New-York tribune., 1896-01-30
WRECK OF THE HAWKINS.
DIscREDITED REPORTS THAT 1T WAS
CAUSED BY TREACHERY.

DISCREDITED REPORTS THAT 1T WAS
CAUSED BY TREACHERY.
A SUGGESTION THAT THE VESSELS CARGO MAY
HAVE BEEN TRANsFERRED-RorTEN CON-
prrIoN OF THE cRAFT-THE LOSS OF
LIFE-GENERAL GARCIA AND HIS
son SAID TO BE ILL IN BED
TALK AT THE CUBAN HEAD
ouARTERs-THE LAW
AGAINST FILL
CLUSTERING.
widespread public interest was manifested
yesterday in the reports of the wreck OF the oid
fishing steamer ]. W. Hawkins off Barnegat on
Monday. ard the disastrous ending Of General
Calixto Garcia's flibusterng expedition. The
general verdict appeared to be that the expedi-
ton was a most foolhardy undertaking. and
that somebody bad been crmnally reckless In
sending the expedition to sea in rotten old tub
Of q boat Among the Cuban revolutionists in
this city there was an evident difference OF
opinion as to the cause of the disaster.
Cubans who made a pretence of knowing o
GOOD deal about the history of the illstarred en-
terprise declared that the Hawkins was more
seaworthy than her last performance appeared
TO indicate and that treachery caused the wreck.
They said that the Hawkins was examined care
fully before she was purchased for the expedi-
tion and that the price paid for her. $4,000, was
considered to be extremely cheap They also
said that it was likely that traitor on the
boat had done something to start the leak wnicn
sent the boat to the bottom OF the ocean. Such
talk. however was repudated by other Cuoans
in the city who said that General Garcia uh-
doubtedly had been imposed on by somebody
who made him believe that the Hawkins was
seaworthy craft. They had 1t direct from carlos
Garcia. the Generals son. they said that the
Hawkins was found to be rotten and leaky after
she got out into rough water
DISCOVERY OF THE LEAK.
The boat began to leak hours before the Cen
eral knew anything was wrong. they soid. ana
he was amazed when he was told that water was
running into the engine room. Some OF the Su-
bans who went into the engine room ana ois-
covered what the trouble was went ana too
General Garcia. 1t was then too late to save
the boat report that Spaniard on ooard
had blown hole in the hull Of the steamer oy
an explosive placed against the SIDE was iaus"eo
at and II was said that none OF the Cupans on
rho boa, had heard an explosion. AS to the loss
os life at the time of the wreck, the Cuoans IN
the city Yesterday declared tnat only SIX men
were drowned two three Of whom were MEM
hers Of the crew OF the Hawkins.
THE MEN WHO WE'RE LOST.
Herman Helms, who was steward on the ha".
klns was among the men who were rescued ana
taken on board the schooner Helen Benedlct anu
landed at Vineyard Haven. He got PACK 10 'hs
CITY Yesterday, and said that the men VINO were
drowned fell overheard as they were being taken
n haG
that among the men who were drowned were ina
chief engineer his assistant. fireman and
member Of the crew. Helms says that the chiet
engineer was John Lynch. who lived at NO. liz
South Fourth-st Williamsburg, and the assistant
engineer was man named Aloertson. Lyhcn
was an old employe Of the Ward Line OF stea"
ers Helms said, and was In the wreck or the |iss
of Alexandria off Matanzas two years ago. one
of tbe dremen was Joseph Kelly, but there were
tyo other fremea whose names Helms ciu nce
know. The fibusters who were reported 70 nave
been drowned were Francisco Gartan. thirty-sx
years Old who captain OF one OF 'he IN
surcent companies; Victor Gomez. forty-t"o
wears Old a lieutenant; Emile Jalais forty-hve
years old. Frenchman ana chehist' anu 'io''-
ano Alberich a Cuban.
rbara were only sixteen men in the crew or
the Hawkins. Helms said. George T. Hail. or
cor Erancisco WAS the captain The latter
had not examined the boat before he went
aboard 10 take command last Saturday night.
but he had been assured by the Cuban leaders
of the expedition that the steamer was sound
and seaworthy The first mate was John Nor
ton and the second officer was Thomas Crowen.
CAPTAIN Hall was the last man to leave the
sinking steamer on Monday, Helms said. lie
went off in the fifth and last boat.
General Garcia and his were said TO be
too i'll at their home, No. 256 West One-hundred-
and-twenty -ninth-st, to talk with reporters yes
terdav. Many Cubans went to the house and
were admitted after they had exchanged Pc
culiar grip with the man at the door. but the
reporters were not allowed TO enter the house.
In answer TO note of inquiry which was sent
In there was handed written statement that
General Garcia and his son were both Sick In
bed and could not be disturbed
CUBANs DISCUSS THE EXPEDITION.
AT the office OF Tomas Estrada Palma. the rep
resentative in this city of the Provisional Gov.
ernment of Cuba. on the eleventh floor OF tho
building No &C Broadway nearly 200 Cubans
were collected at one time In the afternoon.
They expressed much sorrow on account Of the
wreck Of the J. w. Hawkins. the loss of life. and
the loss of arms and ammunition which had
cost over 100000. The money to buy the mu-
nitions Of war, 1t said by them, had been
contributed to General Garcia by Cuban clubs
in this city and in several other cities OF the
United States. There We're clubs Of Cubans in
Europe from which considerable contributions OF
money had been received for the cause OF Cuban
independence. they asserted. Several members
of the Junta laughed over the way General
Garcia had fooled the Pnkerton detectives who
had been shadowing him just before he started
on his unucky ilibustering expedition. He went
to Philadelphia on Thursday. they said. and
there gave the detectives the slip so that they
reported that he had sailed on a steamer leaving
that city, but ne came back TO this city by train
Col do, nd ~ Ii ne al.