The official report Of the number Of
persons on board the Utopia shows that
when she left Naples the steamship it iu
oS0souls on board, including passengers
and crew. or this number only 81!
have been saved. Thus $50 Of her pas
ScngcrS and crew are either drowned or
missing.
Not until now g p. m.) has it been
possible to give Il full and authentic ac-
count of the appalling catastrophe, fail
Ing light making it difficult last night TO
see from shore what was going on at )he
scene Of the disaster, and terrible gaze
making it almost impossible to commit
nlcate with the vessels until Il late hour
to-day. Early last evening the Utopia
direction OF anchorage. When abreast
OF the ironclad AnSon strong gale,
combined with the current, swept the
vessel across the bows Of the AnSOn and
her hull was pierced by the ram Of the
lr0nclad. The Utopia, after pulling
clear OF the lrOnclad, driitCd about nc-
fore the wind and sea and settled down
III five minutes from the time of the
first impact
The Anson'S boats were lowered i'm
| mcdiately as were also boats from other
vessels Of the British Channel SIuHd-
room, the Swedish man-ol-war Frcga,
and the cable ship America and iron
cladS turned their powerful electric
search lights on the scene OF the disas-
| ter to assist the reScucrS.
On shore the news spread quickly anl
All enormous crowd soon gathered on
the parade and great excitement pre-
vailed. The shriekS OF the topics
passengers and crew could be pldiDly
heard above the roaring Gaic. The sea
| was SO heavy that the beats Of thr
rescucrS could not with safety approach
the wreck, 80 they were c"iHErllrd 10
turn toward land where they picked ip
the people rs they were swept frum thr
| decks.
AS the Utopia'S bows srUtlcd. Il tcrrl.
| hlc scene was witnessed from thr boats.
| Those still on LOard tho sinking steamer
made Il sudden rush IN hIuS" 10 tine
| forccaStle struggling for their lives, aMd
Valnly seeking q plac" of refuge. fW-n-
! ty minutes later the forccaS; H. was SUI
merged and the large number Of prrS0r !
gathered there, who had not dared 20
! leap overheard with the hope Of being
| rescued by the boats and who hHH ralcd
| in their efforts to 1SrruI tive rI(rpIj,,r