Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-09-28
DOWN IN THE SEA.
A Haytian Warship Suddenly
Goes Down.
Only One Person Saved Out of
Crew of 80.

The Accident Occurs on Cape Tiburn,
why or How No One Knows-The Only
Survivors story Discrsdited-The ves-
sci Was yaIaed at Ono Quarter of a Mill
ion Dollars.
NEW YORK, Sept. %. = The Dutch
steamer Prins Wilem /, brings the
news of a mysterious shipwreck by
which so persons lost their lives. All
the passengers and all the crew, with
one exception, of Haytien warship
went to the bottom with their vessel,
and the only survivor suffered so much
from terror and exposure that he has
been unable to give any reasonable ac-
count of the loss of the ship.
The story is told by J.'S. Durham,
ex-United States minister to Hayti, who
was a passenger on the Prins Wilem /.
The warship was the Alexandra Potion,
an iron screw steamship, which left
Port au Prince on Sept. 8 bound for
San Domingo. She had on board a
number of Haytian diplomats of hign
rank, who were on their way to negoti-
ate special treaty with the republic of
San Domingo. Among them were
General Molini, special envoy to San
Domingo; Mr.. Cohen, formerly minister
from Hayti to Mexico; Monsieur de
Jean, ex-consul from Hayti to France,
and number of other equally well
known Haytians.
For two days all went smoothly on
board and no one dreamed of danger.
Then suddenly. ON. Sept. 9, when of
Cape Tiburn the vessel sank like a
stone. Why, or how, no one knows.
One sailor, an uneducated man, who
was said to have been on the lookout at
the time, was thrown outside of the
suction of the sinking ship, and by the
aid of q piece of plank managed to KEEP
himself afoat. Two oars, which had
been on one of the ships boats also
doated, and these the sailor used in an
effort to reach shore.
After he had fIoated for a day and a
half, exposed to the burning sun ano
without food and drink, he was picked
up by a passing vessel and carried te
Port au Prince. His mind, probably
never very strong, had been so weak
ened by his terrible experience, that ht
could give no explanation Of the dis
aster. There was No storm, no shoci
or collision, that he knows OF, no ex
plosion or FIRE.
The Alexandra Petion simply plunged
bows first beneath the water. carrying
with her all on boaEd. except this ont
sailor. His very naIae is not known
but his uniform showed to what ship h'
belonged. He has been transferred Il
another of the Haylian warships.
No signs of the sunhen vessel can b
found. She was new boat recent,
brought out from France. where sh'
was built. Her cost was $3.50, 600.
Theories about her are plentiful, bu
none of them have any foundation
Judging from the sailors story sh
must either have been scuttled or hav
capsized But little reliance is place'
on the sailor, and the general belief i
that the warship struck floating
wreck or submerged wreck, stove i
her bows, and sank like stone.
No news of the loss of the Petion ha'
previously reached, New York. Tner
is no cable from Hayti, and NO steame
leaving there since Sept. Ia, the day o.
which the news reached Port an Prince
has reached New York before tn
Prince William l. The Haytien con
sui, Johannes Haustedt, has receive
no advices on the subject.
Mr.. Durham further says that th
loss of tho Atlas line steamship Alv
has caused great gloom in Port a
Prince, as nearly all on board OF he
were well known there.