The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-03-24
FOUR SURVIVED.
Thirty. five People Battled with Thirst
and Hunger.

and Hunger.
NEW York, March ~ Out OF the
eighty.two persons, comprising the
passengers and crew of the steamer
Vile de St. Nazaire, which sailed from
this port on March for Port Aux
Prince. Hayti, only four are known
to have survived the disaster which
befell the craft about forty-eight hour:
later. These four passed through all
exp erience such as has fortunately
fallen to the lot of few, seeing one af
ter another of the thirty-one 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 help
lessly, without sail or compass, pangs
that drove them TO madness before
death came to their relief. Among the
survivors is Senor Pagado, San Do
mingan, who was compelled to wit
ness the death of his wife and four
children without being able to allevi.
ate their sufferings. What became OF
the forty.four persons besides those
mentioned above can be only too we'll
surmised, although there is remote
+ ossibility that one or mora of the
three boats in which they left the
sinking steamer in the midst of fierce
March storm, off the always perilous
Cape Hatterss, has been picked up by
sailing vessel which has not yet
made port and made known the res
cue. The other known survivors be-
sides Togado are Captain Berri, Mr..
Stauts. the third engineer and the
ships doctor, Marie.
The st. Nazaire was one of the West
Indian fleet of the French Trans At.
lantic Steamship Company and piled
between this and West Indian ports,
commanded by Captain Jacquaman.
She cleared from New York for Port
de France, March 9th. On the follow.
ing day, according to the story told
by one of the survivors, leak was
discovered, but it was not thought to
be sufficiently serious to warrant re-
turn to port. By the middle of the
second day, however, the leak had
increased to dangerous extent and a
portion of the cargo on the port side
of the vessel was damaged by the wa
ter which had commenced to pour in
in great quantities.
A terrible storm arose on the night
of the second day, and the heavy seas
together with the big leak, rendered
the escape of the vessel from ship.
wreck an impossibility. Realizing that
the ship was doomed the captain or.
dered the four life boats 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 ship
is the only one of the four that has
been heard Of.
The Vile de ST. Nazaire was valued
at 100000. Her cargo was valued at
$500 and she carried $4,000 in
gold. The agent said he did not know
whether the cargo was insured or not.
Captain Jaquanan was widower and
two of his daughters are said to be
married and living in the south of
France.
Engineer Stauts and DR.. Marie have
so far recovered from the effects of
their terrible exposure as to be able to
be up and around the saloons of the
steamship La Normandie, to which
they have been taken to recuperate.
Captain Berri is resting easily at the
Hotel Martin.
To his physician, Captain Bsrri said
"The supply of food and water on the
small boats was exhausted the first
day, and then began the awful strug-
gle in which thirty.one out of the
thirty persons in the boat perish
ed. Mrs. Tagado and her four chill.
dren were among the first to succumb.
After the water gave out a few bis.
cuts retained. Many of the men
were almost choked in swallowing the
dry stuff, and in desperation they
drank of the salt water. Those who
commenced to drink the brine could
not stop, and in a few days they be.
came maniacs and died in maniacal
convulsions. Others who resisted the
temptation to drink the salt water
could not stand the deprivation and
died from hunger. Those who remain
ed had not strength enough to move,
and when the boat was picked up
there were four of the dead with the
living. I did everything could to
induce the unfortunate people to keep
from drinking the salt water and to
set themselves to fight death, but what
I said had little effect"