Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-09
FEARS FOR OCEAN STEAMERS.
A Fleet of Atlantic Liners Whose
Fate is in Grave Doubt.
The Saronic Ee'iaNUI 10 Have neen De-
siroyeh ny Fire.-ths l;nly, ST. Enoch,
polio and .lisatii = lSo Long Overdue.

a'ipgEN HN ne amy A-hofpt
Apollo and Aisatin Also Long Overdue.
NEW HoEK, March G.-=Gritn old ocean is
still holding the secret Of The uOu-appear.
ance of small Heet 81 oCeuu steamships,
all overdue from fUAr days 10 fortnight,
and most the experienced seainen i'll the
steamship business arc wondering when
news from the fleet Will be received and
what its nature will Hc when it comes. On
the Maritime Exchange to-day. groups of
shipping men discuss the probability of
the big new freighteg SarOniC. which is
now overdue exactly two weeks, being
lost, wondered if she had anything To do
with the delay in the arrival Of the Italy
and the Saint En0ch, which are both over
due and pass over the same ocean pathway
as the Naronic.
Tue whereabouts Of the Alsatia which
loft Gibraltar February 18th; the Apollo,
from Antwerp February l7th; aud the
Pnmeranian, from Glasgow, which is over
due three days is also a mystery.
OF all this iicet the NarUnic is the only
new steamship fitted with twin screws and
considered by her builders to be almost
non.sinkable. In consequence the chief
interest is centered in her and every pos
stole theory has been advanced and cuusid-
cred. Has she burned at sea and has her
steel hull gone to the bottom? Has one Of
her ponGerouS engines been broken loose
ard torn Il section Of her ont? Has she
cOllided with some derClict ui iceberg at
night and met the fate of the Cunaruer,
Oregon? Is she drifting disabled under
her sCanty showing of canvass toward the
Azores, or is she IN tow Of one of the over
due fleet making for this or some other
port? --
All these gnesses are possibilities, but
none seem TO have any particular weight
with the maritime minds, and the agents
of the White star line say briefly that they
cannH account for her mysterious delay
and fear the Worst-that her fate may ever
he known. 1t has come to that at last, for
while her agents still claim to have hope,
they really admit their Tears.
None Of the overdue fleet is as fast or
seaworthy rs the Naronic, The 81. EnGch
ID Il staunch vessel of 2,766 tons, by Cap
tain Ggilvie. She steanls 10 miles an hour
and her delay of four days is causing more
comment than the Italy, which is overdue
here SIX days. The Italy is one of the old
timers, a veritable slow coach. She was
built in Glasgow in 1870, and has had
almost as many sensational experiences in
''Flying DutChman. She is commanded
by Captain Foote and is 4 lGO tons gross
register.
The Alsatia and Apollo are both immi-
grant steamers and slow. While either
may have fallen in with aud be in the
company of the Naronic or Italy or ST.
Enoch, they may be delayed through stress
of weather.
The most accepted theory regarding the
NaroniC's diSappearancc--for she has not
been seen in u days-is that she hos been
burned. The nature of her cargo, which
consisted Of talluw and merchandise of an
inllammablc nature. has led to this belief
New YoEK, March THE steamer
Orizaba, which arrived last night, brought
Mate Steward and four sailors OF the
British brig Arts, which was bound from
ship Island for Colon and went ashore
February 2iSt at the ColOrados Also
seven Ship-wreeked sailors of the Nor
weigian bark Runer, wrecked AZ Santa
Cruz, Cuba and the captain OF the wrecked
Norwegian bark Nelkomnen, which went
ashore January Goth at Goatzacoalas, before
reported.
The Orizaba has on board a party of 30
persons, known as Australian publishers,
who have been on Il tour through Mexico.
They embarked at Vera Cruz.
None of the incoming steamers have any
news ofNaronic and all report bad weather.
New YoRK, March S.--Another disap-
pointment was in store for the agents Of
the White star line this morning when
the freight steamer Runic, one of the
lines fleet, arrived from Liverpool with
no news OF the NacOnlC.
The Runic sailed from Liverpool Feb
rUary 9th. At that time the SarOnc was
three days overdue, and the fact was
cabled from here to Liverpool, so that cap
tain and officers Of the Runic could keep q
lookout for the big twin-screw freighter.
After leaving Liverpool the Runics Off
GERS and crew kept watch for the Naronic
night and day, aud in her search for the
Naronic the Runic also took u more
ha
nothing of the Naronic, although there
was a rumor circulated on the floor Of the
Maratime Exchange that she had picked
up small life boat half full of water
with the name Naronic on its bows.
Steamships from othet ports have arrived
without having seen or heard anything Of
the Saronic, and shipping men regard her
disappearance as one of the maritime mys-
| teries.
The White Star agents are as much pug
| zled to account for her mysterious disap-
pearance. They still hope, however, that
! She has reached some port remote from
| civilization and that the cable will yet
flash the news Of her being still above the
waves. There is remote possibility that
| either the lloeunic or the Huffa, steam
| ships overdue, may bear some news of the
| Naronic, but not one shipping man in 10
has much faith in their having run across
| her, although they are certain that she
has been driven or has drifted far out Of
her course 10 the southwark, if she still
| floats
FAST LOCOMOTIVE IN HER CARGO.
The Runic has SLOWED on her after
maiu-dcck two Pullman ears and Il loco
motive between decks, from the London Il
| Northwestern railway, for exhibition at
| Chicago. This locomotive, il is stated, is
capable of making 40 miles ali hour,