The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-19
ALL BUT THREE LOST
There Were PAT Souls on the
steamer Drummond
WHEN SHE WAS WRECKED
She Struck on Reef off the
French Coast.
SANK IN ABOUT THREE MINUTES
Ten of the Dead Bodies Have Been
Recovered and all Hope of
Finding the Others Has
Been Abandoned.


Been Abandoned.
Brest, France, June 1S.-The details
are slowly being obtained of the loss
of the Castle Liner, Drummond, bound
from Capetown to London with IA
passengers and 1913 officers and men
Exclusively announced by the Assoc
ciated Press early yesterday after
noon). The steamer was going at full
speed, shortly before midnight, on
Tuesday, June 16, heading around
Finesterre, from the Bay of Biscay,
and making for the Chops of the Brit
ish channel. Off Finesterre is the Is
land of Ushant, about twenty-six miles
northwest of this port, one of group
of some thirty islands, the largest of
which are Ushant, Molene, lie Conquet
and st. Michel.
The Drummond Castle, to steer a
safe course, should have been away
outside of Ushant, upon which island
is lighthouse and signal station But,
for some reason not satisfactorily ex
planned, the steamship headed inside
of Ushant. Between that point and
the main land of France is a line of
islands, including Molene and LIE Con-
quet and connected by ridges of rock
with each other. At different places
there are riffs through which vessels
can pass with safety, but, between
Ushant and Molene, the latter island
being about half way to the mainland,
is a sunllen reef of rocks with deep
water on both sides of it and covered
in parts. even at the lowest tides. 1t
was on this ridge that the Drummond
Castle struck while going at full speed.
As intimated in these dispatches yes
terday the steamer must have struck
SO as to tear a great rent in her bot
tom from stem to stern, thus filling
all her water-tight compartments al
most Immediately and sending her to
the bottom, on the other side of the
reef. in about thirty minutes. Only
two boats were lowered after the Cas-
tie Liner struck. One of these capsized
the PAT people on board. The British
second class cruiser Sybelle, whlch
was off Ushant at the time of the dis
aster. heard the signals of distress ana
sent boats to the rescue of those on
board the sinking vessel, but without
avail.
OF the saved, two men were picked
up floating on wreckage by some hsh-
ermen from the mainland and the
third. a man named Marquardt, sue
ceeded in reaching Molene island.
About ten bodies have already been re-
covered off Ushant.
At the time the Drummond Castle
struck the reef, high southwest wind
was blowing and it was raining and
foggv. about the worst conditions pos
sible for approaching that part OF the
coast.
Marauardt, one of the survivors, has
made a statement in which he says
that Capt. Pierce had just gone to his
cabin for a brief rest. when there was
a terrible shock which caused the
Drummond Castle to culver as II
shaken by a dynamite explosion. This
was followed by horrible grating
sound. the noise of inrushing waters,
the cries of the passengers, who
sprang from their berths in terror. and
the sharp words of command from the
officers on deck, who ordered all hands
out to clear away the boats for lower
mo. But the rents in the stricken
steamer were so wide and deep that
but few of the passengers had time
to scramble upon deck before she
gave two or three heavy rolls and
INS.fh aqcOfpnani@d bV
some interior explosions, and she
sank.
Marquardt, contrary to the reports
of the two seamen of the Drummond
Castle, who were rescued, said that
the steamship went down so suddenly
that there was no time even to launch
one boat, much less two and that even
If a boat had been launched, the seas
were running so heavy and in such
rapid succession, a popularity of the
season on that part of the French
coast, that she would have been
promptly swamped
Some of the passengers, however,
succeeded in fastening life-belts around
them and some of the bodies washed
ashore were so provided
All hope of finding any more sur
vivors Of the Drummond Cactle has
been abandoned.
A tug which has just returned from
Molene Island says that the bodies Oh
twenty-five of the victims of the wreck
Of the Drummond Castle have been
washed ashore at that place.
Much wreckage from the lost shin
is washing ashore at Ushant and No
lene islands.