Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-03-25
AWFUL DISASTER AT SEA.
A Vessel Abandoned and Only -Four o
Eighty-two Persons Known to aave Bee

A Vessel Abandoned and Only Four OF
Eighty-two Persons Known to nave Been
Rescued.
New York, March 1S.-Out of the SO
persons comprising the passengers and
crew Of the steamer Vile de st.
Nazairu, which sailed from this port
on March 9Th for Port au Prince,
Hayti. only fpur arc known TO have
survived disaster which bofell the
craft, about 99 hours later. These
four passed through an experience such
as it has, fortunately, been the lot Of
few. seeing one after another Of the 81
others who left the steamer in the
large boat perish of exposure to the
cold or die of hunger, some suffering
during the seven days in which they
drifted, helplessly, without sail or
compass pangs that drove them to
madness before death came to their
relief.
Among the survivors is Senior
Tagado, a San DOMINICAN, who was
compelled TO witness the death of his
wife and four children without being
able to alleviate their suffering. What
became of the "A persons besides those
mentioned above can be only too well
surmised, although there is remote
possibility that one or more of three
boats 10 which they left the sinking
steamer in the midst Of fierce March
storm off the always perilous Cape
Hatteras, have been picked up by
sailing vessel which has not yet made
a port and made known the rescue.
The Vile de st. Nazaire was a
single screw bark rugged steamer Of
2,6i0 tons register, owned by the Com
psgnie Transatlantidue Gernerale, com
manded by Capt. Jaguena, a sailor of
experience and approved ability. Hard
weather was experienced from the time
tered and racked thu water pouring
abandon her. The passengers and crew
took the four boats, fifth having
| been crushed in the attempt to lower it.
The survivors were brought to Perth
Amboy, N. j., yesterday by the
schooner Hilda, which had picked
them up on March l4th, as they were
| drifting about at sea. with the dead
bodies Of four of their fellow pas
sengers in one of tho small boats of the
lost vessel. The survivors wero ALMOST
dead from starvation and exposure,
and 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 1dlewild last night, and are being
| cared for.
| The st. NazaIre was one OF the West
| Indian feet nj the French Line and
| piled between this and West Indian
ports. She cleared from New York for
Port do France on March 9th. On the
following day, according to the story
| told by one OF the survivors, leak
was discovered, but il was not thought
to be sufficiently serious to warrant a
return to port. By til. middle of the
second day, however. the leak had in
| creased to dangerous extent and a
portion of the cargo on the port side of
the vessel was damaged by the water
which had commenced to pour 10 ID
| great quantities. terrible storu:
arose on the night of the second day
and the heavy seas, together with the
big leak, rendered the escape of tho
vessel from sbipwreck an impossibility.
Realizing that the ship was doomed,
| the captain ordered the four life boats
to be lowered and into then, 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 steamship is the only one Of the -four
that has been heard Of. Thirty-five
persons, it is said, had crowded into
the boat from which the survivors
werc taken. One by one all but the
four rescued men died from exposure
or hunger or were swept into the deep
by the waves that broke over the small
boat. The bodies OF those who died
in the boat during the first days Of
it's terrible voyage were thrown over
board by the survivors; but those who
withstood the elements and managed to
live without food or drink, at last
became TO weak to rid the boat of its
CHASTITY freight, and we're compelled ioi
days to gaze upon the stiffened corpsef
of their unfortunate companions.