The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-03-19
THE OCEAN DISASTER.
Over Five Hundred Persons
Went Down With the. Utopia.
THE UNPRECEDENTED SCENES
witnessed as the steamer Sunk.
Seven Hundred Emisrants
Swarm on the Deck Pray
ing for Deliyeranoe.

|
GIBRALTAR, March 1s.-1t is now be.
lieyed that the loss Of life by hesinking
Of the Anchor line steamer Utopia,
which collided last evening, on entering
the bay, with the British ironc!ad An
son, is much larger than at first esti-
mated.
An account Of the disaster attributes
It to the fact that the British war ship
was drifting before thet gate, and that
in so doing she rammed the Utopia
abaft the funnel. After the ramming
the Ansou reversed her engines, which
caused her to back away from the Uto-
pia, which vessel was practically i'm
paled on the spur Of the Anson's ram,
and the Utopia sank almost Immediately
afterwards.
Everything possible was done by the
officers and seamen Of the British war
ships in their efforts to save the lives OF
the unfortunate people, on board the
Utopia, So much so that four seamen
were washed overheard and drowned
from one OF the war ships steam
launches while taking part ia the work
OF rescue.
The scene after the collision has prob.
ably never before been witnessed in the
history OF maritime disasters. On one
side was the sinking passenger steam.
ship, crowded with about 700 emiRrants,
who filed the air with wild appeals for
help and shrieks OF terror as they saw
death awaiting them in the dark, angry
waters Of the Bay OF Gibraltar. Over
head the clouds rustled turiously, driven
along By the strong southwestern gale
which had been one OF the causes OF the
calamity. Right and left of the sinking
vessel were thetwo monster battle ships,
the Rodney aud the Anson, huge epeci-
mems Of Britain's most powerful fighting
ships, pouring the light of their power.
iul electric reaectors upon the disabled
steamship, lighting up the agony Of her
passengers and showing clearly, 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 as they
bent to their oars in that heavy sea
while striving gallantly to be first to
reach The drowning passengers Of the
Utopia. The rescued passengers, es.
timated 10 pulnber about 200 POSSIBLY
more), were most kindly cared for on
board the war ships, or were taken
ashore and housed in different govern
ment buildings, Even at this hour e p.
m, the exact number Of lives lost is not
exactly known.
Petersen, a Swedish quartermaster
who had been steering the Utopia q
short time beforeth collision, says that
lust before the vessels came together he
went below.
While there he felt the shock OF the
collision and rushed from below, but be-
fore he reached the main deck the Uto.
pia had gone broad side upon the spur
Of the Anson's rail. The commander OF
the Utopia, Captain McKeague, accord
ing 10 Petersen, was on the Gteamship's
bridge until the last moment. Peter.
sen adds that ms the Utopia was crushed
by the Ansoh'sram he clRmbered up the
dayits OF one OF the steamship's boats
and cut the rope holding 1t. He had no
time, however, to lower the boat away,
as the boats OF the Utopia had passed be.
meath the war ship and 1t was evident
that the passenger steamer was rapidly
sinking.
Soon after, tho boats Of the Anson
having been promptly lowered, one Of
the man.of-war's cutters ran alongside
the Utopia and Peterson managed TO
Jump into her. He says that while on
board the Utopia after the collision he
was surrounded by a terrible mass OF hu.
man beings fighting their way desperate
" and savagely, regardless OF sex or age,
towards the boats. =.
Men, women and children tumbled
and climbed oyer each other in their
horrible fright for chance OF escape
from drowning. One poor woman, res
cued by the Anson's blue jackets, went
raying mad when she was convinced that
her children were drowned.
Children chung to their parents so
desperately as to, in several cases, cause
the death Of both where they might
haYe escaped, had better Judgment been
used. Husbands and wives san 1 while
graspipg each other in frantic efforts to
keep each other ahoat, and many q good
swimmer went down with some horri-
fed, iear.maddened person clinging TO
him with the tenacity OF the desperation
OF death.
AT 4:3O p. m. It was announced that
the official report oi the number Of per-
sons on board the Utopia shows that
when she left Naples the steamship had
$50 souls on board including passengers
and crew, OF this number only 81
have been saved. Thus $50 OF her pas.
sengers aud crew are either drowned or
missing.
Both the British and Swedish sailors
did plpcky and vigorous work in rescu-
ing the tihfoitunRte pasSehgefO. Willie
q steam pinnacle belonging TO the Brit
ish ironclad Immortal was engaged In
the work OF rescue, her screw fouled and
she became helpless and driited on the
rocks. 4nIitryjng 70 save themselyes
1.-Two 'ot the BailofB aboard the pinnhkls
were drowned. The remainder were
rescued, The total number Of lives lost
| Ia now placed at 67S. Divers arc. at
work recovering bodias from the wreck,
An officer Of theU Utopia says: I'VE
| were slowing our engines preparatory 70
anchor, when, before We realized our
dsngeF, We found ourselyeS brosd-
side On the bows Of the Arson,
There was shout from both
vessels, which was Instantly followed
BY the Ansons ram bearing into the
Utopia. We were about quarter Of a
mile from the shore at the time. The
officers, In talking aboutthe catastrophe,
say they will never forget the geens that
followed the collision. The Italians
we're thrown into & state Of complete
and cowardly panic.
They yelled irantically and fought
madly TO reach the forecastle. A few
Of the married men dragged their wives
With them, but the bulk Of the single
men were Needless oi the piteous Up.
DEALS Of the women and children. The
lorecastle and rigging were soon crowded
aud the vessel began to settle
down, Presently sn explosion With Q
deateniug report occurred il the lore
castle, killing many and throwing others
Into the sea. Luckily the masts held
and remained some yards above the
=. Al. ,.oaanl NAnRhaA hakka6a