The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-19
Nearly Six Hundred Drowned
From the Utopia.
sTEERAoE FULL or coRPsEs
Frenzied Italians Made . Terrible
Struggle for Their Lives.
Heroic Conduct OF British seamen In
Rescuins Survivors From the wateF
and Rigging = How tho Doomed
Steamer struck and sank.

steamer Struck and sank
GIBRALTAR, March ls.-The divers and
boats crews who have been at work al
| day in an effort to recover as many al
| possible of the bodies of the passengers
and crew of the sunken steamer Utopia
have recovered ninety bodies. Among
those saved from the sinking vessel by the
boats of the men-of-war were twenty ol
the Utopia's crew. c. n. Davis, of the
crew of II. NJ. S. Anson, stated that the
Utopia fouled with the ram of the Anson,
and thus caused the damage which re-
suited in the passenger steamer sinking.
The Anson's officer asserts that no blame
can be laid at the war vessels door.
One account OF the disaster attributes il
to the fact of the British warship Anson
drifting before the gale and running into
the Utopia abaft the funnel. The Utopia
was impaled on the spur of the Anson's
ram, and almost Immediately sunk.
Everything possible was done by the Off
GERS and seamen. Four seamen were
washed overheard and drowned from one
of the warship's steam launches while
taking part in the rescue. The scene
after the collision was frightful
one inside the sinking steamship,
"n IVY NJ aA, a
left Oft the sinking vessel were the mon
ster battle-ships Rodney and Anson, pour
ing the light of their powerful electric re-
Electors on the disabled vessel. Here and
there were the warships' small boats,
manned by blue jackets, who strained
AZ. 80 90 10y os ,,.a,e -. o -
.'e m Aeasy sea- S'ii'i"s saiaAr,y ,r,,y " ~ !,
the drowning passengers. Inc rescued !
passengers, estlmateo 10 NUMBER ABOUT
@VV' possibly more, were carcu lof on .lie
WaTsnips OF taken ana houseo IN tue gov
ernment pulaings.
Fe.erson, the oWedisn quaitermaster,
VINO nao Deen steering the Utopia snort
time oeiore the colision, says JUST Delore
the vessels came together ne went oeiow.
Wnile there ne ieit the snock OF tne col-
usion ana rushed ABOVE ueck. just pciore
nc ieacncu Ihe mann uecA tue Otopia nau
gone proausloe upon tne spar oi
'iee Ahsons ram, ane colgnanuer aan
OF tne Utopia, Oaptaih Mcheague,
acco,ails 70 reierscn' was on sne s'cani-
snlps orloge untl Ihe iasr moment.
Ieterson aaus thae as the Utopia was
crushed py the Ahson 8 ram. ne ciamoereo
up Tue uas''s o. oi'e ol the steamships 7, >
ooass anu cut the ropes noiuing u. ne
haa no tine, however, 70 ioWer tne noat
away, as the BOWS OF tne Utopia nad
passed neneath Ihe Warship' ana u was
evluent the PASSENGER steamer was raplaiy
SINKING. soon aIter' the poats OF the
Anson naviiig oee,i Prohptiy io"ereu' one
OF the man-oi-"ar's cutters ran alongside
the Utopia, ana feterson managcd 10 Jump
INTO ner.
ic s"yS ,,. wa. wi1'.e oa ooAiu ene o,opla'
aiter the coiiision, ne was suIrouhueu oy
.eriloie mass Oh human beings, hsnting
tneir way desperately ana savageiy, regard
less OF sex OF age toward the boats. Men,
women ana chiidren tumoled ana climbed
over eacn other IN that norrlnie ngnt ior
iiie ana cnahee oi escape from
drowning. One poor woman VINO was
resued Dy the Ansons piuelackets Went
raving mao Wnen sne was convinced her
chiioren were drowned. lhere were SINH
larry olstresslng incidents ny the score,
tne most awiui OF al occurring Wnen the
otopia, Win hnai desperate lurch, sank
with her human Ireignt chnglns ABOUT ner
anu drawing hunureus OF living persons
ooWh with ner. many OF those VINO
sPranS INTO the sea as they saw the snip
couio not iioa. many i.ioinents longer were
'nea aiso sou.a"n oown INTO the aWIui Whirl-
pooi caaseu ny Tue o.oPia disappearance.
oo'ne came 70 tue Sur.ace again Ior rev
moments ueiofe sihAiis hhaiiy IN thelr
watery toHps. otners, more lucky, We're
apie W cling 10 Pices VI wreckage, noatlng
spars' oars, gratinss, hatchways, boats,
i,ic-pei's' e'c'' anu 'hus kept themselves
ABOVE water Until rescueo oy the Warshlps'
poa,s' out' Us usuai IN sucn cases, the
"saker s;as saecumoea ; more ~ readily.
l lieAns' p,ass "omen sank 20 rise
~ nio'e' WIN 'nen 'ei,u.u ohspring
y ~ 80 iiuieh eiung
si I pss .h "s 70, III
-, So, 80 'ns uea', Vi poth'
.'. "el my Us A e'e"peu hao oetter
'", s's ~, s
80 L-s II ~ o AuIper oi per
spn1 -. Wn, valu 'ue o.op.a SHOWS .hat When
sne Wv ,>ap'.s ..e seeasip nao oousouis
oa Ua uuaiu, n.iuuns PasSeusefS ana crew.
~ sA.s e. az s.s. oiy o.o n'c ueeh saved
...aa -. - =. "a. passiS "nu crew are
~ .H,N sas - os'
e ansoa po",s "efe lowered imme-
a'.aeis avs, 'ne eon'sIoi' as were aiso boats
'iv'n , sne o'nei svSsels u 'ile DriIish cnan.
.a ,,eI squau'on. ine iaan-oi-"ar frien and
tue snip Ailloer anu tue ironciads turned
'he'r po"eriu. electric search nights on the
seehe oi 'ne oisas'el 70 sssist the rescuers.
pH sffoic news VA the ulsaSfer spread