The Delta independent., 1891-03-24
TERRlslEL LOSS Or LIFE.
Nearly GOO Italian Emigrants Drowned
at Gih~aiter.

at Stevditer.
Early Tuesday evening the Utopia
wa seen steaming into the bay Of Gibral-
ter in the direction of the anchorage.
When abreast of the lro,c'st Anson the
Utopia staggered 81 though unable to
make hesaway against the terrible cur
rent Suddenly the strong gale, combined
with the current, swept the i'll fated
vessel across the bows of the Ausen, and
in moment her hull was pierced and cut
by the ram of the ircnclad. The Utopia,
after pulling clear of the ironclad, drifted
out before the wind and sea.
The rapid thrush of water through the
hole in her side caused her to settle down
in five min utes from the time of the first
impact. The Anson's boats were lowered
Immediately, as were also boats from the
other vessels of the British stannei
squadron, the Swedish IN an,of- war Freya
and the cable snip Amber, and the iron
clads turned their powerful electric search
lights on the scene Of the dis aster To assist
the resc uers.
Petersen, Swedish Gsarlermast ter, who
had been s.eerire .te Utopia short time
before tho collision, says that while on
beard the Utopia after the collision he was
surrounded by terrible mass of human
beings fighting their way desperately and
savagely, regardless OF sex. or age, toward
the boats. Men, women and children
tunIbled and climbed over each other In
that horrible fight for q chance to escape
from drowning. One poor woman. who
was rescued by the Anson's blue jackets
went raving mad when convinced that her
childron were drowned. There were sim
ilGrly distressing incidents by the score,
the most awful of al! occurring when the
Utopia with final desperate lurch sank
with her human freight ciinging about
her and drew hundreds OF live persons
down with her. Many of those who had
sprung into the ocean as they saw that the
steamship could not float many moments
Logger. were then also drawn down into
the whirlpool caused by the Utopia's dis
appearance. Some came 10 the surface
again for few moments before sinking
finally into their watery tomb.
Others, more lucky, were able 10 cling to
pieces of wreckage, floating spars, oars
gratings, hatchways, boats, life belts, etc ,
and thus kept themselves above water
until rescued by the war ships boats.
Presently an explosion with deafeuing z
report occurred in the !orecastIe, killing
many, and throwing many in the sea.
Luckily the masts held and remained
some yards above water, and Us the YES
sci touched the bottom, from forty to fifty
persons were rescued from the Iaasts.
The revised official count of the
lost and saved passengers and crew OF the
Inflated Utopia shows there were $50 souls
on board the steamer when she rau on tho
Arson. OF this number the saved include
291 steeraEc passengers, two saloon pas
senRcrs, three Italian interpreters and
twenty three Of the crew.
The accounts given by the divers who
are engaged In the work on the wrecked
steamer OF the terrible sights which they
have witnessed on the vessel still further
increase the APPALLING character OF the
catastrophe. These men in describing the
horrible scenes say that they found the
matches and the chart-room of the Utopia
closely packed with the bodies OF the
unfortunate passengers, who had become
wedscd into an almost solid mass in their
frantic rush 10 reach the deck of the
steamer after she had crashed into the
shnrp ram of the ironclad.
The positions in which the bodies were
found show that the poor people made a
terrible struggle for life, and tha, dcsper.
ate attempts were made 10 escape from
the doomed vessel as the sea came rushing
in through tho rent In her side.
Captain Mckeaguc OF the Utopia has
been arrested for wrongful acts, improper
conduct, negligence and mismanagemont.
He was released on bail.