Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-03-19
HUNDREDS LOST.
Sinking of an Anchor Line Sts.ca-
or in Gibraltar Bay.
Set~esn 400 and 500 Passengers
Dro"nsd-Four Sailors Drowned
During the Work Of Rescue.

NoL&-S@(> Al SRA.
GIBRALTAR. March ls-The British
ste amship Utopia from Italian ports
bound for New York with 100 Italian
immigrants on board eoilided Tuesday
with the British ironelsd Rodney.
anchored ia Gibraltar bay. and sunk
soon afterward on Ragged STAFF. A
southwest gale was blowing al the
time of the collision The Utopia sunk
within few minutes Boats were
Immediately lowered from the
British ironelad and also from
the Swedish man-of-war Freya.
IL is calculated that of the roo pas
sengers over 400 lost their lives Sew
eral bodies of those who lost their lives
in thu disaster have been washed
ashore on the Spanish coast.
Another account of the disaster az
tributes il TO the fact that the British
warship Arson was drifting before the
sale, and that in SD doing she rammed
the Utopia abaft the funnel After ram
ming the Utopia, the Arson is said 10
have reversed her engines, which
caused her 10 back away from the
Utopia, which vessel was practically
impaled on the spur of the An
sons ram. and the Utopia al
most Immediately af;erward sank be-
meath the waves. Everything possible
was done by the officers and
seamen of the British warship in
their efforts to save the lives of the un-
fortunate people on board the Utopia
and drowned from one OF the war
ships steam launches while taking part
in the work of rescue.
The scene after the collision has
probably never before been equaled in
the history of marine disasters. On one
side was the sinking passenger steam
ship crowded with about 700 irnmi-
grants, who filed the air with wild zap
peals for help and shrieks of terror
as they saw death awaiting them
in the dark, angry waters of the bay
of Gibraltar. Overhead the clouds
rushed furiously, driven along by
the strong southwest gale, which
had been one of the causes of
the calamity. Right and left of
the sinking vessel were the two mon
s.er battleships, the Rodney and
the Arson, huge specimens of Britain's
most powerful fighting ships, pouring
the light of their powerful electric re-
Electors upon the disabled steamship,
lighting up the agony of her passengers
and showing clearly the terrible position
in which they were placed. Here and
there were the wars.lips' small boats,
manned by sturdy blue jackets, who
strained every nerve as they bent
to their oars in that heavy
sea, while striving CALAMITY to be frs.
to reach the drowning passengers of
the Utopia. The rescued passengers,
estimated to number about 800 (possi-
bly, more) souls, were most kindly
cared for on board the warships or
were taken ashore and housed in the
different government buildings
> Divers from the warships are now at
work over and above the spot where
the Utopia sank. 1t is possible efforts
will be made to save her. The princi-
pal work of the divers has been the re-
covery of dead bodies.
The authorities of Gibraltar are fur
rishing the rescued people with lodg-
ings, food and clothing. 1t is sx-
pected that the Anchor line people
will shortly take steps TO forward
the Utopia's survivors to their destina-
lions in the United States by
another steamship o. their line. Some
of the Italians, however, are so badly
scared by their experiences that they
announce their intention of never again
Drawing the dangers CT an ocean
VOYAGE