Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-29
.F|L|BUSTERS SH|PWRECKED The Steamer ]. w. Hawkins Foundered During a Gale. 175 PERSONS ON BOARD All but Ten of Them Were Saved by Passing
 Vessels. $25,000 WORTH OF AMMUNITION LOST The Survivors Claim That They Were Ex- cursionists Bound tor Bermuda, but
 Nobody Believes Them-Other
 Disasters Reported.
$25,00O WORTH OF AMMUNITION LOST


 schooner Helen N. Benedict of New Ha- ven, Captain Bracket, from Norfolk for Boston, arrived here early this morning with twenty-five of the passengers and crew of the wrecked steamer J. w. Flaw kins, which went down off Montauk on the 26th instant during a violent gale. It is reported that this steamer left New York on the 26th with 175 persons on board, mostly Spaniards. claiming to be bound to Bermuda with an excursion party.
 She was making some water when she left port, and when she encountered the rough weather outside with a heavy sea she filled in about twenty minutes. Those on board had barely time to get into the steamers boats. One of the boats was picked up by the Benedict and her twen- ty-five occupants taken to Woods Holl, whence they embarked by train for Bos- ton and New York. It was reported by those rescued that the steamers true destination was Cuba, and that her cargo consisted of $25,000 worth of ammuni- ton, one gun on board having cost $5000. They were without doubt bound on fill butering expedition to Cuba.
 The four masted schooner Alicia B. Crosby, Newport News for Boston, fell in with another boat from the steamer about sixty-five miles southeast by east of Sandy Hook llghtship, which con tained twenty-three persons, but owing to the rough sea only thirteen were saved, the other ten being drowned. The Crosby landed the thirteen survivors at Woods Holl this morning and they left on a train for New York this afternoon.
 Another vessel. three masted schoon- CT, picked up seventy-five of the surviv- DTS and 1t is supposed put back with them to Delaware breakwater.
 The men would say but little. There were three Americans among those at Woods Holl. the others being Spaniards. 2 They say that thousands of dollars In money went down with those who were drowned and in the private chests de- The tug was commanded by Capt. liar ry Deniz. He reports that he was lying off Long Branch early this morning look ing for a tow At o'clock he sighted the three -masted schooner, Leander Beebe, from Baltimore to Boston. An American flag, inverted, flew from her rigging, and the Dalzell ran up and hailed her
 f"The sehooner's deck." said Captain Deniz tonight. "swarmed with men In all stages of undress Wretchedness was written in every line of their faces. Very few wore hats. some of them were with out shoes and nearly all were minus coats.
 What price do you want to take sev- enty men into New York?' shouted the skipper of the Beebe.
 q told him." continued Captain DenlZ, "and we made the bargain. l ran up alongside, and, after an hours danger ous work got the seventy men on the Dalzel After the tug got under way it was agreed to put one man or al pier s. North river, and did so. He said he was a gunner. I did not catch his name. None of them made any secret about their efforts to reach Cuba to fight for her freedom. The most dejected man on board was an old man who told me he was CalixtO Garcia, and was Tn charge of the expedition. He was accompanied by his son Carlos Garcia seemed com pIetely broken down. He said that the Cubans played one of their strongest cards of the revolution in sending out these expeditions, and that more than $20O GOO worth of arms and ammunition had been lost by the sinking of the flaw kins."
 He then related to Captain Deniz the story of the wreck. He said
 eve loaded the steamer James w. Hawkins for the expedition at Port Mo reys. All day the hatches were closed, and nobody ever had any suspicion that we had thousands of dollars worth or ammunition in her hold All the work was done at dead of night. We sailed on Friday night, and went out by Long Island sound. We had excellent weather y, rough. On Monday morning early the vessel sprung leak. The waves just onened her seams. Pumps were manned, hut they soon choked with coal and be- came useless. Then the men got buckets and bailed for their lives. Ihe Wa,er gained inch by inch, and finally the coal went overheard and the costly arms and ammunition. It broke our hearts to throw these arms away. but we had to keep the vessel a1oat somehow. Grad ually the Hawkins settled down, and at il .30 Monday morning we took to the life hoats and deserted the sinking steamer Half an hour later the Beebe hove in sight and took us on board. At the time the Hawkins went down she was forty five miles south-southeast or Barnegat' and the sea was very wild"
 Captain Deniz says that the seamen saved nothing but two valises filled with United States bank notes These were in the possession of General Garcia.
 The only member of the crew of the Hawkins that was picked up by the Beebe was the mate. Crowley. lie de- clares that all the men were saved. and that not a man was even injured. When the Beebe picked the men up they were in double-end whale boats, which could live in any sea. Two other schooners were in the vicinity at the time, and, according to Crowley they must have picked up the other men. After the gunner had been landed by the Dalzell at pier 8, North river, she proceeding up the river to the foot of West Forty-second street. where the other sixty-nne filibusters disem- parked and separated.
 At the headquarters of the Cuban jun ta in this city it was declared by the leaders tonight that the Hawkins was not filibuster as far as they knew. They said the story was started by Pink erton men because they had been unable to catch the Garcia party. and declared that Garcia was and had been in this city for some time past.
 i: Many shipping men do not believe that inc Hawkins was filibuster. They think she was boat bought by the Cu- ban junta to throw the Spanish off the