The herald., 1896-01-29
A FOUNDEREO Fk|DUSTER
The Steamer Hawkins Sunk Off
Long Island
EIGHTY MEN WERE ABOARD
All but Six Were Rescued by Coasting
ScheOners' Crews
EIGHTY MEN WERE ABOARD
The Laurada Case Decision LEADS to the
Organization of Numerous Expedi-
tions in Aid of Cuba


VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass, Jan. 2S.-
twenty-five men picked up from open
boats off Long Island Monday morning by
the schooner Helen H. Benedict we're land
ed here late last night and left today for
New York, whence they sailed last Sunday
Their ship was the steamer j. w. Hawkins,
recently purchased at Baltimore for an al
legged Cuban cruise, and she sailed from
New York Sunday night, having on board
between seveny-five and one hundred
men, bound, it is claimed, to join the
Cuban insurgents. The rescued men re-
port that when the steamer was off the
eastern end of Long Island she sprang
serious leak, and water gained so rapidly
on her all hands were obliged to take to the
boats. Thirteen more men from the
steamer Hawkins have been brought in
today.
The schooner Alicia 3. Crosby, which
arrived here late in the day, brought thir-
teen more men from the steamer Hawkins.
The men displayed great anxiety TO get
| back to New York and would have very
little to say about their affairs. 1t was
learned, however, that none of their num-
Der had been lost. The men we're trans
ferred to Woods ho'el as soon as possible
|
| the earliest train.
Particulars of the wreck of the Hawkins
| had been CLEANED from the men by the
officers of the rescuing vessels. AS nearly
as could be ascertained, the story is that
the steamer sailed from New York, osten-
sibly bound to Bermuda OH a winter excur-
sion. She carried, however. about eighty
men, mostly opaniards, a cannon and sew
| eral hundred pounds of ammunition. 1t
was intima ed that several wealthy Cubans
were in the party.
Early Monday morning they ran into a
northeast gale, and the heavy cross seas,
which swept the steamer, caused her seams
to open and she began to fill rapidly. Sig
| nails of distress were set, but before those
on board had time to do more than clear
| the boats she went down, about eighty.f five
| miles southeast of Sandy Hook lightship.'
The schooners Leander Beebe, Crosby
ard Helen II. Benedict had seen the Haw-
kins' signals and Immediately went to her.
The crew and passengers already had
taken the boats and they were picked up
with much difficulty on account of the high
| seas. The Benedict picked up twenty-five
men and among them were the first
officer and steward. The Crosby saved
thirteen out of twenty-three out of another
boat, but the other ten were unable to
| paddle the boat in the rough seas and were
lost The rescued men were nearly ex-
| hausted. The Beebe succeeded in rescu-
ing those in the other boats, but she put
back probably for Delaware breakwater or
some other middle Atlantic port.
1t is claimed by the men that the Haw-
kins was unseaworthy and should never
have undertaken the voyage.
A SURVIVORS, STORY
| New YORK, Jan. 2S.-Jose G. Herman
dez, Cuban who was on board the steam
ship j. w. Hawkins, an alleged filibuster,
which was wrecked off the western end of
Long Island last Sunday night, told the fol-
| lowing story to reporter of the Associated
Iress this afternoon:
1--WE left New York in the Hawkins last
Saturday night. The steamship belonged
to the Cuban revolutionary party, having
been purchased recently for filibustering
work against the Spaniards.
"On board her were 120 men of the IL
ban revolutionary party. In addition to
| this was crew of sixteen men. The ship
was commanded by Captain Hall. G.. H.
Crowell was mate.
I'VE left New York at midnight. We
put out quietly in the dead of night and in
a few minutes were steaming for the
sound. We ran smoothly enough and all
the next day. We had ITO trouble until 3
o'clock Monday morning. At that time the
sea was beginning to get pretty rough and
the engineer asked fer help. He said that
the engine room had sprung leak and
that the pumps were choked up. Two men
from the revolutionary party were detailed
to assist in bailing the engine room out
| with buckets.
Later, more men were detailed for the
same purpose, but the water kept gaining
on them. We could nos get the water out
| as fast as it came in and the sea vas get
ting rougher all the time. At last the
water came in so fast that Captain Hall
told us to tighten the ship by throving over
bags of coal. The coal was piled upon
deck. We threw it over as fast as we could,
but it di not seem TO do any good.
| "Ihen we began to throw over the cases
of arms and ammunition. We had a great
quantity on beard. There were $50, 900
worth of arms alone. We had two Hotchkiss
guns, some Remington and Winchester
rifles and 100000 rounds of ammu.
milton. In addition to this. there were
| 5000 pounds of dynamite and a lot uf raw
material for making heavy explosives. ALI
these things we threw into the sea, which
was boiling around us and sending great
waves over the decks. We worked all
night and when daylight came we had
| thrown all of the cargo and coal overheard.
Still the water continued to gain on us in
the engine room, and at last it put out the
| fires.
"At intervals all through the hours of
darkness we burned rockets and fired sig
nails of distress. But it was not until
another vessel At that time we sighted
three schooners, and they sailed as close to
us as they could with safety. Then it was
that we were ordered to take to the boats
There we're six small boats, but only five
of them were available. The sixth was so
covered with wreckage, which had been
thrown over it by us in the efforts to get at
the arms and coal, that we could not
launch her in time.
1--WE got into our boats as fast as we
could, but there was {. terrible sea by this
time and the work was dangerous and
slow. We found out afterwards that we
were about 80 degrees So minutes latitude
and ~ degrees 8, minutes longitude west.
Calisto Garcia Iniga was in command of
the revolutionists. and his son, Carlos
Garcia, was second in command, General
Rosa was on board also. These officers
ordered us to take to the boats. and we did
SO. was in the first boat. There were
about twenty men besides myself in that
boat and 1t was greatly overcrowded and
herd to manage in the rough sea.
''The other sixty odd men came in the
other two boats. Six were drowned in
trying to get into the last two boats. I do
not know the names of those who were
drowned. but one was French chemist
who was with the expedition to make ex-
plosivea when we got to Cuba. There were