The record-union., 1897-03-29
A Terrible Tale Of Suffering on the
Sea.
They Had Been Without Food and
Water for Four Days, and Were in
State of Extreme Exhaustion
and Bordering on MadneSs-Three
Other Boats Were Launched From
the Wreck, and the Survivors
Afterward Saw Two of Them
Lashed Together and Empty.

LONDON, March 2S.-The British
steamship Yanaraiva, Captain Weston,
which left Newport News March 10th
bound for Glasgow, arrived at Green
ock tonight The captain reports that
on March 18th While in latitude 81,
longitude II, he picked up small boat
containing sixteen survivors of the
steamer Vile de ST. Nazaire of the
West Indian line of the Compagnie
General Trans-Atlantique which foun
dered in the great storm Of March lth
off Cape Hatteras.
They had been without food and
water for four days and were in a state
of extreme exhaustion and were bOr-
dering on madness. The officers of the
Yanaraiva did all in their power for
the unhappy victims of an ocean hor-
ror, and finally learned their story.
They say that four boats We're
launched, two containing twenty-nine
each, the third seventeen and the
fourth six. The boat picked up by the
Yanaraiva was one of the two that
took off twenty-nine, but thirteen of
these Succumbed to exposure. hunger
and thirst. The last the survivors saw
of the other boats was on the day the
vessel foundered, when they sighted
two of them lashed together and empty.
For some time after the rescue the
captain of the Yanaraiva kept an Off
Ger at the masthead, sweeping the hori-
ZOn with q glass, in the hope of get
ting some trace of the other boats, but
there was no sign of them. AS night
was falling rapidly and the sea and
wind were, increasing, with mist and
rain, the vessel proceeded The sec
ond officer of the Vile St. Nazaire is
among the rescued, who will be taken
in charge by the French Consul at
Glasgow.
According to the list of the crew of
the Vile de ST. Nazaire originally pub
lished, the second captain was Pierre
Nuoali, and the first lieutenant Andre
De Andreis. Nuoali is probably the
officer rescued by the Yanaraiya.
The circumstances under which the
rescued boat was picked up by the
Yanaraiva were most thrilling The
captain and third officer, who were on
the bridge saw a dark object on the
water. several miles away. The steam
er was put about and in less than an
hour, met the life boat of the Vile De
st. NaZaire. The sea was running
rough but the Yanaraiva's crew man
aged to haul the boat on board. They
found, to their amazement, the occu-
pants. lying absolutely helpless in the
bottom and two of them raving mani
acs. The only signs of food was one
small tin Of biscuits. Three DAYS
passed before the rescued men had
sufficiently recovered to take solid
food
The survivors of the original twenty
nine are the second captain Pierre Nuo-
ali, the second engineer Germain Cir
aud, the third engineer, Prosper Lorez-
etti. Nicholas Siauvianelle of Port Au
Prince, Hayti, and twelve seamen from
Martinique.
Second Captain Nuoali says that on
the 9th Cf March the vessel sprang a
leak. A violent hurricane blew that
night and during the following day. On
the morning of the Sth the vessel had
sunk SO low in the water that it was
necessary to take to the boats. al
though the storm was still at it's hight.
The Vile De st. Nazaire had a COM
plement of eight lifeboats The first
four launched were dashed against the
side of the vessel and crushed. The
other four got clear but soon parted
company.
Our beat said the second captain.
did not ship a drop of water when
getting away from the vessel This
was due to the promptness with which
We sheered off. The weather con-
tinued very boSterouS and the waves
sometimes almost swamped u.s. We
kept bailing for our lives with our caps.
After while we rigged a sail and
kept the boat running before the wind.
as we'll as we could. We were drenched
and our sufferings were terrible. In
spite of every warning, some soon be-
gan to drink the salt water.
Several of these went mad and
jumped overheard. Those who re-
Trained from drinking Jared the best.
We kept a constant lookout for sail,
but saw none until the morning of the
18th, when we sighted a steamer. She
was too far away for US to signal. We
watched with mad anxiety as we saw
her steering for us. At that moment
we had only four inches of free board
on the beat Every minute l expect
ed she would go to the bottom At
last the Yanaravia reached us and we
were hauled on the deck
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