The evening times., 1896-12-12
WENT DOWN IN THE SALIER.
Exact Number Of Drowned May
Never Be Known.
OFF A DANGEROUS COAST
Probable That the Passengers We're
Unable to Leave Their Berths.
Many Other Vessels Have Gone
Down at the Same Place-Several
British Men-of-War Lost There.

Corunna, Spain, Dec. 12.-The uncertainty
rs TO the exact number Of victims In the
wreck of the Salier lies IN the fact that the
number of emigrants who embarked onthe
vessel at various Spanish ports is unknown.
When the steamship left Antwerp shc
had on board a crew OFFS, and Il steerase
passengers. These We're one German, 10
Russians, 80 Galicians and 90 Spaniards
II Is estimated that the number oil span
iards on board when the Sailer saileu irotn
mere. for yiliagarcia was 200.
This would make the number OF people
who went down with the vessel Az. Quite
a number OF women and children We're
among the number. All We're bound for
Argentina, where they intended TO settle
One hundred more einiGrants Were await
ing the Salier's arrival at Villagarcia.
IN A DENSE FOG.
The disaster occurred during dense
fog and very heavy weather The sa-
lier had n fearful passage from Bremeh
TO this port. The steamer struck nurlhG
the night of Monday last on ledgc oi
rocks about two and one-haif miles OH
Cane Carrubedo, on her way 10 Nliia'
garcia. A large amount OF wreckage j.
reported to have washed ashore Ihe
search made for possible survivors OF
the --rcck has so far been without re-
suit and but little hope is entertained on
rescuing any of the passengers or crew.
Owing to the fact that there seems 10
be TO survivors OF the wreck, there Is
little else but theory 10 fall back ON TO
account for the disaster. Experts Mere
IL OK upon the loss Of the Salicr as nav
ing been due to causes pIobahly in every
particular similar TO those which led TO
the loss of the British steamer Drum
mond Castle, OF the Castle Lire, OF oshant'
on the northws~tern extremity OF Fran'e,
in June last
Asin the case of the salicr, the weather,
pr, yious TO the wreck OF the Drum
mond Castle, had been very heavy and
was followed by thick weather, winch
prevented Capt. Pierce, her commander,
from seeing the light, When he be-
lieyed he was far enough north -apt
Pierce ordered the helm OF the Drum
unnd Castle to he ported, and with fiile
rain and fog headed her on the night OF
June "a on a ortheasterly course Tor the
Bristol Channel.
OUT OF RECKONING.
But he was apparently out OF his reck-
oning. for the Drummond Castle seems
to have run at full speed uIon ridge
of rocks extending from the Island of
MoIene half way between Cshant and
the mainland of France, to other and
smaller islands. The concuss!on, tt was
generally admitted at the time, must
have ripped the steamer open flom stem
to stern, and she apparently pitched
over the reef and sank almost 1m.nfdi-
ateIy afterward in deep water, for 10
trace OF her was found
Like the Drummond Castle, it / S believed
that the Salier was making the best time
possible under the circumstances, Tor, after
leaving Bremen, the Salier touched at Ant
werp and this port, and her commander
was anxious to have his vessels head
tic
ocean.
Another theory of the cause OF the dis
aster is that the Salier's steering gear
was carried away while she was heading
around the rocks for Viilagarcia. and
that she thus became unmanageable and
was driven upon the reef, which IL about
two and a half miles from the land.
The passengers OF the Salier, 1t is con
jecture1, must all, or nearly all, have
been in their berths in the steerage 1T
the time the steamer struck, and II is
thought that the great mIJoriy OF them
Were drowned before they could tumble
out on deck, for no bodies with life pre-
servers on have been found, SO far as
known at present.
A ANGERoUs COAST.
The place OF the Saiier disaster, off the
nurthw estern coast OF Spain, south OF Cape
Finisterre. is known to seaInen as the most
uhuEcEOus loeditN tht "tst t'H'Sh "a
Europe. The shore is bold and rocky, while
shoals extend seaward for twenty miles.
The abrupt sharpening of Cape Fillis-
terre produces, with all winds other than
an eastern one, high seas on the shoals The
danger to all strips rounding this point is
in not keeping off land.
1t is impossible off the Cape Finisterrc
coast to know of one S position by the lead.
Plenty of water may be found aft when the
bowf is high and dry on shoal, These
shoils are simply small, peaked rocks and
are not approached by means OF shelving
bottom.
Many disasters have occurred near where
the Sailer foundcred. The British torpedo
cruiser Serpent was wrecked on the nigh;
of November 10, 1890, on Cape Vil!ano,
only three of the 176 men on board being
saved.
OTHER VESSELS LOST
On the morning Of February g, 1893, the
Anchor Line steaiSer TriEacria grounded
on the same spot where the Serpent had
foundered and all on board, except seven
of the crew, were lost.
ON October 27, 1892, the Anchor Line
steamer Rouman mia was lost on the Portu-
guese coast short distance south. OF The
spot where the Salier foundered. anI
where the coast has the same dangerous
character as that near Cape Finisterre.
The Roumania had ] 90 passengers on board
of whom only nine we're saved.
1t was in the immediate vicinity of the
scene of the Salier's loss that a terrible
disaster in the annals of the British navy
occurred. This was the laundering of the
turret ship Captain, of 4, ,2T0 tons, and car
rying four PISTON guns, off Cape Finis-
terre. on the night OF September Z, 1870,
with 600 souls on board
The Captain was one Of a squadron of
British ships which were overtaken by a
gale on the date mentioned. and when day
light came every ship in the squadron was
il sight except the Captain. Just when
oauce. of tho vvraoH aipa1