The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-11-11
LOST AT SEA.
rhs Steamship City Of Alexandria
Sinks CfF Cojiman.
~ Those on Board Twenty Eight Were
Savcd-Nothing lis known as to the
Fate of the Reinninder--Scene Of
the Accident Near Havana.

New York, Nov. 3.--At the offices OF
the New York and Cuba Mail Steam
ship Co Thursday morning cablegrams
were received, shortly before noon. an
nouncing the loss of the steamer be.
tween Matanzas and Havana. The
first dispatches stated that the steamer
was total loss A later one said that
the crew and all on board, with possibly
the exception of the purser and stew
ardness had been saved.
No details were received, and the
agents were unable to confirm or deny
the reports that the vessel had been
blown up. The steamer had no pas.
| sengers aboard, according to the New
York agents. She was to have taken
passengers on at Havana for this city.
Her captain was K. A. Hoffman, an
able and experienced officer. The purser
supposed to be lost is r. Bowen.
The Maritime exchange has received
the following from Havana:
Steamer City of Alexandria, Hoff-
man, frsm Matanzas for Havana and
New York (before reported) with 400
hogsheads Of alcohol, was wrecked by
an explosion at a. m, AID is total
loss by fire at sea. OF these on board
twenty-eight were saved. Nothing
known as to the fate of the remainder.
| The officers of the City of Alexandria
were: X. A. Hoffman, captain; E. p.
Buck, first officer; VIM. Field, second
officer; r. Bowen, purser; c. A. Poole,
assistant purser: T. Linden, senior
quartermaster; VIM. Roseguns, as.
sistant quartermaster; j. w. Reed,
boatswain: c. Erricson, carpenter; j.
A. Cooling, cadet; J. A. Porter, cadet.
| EARLY this morning a small boat, in
which were the second officer and elev-
en- other persons, from the City of AL
exandria, entered the harbor here and
reported the loss of the steamer. They
said that an explosion occurred on
board, and that shortly after she was
burning fiercely. The cause Of the cx-
plosion is unknown.
The fire gained and spread, and the
captain saw it would be impossible to
save the vessel, and orders were given
to abandon the ship. The steamer had
400 hogsheads of rum on board, and
this, when it caught fire, caused inn
mense masses of flame to ascend from
the hatchways, the matches having
been blown off.
There WAS great excitement among
the passengers and crew, but the Off
GERS soon succeeded in restoring q
semblance of order. AS soon rs the
first alarm was sounded the crew went
to their fire stations and the stewards
began to carry provisions to the boats
The more cool-headed among the pas
sengers remembered the notice which
was in every stateroom of the ship,
calling on them in case of fire or col
lision to report at a certain lifeboa'
designated in the notice. The passen
gers at once proceeded to the boats
and entered them.
There was comparatively little see
running, and but little difficulty wa.
experienced in lowering away the
boats, when the decp-toned bell for
ward tolled the signSl: abandon tn,
ship"
The scene of the burning steame
was only twenty-five miles from Ha
vana, and the officers in command O
the several boats-the captain, frs
oSicer, purser and chief engineer-hat
little fear of not reaching that por
or some other place along the coast.
In the first moment of terror some O
the passengers tried to jump into thu
sea, preferring drowning to burning
Those who arrived here 1'hursda,
morning stated that sixty persons wer'
drowned, but this is scarcely credited