St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-22
A SHIP THE COFFIN
PASSENGERS ON AN ITALIAN
STEAMER CARRIED TO THE
BOTTOM.
NEARLY $50 ENGULFEE
DISASTER CAUSED BY THE COL
LISBON OF THE MARIA p.
AND ORTIGIA.
MARIA p. CUT NEARLY IN TWO.
Only Fourteen of the Crew and
TWenty-Eight Passengers
Escaped.

GENOA, July l.-The Italian
steamers Ortigia and Maria P cillid-
ed off Isle del Pint at the entrance
of the Gulf Of Genoa today. The lat
ter sank and 14S people were
drowned.
The Maria P was bound from Ma
pies to La Plata. There was a
crew of seventeen and the paSSen-
gers numbered 173. She was enter
ing the Gulf of Genoa at 1:30 o'clock
this morning when she met the
Ortigia, outbound. They only no
ticed each other when a collision
was inevitable. The bow of the
Ortigia crushed into the starboard
side of the Maria P, penetrating six
yards and ripping up the Maria P
like matchwood. The water rushed
in through the hole, land the Maria P
sank in three minutes.
PASSENGERS ASLEEP.
The majority of the passengers
were asleep at the time of the acci-
dent and had no time to escape
after the alarm was given. They
were engulfed with the vessel. The
Ortigia remained on the spot until
o'clock in order to pick up the
survivors. She rescued fourteen of
the crew and twenty-eight of the pas
sengers of the Maria P. Other steam
ers have been dispatched to the
scene of the disaster, and are now
searching for further survivors.
The Ortigia's bow was smashed
for the space of twelve feet along
the water line. There is some COM
ment upon the fact brought to mind
by the disaster that the Ortegia
once collided on the same spot with
the French steamer Oncle Joseph.
At the conclusion of the sitting
of the chambers today at Rome the
minister of marine announced the
news of the disaster in the midst
of profound sensation, adding that
an officer, a seaman, stoker and
145 passengers of the Maria P had
! perished.
The Ortigia had twenty-five pas
sengers on board. The chamber
has ordered an inquiry into the dis
aSter.
CAPTAINS ASLEEP.
The sky was overcast at the time
| Of the accident, and there was little
sea. Both captains were asleep, and
| Third Officer Revello was on watch
on the Ortigia and Second officer
| d'Angelo was on watch on the Maria
P. The Ortigia was going at the
rate of eleven miles an hour and
the Maria P at the rate of eight
miles an hour. Both vessels saw the
lights of the other and continued
their proper roads till the mistake
was made, it is not established by
whom, which brought the Maria P.
broadsides toward the Ortigia. Third
Officer Revello, of the Ortigia saw
the danger, and ordered the engine
reversed But the order came too
late. The Ortigia struck the Maria
P, making an enormous gap in her
side.
All the boats of the Ortigia We're low
! cred, and the crews rescued all they
could Of the survivors. The latter, for
the most part, remain in such a state
OF terror SIllcS TIE IeSCut lldl lHty are
unable to give single detail of the
| disaster.
Capt Ferrara, who was saved, said
that he was sleeping in his cabin,
when he was awakened by cries and
| shouts and a great noise. He rushed
upon deck and saw the Ortigia back
ing off, while his own ship was sink
ing. Seeing that all was lost, he
jumped into the sea, where he was
picked up by the Ortigia's boat. They
lost everything. Second Officer
d'Angelo, of the Maria P, who was on
watch on that ship when she was
struck by the Ortigia, was drowned.
Among the saved is child eight years
old, who is the only survivor of a fam
lily Of seven who went down with the
Inflated ship
An inquiry into the catastrophe has
been opened.