The morning news., 1897-03-19
STEAMER FOUNDERS AT SEA.
ONLY -FOUR OF THE 50 PERSONS ON
BOARD ACCOUNTED FOR.

One of Her Life Boats Go Mad or
Die of starvation During the Week
the Boat Was AdrIft at sea.
New York, March 1.-THE French line
steamship Vile de st. Nazaire, Capt. Jac-
queneau, which sailed from this port
March 6, bound for the West Indies, has
foundered at sea. OF her eighty-six
passengers and crew. only four are known
to be saved. These arrived here yester-
day on the schooner Hilda after drifting
about the Atlantic a week In an open boat
during which thirty-four of the thirty
eight occupants went mad or died of star
vation.
The saved are:
Mr.. Berry, inspector of the Campagnie
Generate Atlantique.
Marie the ships doctor.
Stauts, third engineer.
sagado, of San Domingo.
Among the lost are:
DAndrews, first Lieutenant.
IIebert, second lieutenant La Jeune,
purser.
Nlcolay, second captain.
Masiavi, chief engineer
Mrs. Tagado and four children starved
to death.
The survivors are hardly yet able to give
a connected story of the last twelve days.
The Vile d. ST. Nazaire encoun-
tered sever weather March T., while
off Hatteras. Tremendous seas swept over
her. The captain seeing the vessel was on
the point of laundering attempted to
launch the boats Boat after boat was
dashed into splinters until four of the
eight had been rendered useless. The pas
sengers and crew crowded into the re-
naming boats.
In the haste to leave the vessel only one
days provisions and water were taken.
Only one boat has been heard from. II is
believed the other three were lost. The
largest boat contained thirty-eight per-
sons, including six passengers.
Dawn came and with 1t an eager search
of the sea line, but no ship or boat coull
be seen. -Four children and their mother,
Mrs Tagado. were in the boat and the
children begged for food and water and
none was to be had When the next
night drifted in and the next day had
come and gone the pleading of the fam
ishing children was heart rending. An
other day and hopeless night, and death
appeared on board. Then was claimed
another and yet another Victim, and the
rawlings of the mad were heard Some
In the agony of thirst drank salt water,
to suffer fiercer pangs and to become raw
ing maniacs with whom the sane ones
had to struggle to keep them from do
ing harm. For six days and nights the
castaways drifted helplessly, famishing
and growing mad with thirst, and then
slow-footed rescuer came at last, but too
late to save any but the four whose names
have been given.
The schooner Hnda, the crew Of which
vessel picked up the survivors of the
steamer Vile de st. Nazaire, Is owned in
Savannah, by the Savannah Lighterage
and Transfer Company. She sailed from
this port March Z, lumber laden, for New
York capt. George A. Rines Is her mas
ter A brief telegram, received here yes
terday from Capt. Rines, stated that he
had picked up a ships boat, containing
eight persons, four of whom were dead
and four just alive.
New York, March 1s, II p. m.-Augustin
Forget, the French lines agent at this
port, made the following statement to-
day of the disaster to the steamer ST. Ma
zaire, as he had learned 1t from Capt.
Berris disconnected remarks: "The St.
Nazaire encountered a tempest when for
ty-eight hours out from New York for
Port au Prince. The steamship had
made about 270 miles from this port aud
was somewhere off Hatteras.
Heavy seas swept the steamship con-
tinually from Sunday afternoon TO mid
night They poured down the hatchcs,
and put out the fires In the engine room,
rendering the vessel helpless. Capt. ia
quenau ordered out the boats, seeing no
other hope Four boats were launched,
only to be crashed against the ship. In
a momentary lull, the other four boats
were launched in the lee Of the wreck and
all on board crowded into them.
"The boat which Capt. Berri got In con-
talned thirty-elght persons all told, in
cluding "A woman and four children. Capt.
Berr took command and ordered signal
lights carried for the other boats to fol-
low The four boats parted company,
however, almost at once, and Capt. Berri
never saw trace Of the other three after
leaving the ship. Everybody worked hard
TO keep the boats head to the waves, and
all suffered most intensely through the
first night. Some froze to DEATH and
others Jumped overheard. or the last
days of the terrible experience Capt. Berri
has only a haZy recollection.
"Alphonse Dumols, one Of the passen-
gers on the st. Nazaire, was brother Of
Itippolyte Dumois, head Of the firm OF II.
Dumois & Co, fEuit dealers Of this city.
"Raymon Jiminez, another OF the pas
sengers, was the head Of the firm OF Il.
J. Jlminez e. Co., contractors and engl-
neers OF this city"
Agent Forget furnished a complete list
OF the passengers and crew who were on
the vessel when she left. There were but
eleven passengers In all on the ship, but
the crew list numbered seventy-one men.
The names Of the passengers are as fol-
lows:
A. Dumois.
l., Dumos, San Domingo.
Ramon Jimlnez, Maya Puezyna Sar-
nolle, Port au Prince.
Mr. and Mrs. Juan de Dios Tijada and
four children, San Domingo.
The officers OF the vessel were white
men. The rest OF the crew were colored.
Cant, Berrl was a passenger, although not
on the list. lie Is an officer OF the steam
ship company.
The four survivors were picked up by
the Schooner Hilda on Sunday afternoon
about ten miles Off Fenwick Island. -Four
dead men were IN the boat with the four
tiving The survivors are all IN a fair