Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-06
The Steamer Stella Strikes a
Rock and Sinks Within
Ten Minutes.
220 PEOPLE ON BOARD
Estimates Of the Drowned Range From 20
to 100 Boilers Burst as the Vessel
Siuks-Heroic work by the Captain
and Crew Passengers Were on
an Easter Excursion.

Southampton, March 3l.-Ihc passeng r
steamer stella, plying between this port
and Channel Islands, crashed upon the
dreaded Cacquct Hocqs near the Island of
Alderncy ycstc.day afternoon in dense
fec and fuundcrcd in 10 minutes. llec'
boilers exploded with Il tremendous le-
port It's She went down one hundred and
twenty persons were drowned.
The Coasting steamer Lynx, which
brought the news OF the disaster here.
picked up four boats and forty persons
belonging to the stella. The second oi-
Ger of the steamer was among those res
cuod. He says that a collapsible boat was
launched full of pee .,s but lac thinks sho
struck ~ tn rO,ks, owing to tn- fog.
Another eta. neg pick 81 up Il boat con-
tanning - persons including twenty Wom-
en-, who cs 'dp"d from the wrecked steam
CT Tho stella had ON hoard 2lo passcn-
gers going TO spend Easter in TAG Cham
mol Islands.
The steamer IIonnucr returned this
evening after having made the circle Of
the CasQue, rocks She picket mp two
boats containing womcn's clothing, money,
iewclrY ana an opera glass case. The
last haa evidently been used in hailng.
Many most PATH tic incidents are report
ed. In several cases men lifted their
wives and children into boats and then
persisted themselves in their presence. One
wife. who was thus bCrcavcd, lost her
reason,
A large number of the survivors arrived
ncr" without amy clothing clad only in
blankets
The Stella, which belongs to the London
and Southwestern Railway company, left
Southampton at noon yesterday. convey
ing the first daylight excursion of the sea-
son to the Channel Islands. There wero
about 1\i passengers on board and a crew
of 81 mcI. The weather WIS foggy and
1,., .tt 81
o'clock tie Casquet rocks suddenly doomed
up through the fog banks and the steam
cr almost Immediately afterwards struck
umidS ps. The captain seeing the Stella
was fast sinking, ordered the life boats
launched with the utmost CELEBRITY and the
women and children We're embarked in tn"
boats. Then the captain ordered the men
L. ool. att Themselves
y survivor states that he and p others
Put of from tho Stella in a small boat.
The Sca WAS calm but there was a big
swirl UroUlt tho rocks. When the boat
was u short distance away from the
wreck tho boilers of the Stella burst with
81 terrific explosion and the vessel disap-
pcaGcG stem foremost in the sea- The
last thing thu survivor saw was the figure
of the captain Of the Stella, standing
calmly on the bridge and giving his last
orders
The captain persisted with the vessel
owing to the suction of the vessel caused
by its sinking. II being very great indeed.
Tine Great Western railroad company's
steamer Vera from Southampton picked
up forty other Survivors and landed them
al Cucrns y. According to the latest cs-
Inmates tn officials of the London and
Southwestern railroad company. not more
than seventy persons were drowned out
of tn" 30 ON board. other reports how
yer place the number Of drowned much
hightr