Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-03-25

New York, March l9.-The latest de-
tails OF the wreck of the steamer
Vile de st. Nazairre, which sailed CrCm
TINS port March for Port au Prince,
Aayu, show a larger loss Of life than
was at first reported. The four sur
VIVors rescued by the steamer Hilda
brought to Perth Amboy, n. j., are
the only ones out of 81 persons COM
prising the passengers and crew
known to have survived the disaster
which befell the craft 4S hours out
from this port. The rames of the res
cueG are: Capt. Berri, manager Of the
West Indian line Of the Compagnie
Transatlantic Generate company; SEN
or Tagado, San Dominican; Mr..
Stauts, third engineer; and the ships
doctor, Marie. They were almost dead
when rescued. The survivors passed
through an experience such as tor-
unately has been the lot of few, that
OF seeing one after another of 81 others
who left the steamer in a large boat,
perish through exposure to cold, or die
OF hunger, some suffering during the
seven days in which they drifted,
help.essly, without sail or compass, the
severest pangs of hunger.
and some being driven to
madness befCre death came to their re-
lief Senior Tagado was compelled to
witness the death of his wife and four
children without being able to allie
viate their sufferings. What became
Of the persons besides those mentioned
above can be only too well surmised,
although there is a remote possibility
that one or more of the three boats
have been picked up. The St. Nazair-
re on the following day, after leaving
New York, according to story told by
one of the survivors, discovered a leak.
By the middle of the second day the
leak had increased to a dangerous eX-
tent and portion of the
cargo on the vessel was damaged.
A terrible strom arose on the night of
the second day and heavy seas together
with the big leak rendered escape of
the vessel from shipWreck an impossi-
bility. Realizing that the snip was
doomed the captain ordered the four
Efe-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 steamship, was the only
one Of the four that has been heard Of
persons crowded into the
boat from which the survivors were
taken. One by one all but four died
from exposure or hunger or were swept
into the deep by the waves that broke
over the small boat. The bodies Of
these who died in the boat during the
first days of it's terrible voyage were
thrown overheard by the survivors: but
those who withstood the elements and
managed to live without food or drink
at last became too weak to rid the boat
of it's gnastly freight and were COM
PEELED for days to gaze upon the stiff
ened cOrpses Of their unfortunate COM
pani0ns. Agent Forget, of the French
line, is doing all in his power to make
the survivors comfortable. He WIS very
emphatic in his declaration that the
steamer st. Naizairre, while an old
boat, was perfectly sea-worthy.
Engineer Stauts and DR.. Marie have
quite recovered from the effects of their
terrible experiences. They declare that
it is not true that the occupants of the
frail boat had been without food. They
still had plenty Of provisions when
picked up by the Hilda. They admit
ted that they suffered torments from
the lack of water. Staub stated that
there was no unseemingly haste in TAX
ing to the boats. The wJmen and
children were the first sent from the
ship and the passengers fol-
lowed. Then the officers and crew Of
the doomed vessel took what place re-
NAMED. Captain Barri said: "The SUD-
ply OF food and water on the small boat
was exhausted first and then began
the awful struggle in which 81 of the
80 persons in the boat persisted. Mrs.
Iagoa and her four children were
the first to succumb. After the
water gave out few biscuits remained,
The men choked in swallowing the
dry stuff and in desperation drank salt
water. Those who commenced to drink
brine could not stop and in few DAYS
became m2niacs, dying In commissions.
The others who resisted the tem2ta-
ton to drink salt water could not stand
the deprivation and died from hunger.
Those who remained had not rtrength
enough to move and when the boat
was picked up there we're four dead
with the living. | did everything
could to keep the unfortunate peoDle
from drinking salt water and to set
themselves to fight death, but what I
said had little effect"