St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-23
EIGHTY WERE DROWNED.
HAYTIEN WAR SHIP GOES DOWN OFF
CAPE H6ER0T.
Unknown Great Confusion
Among Passengers in the
Struggle for Life Distin.
guished Passengers and Prom
inent Diplomats Drowned.

guished Passengers and Prom
inent Diplomats Drowned.
New YORK, Sept. IA report of the
sinking of the Haytien war ship Alexan-
der Petion was received in this city
today. All on board. with one eXeep-
ton, were lost. All told, eighty were
drowned. Among the number were
many prominent officials and diplomats
OF the republic. The cause or the dis
aster is unknown.
The news of the catastrophe was
brought 10 this city by eX-MiniSter to
Hayti J. S. Dunham. who arrived on
the steamer Port au Prince. The disas-
ter to the Petion occurred on Sept. G
about fifty miles from Cape Tiberot.
The cruiser had just been put into
commission. She left Port au Prince
Sept. /, bound for San Domingo. She
had on board many distinguished pas
sengers. among them being Gen. Mo-
line, San Domingo, minister to Hayti;
NJ. Cohn, the Haytian minister to Mex
leo. and other well known diplomats.
The suddenness and completeness of
the disaster, only one sailor escaping,
makes the affair most mysterious, and
ii is probable that the cause of the
wrecking Of the noble ship will never
be known. According to the testimony
of the sole survivor there was absG-
lutely no warning. Neither collision
with another vessel. submerged reel nor
storm can account for the occurrence.
The day was fair, the wind was nothing
more than gentle breeze, and the pas
sengers were enjoying themselves in
the cabin. Suddenly the vessel
BEGAN To SINK.
The officer on the watch ordered the
men to pass tie word TO those in the
cabin and forecastle 10 reach the deck
as quickly as possible and jump over
board. It was already too late. There
was terrible confusion in the cabin
as the panic stricken passengers
struggled 10 reach the deck.
blocking the passageways, and so pre-
venting one another from escaping from
what was destined to be their tomb.
For only a moment the awful struggle
lasted. In one minute and half from
the time she began to sink the vessel
was entirely under water. The one sur
viYor jumped overheard. He caught a
plank. The sailor drifted for three hours,
with nothing 10 eat or drink, and when
picked up he was almost exhausted.
The place where he was picked up was
about fifty miles southeast of Port
Pitment. For long time the castaway
was unconscious after he was taken
aboard and could not speak.
Brandy was administered to him and
after hard fight he rallied a
little. When he was able 10 speak he
told a horrible story. He said he was
one OF the sailors of the Alexandra Pc
ton. When the war ship was off Thu
ron, on Sept. 6, gale arose. Tne
sailor said the war ship went down head
! foremost in the waves without
THE SLIGHTEST WARNING.
! and that all on board but himself were
| drowned. He was brought to Port
au-PTince and put aboard another
! war ship. The Haytian consul, MI.
| Haustedt, was seen tonight at his resi-
dence, on Livingston street, by re-
porter. and said that he had heard moth.
ing of the loss of the war ship. Late
tonight it was stated that the
! Haytian minister in this city received a
dispatch confirming the story. The lost
/ vessel was doubtless of the MetralleuSe
type OF gunbOat SO popular with Hay
tians.