The record-union., 1897-03-19

Were HeIplessIy Drifting.
NEW YORK, March, 1S.-Of the
eighty-two persons comprising the pas
sengers and crew of the steamer Vile
de Nazairre, which started from this
port March 9th for Port-au-Prince,
Hayti, only four are known to have
survived the disaster which befell the
craft a few hours later. These -four
passed through an experience such as
has fortunately been the lot of but a
few, seeing one after another of the
thirty-one others who left the steam
er in a large boat perish of exposure
to cold or die of hunger, some suffering
during the seven days in which they
drifted helplessly without sail or COM
pass.
Among the survivors is Senior Taga-
do, San DOMINICAN, who was COM
PEELED to witness the death of his wife
and four children, without being able
to alleviate their sufferings.
What became of the fOrty-four per-
sons besides these mentioned above can
only be surrnised, although there is a
remote possibility one or more of the
three boats in which they left the sink
ing steamer in the midst of a fierce
storm off Cape Hatteras has been
picked up by a sailing vessel.
The Vile de st. Nazairre was a sin
gle screw bark-rigged steamer of 2,160
tons register. owned by the Compagne
Transatlantique Generate.
The accident wildly recalls the fate
the Same commands CT Vile
de Harve, which went down on No
vember %, 1873, with 226 people on
board. The Vile de st. Nazairre was
commanded by Captain Jaguena, a
sailor of experience and ability. Hard
weather was experienced from the time
the steamer left this port until water
began pouring into and over her. when
it was determined to abandon her.
The passengers and crew took four
boats, the fifth having been crushed in
an attempt to lower it. There had
been no time to provision the boats. 1t
was night and in the midst of fierce
storm when the transfer was made.
Captain Berrari. Manager of the West
Indian line of the Compagne Transat-
lantique Generate. was one of the thir-
ty-five men who embarked in the larg-
er of the boats. and upon him devolved
the command of that frail refuge for so
many souls
Senior Tagado, Latutz, the third en-
gineer, and the ships DOCTOR Marie. are
the only ones surviving. They We're
brought to Perth Amboy, n. J.. yester-
day by the schooner Hilda, which came
upon them on March 18th. as they were
drifting at sea with the dead bodies of
four Of their fellow passengers in small
boats
The survivors We're almost dead from
starvation and exposure and too weak
to relieve the small boat of its weight
of corpses. The four rescued men
were brought to this city from Perth
Amboy on the tug Idlewild last night.
Captain Eerri is being attended by DR..
/. DeplezZe who entertains doubts as
to his recovery and declares he must
have endured the most terrible hard
ships
The St. NaZaire was one of the West
Indian fleet of the French Trans-atlan-
tlque Generate Compagnie. and piled
between this and West Indian ports.
She cleared from New York for Port de
France on March 9th. On the follow
ing day, according to the story told by
enc of the survivors, the leak was dis
covered. but il was not thought to be
sufficiently serious to warrant return
10 port. BY the middle of the second
day, however. the leak had increased to
q dangerous extent, and a portion of
the cargo on the port side of the yes
sci was damaged by the water which
had commenced to pour in in great
quantities.
terrible storm arose on the night of
the second day. and the heavy seas. to-
gether with the big leak. rendered the
escape of the vessel from shipwreck an
impossibility. Realizing that the ship
vas doomed. the Captain ordered the
four ifeboats to be lowered and into
them crowded the passengers and
crew. The boats were soon swept
apart by the wind and waves.
The boat which was found by the
Hilda six days after the sinking OF
the steamship is the only one of the
four that has been heard Of Thirty
five persons. it is said were crowded
into the boat from which the survivors
were taken. One by one all but the
four rescued men died from exposure OF
hunger. or were swept into the deep by
IIe waves WHICH broke over the small
boat The bodies of the dozen who died
in the boat during the first days OF its
terrible voyage were thrown overheard
by the survivors. But those who With
stood the elements. and managed to
live without food or drink, at last be-
came too weak TO rid the boat of its
CHASTITY freight, and were compelled for
days 10 gaze upon the stiffened corpses
OF their unfortunate companions.
Agent Forget of the French line is
doing all in his power to make the sur
vivors comfortable. Captain Berri
who is 30 years of age. and trusted
employe of the French line, is under
the care of a doctor. The physician
found his patients throat fearfully
parched and his lungs in the same con-
dition. After a careful examination. the
doctor said that with careful treatment
he might recover. 1t would be over a
week, however. before he could take
any solid food. The Captains body Is
covered with bruises from being thrown
about the boat while she was on the
tempeSt-lashed sea.