The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-19

Fate OF Those Who Put On FROM the s1nt
ing Vessel in Two of the Three Boats
Yet Unknown. But Twenty-Seven Ger
After Incredible Sufcring-Crew of til
Rialto Rescued But the Vessel Lost
Collision in Denver News of Catastro
Plies Elsewhere.
New York, March 1S.-Out of the s.
persons comprising the passengers ant
crew of the steamer Vile de St Naz
aiere. which sailed from this port on
March 6 for Port au Prince, only four
are known to have survived the disaster
which befen the craft a few hours later
These four passed through an experience
such as, fortunately, has been the lot
of but few, seeing one after another OF
the thirty-one others who left the steam
er in the large boat, perish of exposure
70 the cold or die of hunger, some suf-
fering during the seven days in which
they drifted helplessiy without SAIL or
compass. pangs that drove them to mad
Among the survivors is Senior Tagado,
DOMINICAN. who was compelled TO wat
ness the death Of his wife and four chill
dren without being able to alleviate their
suffsrings. What became OF the forty
four persons besides those mentioned
above. can only be surmised, although
there is a remote possibility that one or
more of the three boats in which they
left the sinking steamer in the midst
of a fierce storm off perilous Cape Hat
.eras has been picked up by sailing
vessel which has not yet made port.
The Vile de ST Nazaire was a single
screw. bark-rigged steamer Of 2,64O tons
register, owned by the Compagnie
Transatlantique Generate. The name
and owners only too vividly at this juno
ture recall the fate of the same compa-
ny's steamer. Vile de Havre which went
down on November %, 1873, with 226
persons on board. The Vile de st. Ma
zaire was commanded by Captain ia
guena. a sailor of experience and ablli-
" Hard weather was experienced from
the time the steamer left this port until
the water began pouring into and over
her. II was determined to abandon her.
Then the passengers and crew took the
four boats. fifth having been crushed
IN the attempt to lower it. There had
been no time to provision the boats. It
was night and IN the midst of a fierce
storm the transfer was made. Captain
Berri. manager of the West Indian line
of the Compagnie Transatlantique Cen
erale, was one of the thirty-five men
who embarked in the larger Of the boats
and upon him devolved the Command OF
that frail refuge of so many souls.
Hs, Senior Tagado, Mrs. Lautz, the
third engineer and the ships doctor,
Marie, are the only ones surviving. The
four were brought to Perth Amboy, n.
which had picked them up on March Il
as they were drifting at sea with the
dead bodies of four of their feliow-pas-
eensers in one of the small boats of the
vessel which was lost. The survivors,
almost dead from starvation and expo
sure, were TOO weak to relieve the small
boat of the weight of the four corpses.
The four rescued men were brought to
this city from Perth Amboy on the tug
Idlewild last night. Captain Berri was
taken to the hotel Martin. Two of the
others were put on board the French
line steamship La Normandie at her
pier in this city and the fourth was ia
ken 10 the house OF friend.
Captain Berri is being attended by
DR.. J.. de Plezze who entertains some
doubts IS TO the patients recovery, and
who declares that the man must have
endured most terrible hardships.
The Hiida passed in at Sandy Hookgt
BIO yesterday afternoon and proceed
ed on her way to Perth Amboy in tow OF
the tug OF the Idlewild, reaching that
place about $50. No word of the wreck
WAS given out at Perth Amboy. The
tug ldlewild, having left the Hilda at
her dock. brought the survivors to the
pier OF the Compagnie Transatlantidue
Generate. at the foot of Morton street
in this city, a run Of about twenty miles !
reaching there about o'clock in the
evening. The news was at once tele- |
pnoned to Mr.. Forget, agent Of the |
French line steamers, and he made such |
disposition as he could for the comfort !
OF the passengers. The facts OF the dis |
aster were kept from the public for |
some time and only became known On |
towards midnight. Mr.. Forget has pre- 1
served the utmost reticence on the sub |
Ject
Engineer Staub and DR.. Merri have |
somewhat recovered from the effects of
their terrible experience, and are able TO |
be up and around the saloons of the /
steamship La Normandie, where they |
have been taken TO recUperate. Captain |
Berri is resting at the Hotel Martin.
Both Dr.. Marie and Engineer Staub !
weie very reticent in talking about the /
ioss o. the ST. Nazaire. They declared. /
however, that I was not true that the
occupants Of the frail boat had been With
out food They still had plenty of food
when they were picked up by the Hilda.
Both admitted. however, that they suf-
fered torments from lack of water
Engineer Staub stated that there Was
no unseeTniy haste in taking 10 the boats.
Inc women and children were first sent
overheard Of the sinking ship and the
Otaer passengers followed Tbeo ~. I