The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-01
STRUCK THE CASQUET ROCKS
The Captain Stuck to HiS Vessel and
Vas Drowned.
SPEED HAD NOT BEEN DIMINISHED
Although a Thick Fog Was Prevailing
at the Time-No Panic Occurred
on Board, and Boats Were
Quickly Launched.

Southampton. March a.-The passenger
steamer Stella, plying between this port
and the channel islands, crashed upon the
dread Casquet rocks, near the island OF
Alderny, yesterday afternoon, in a dense
fog, and foundered in ten minutes, her
boiler exploding with tremendous report as
she went down.
In spite of this, 1t is said, there was no
panic on board.
The coasting steamer Lynx, which
brought the news of the disaster here,
picked up four boats and forty persons be-
longing to the Stella.
The second officer of the steamer, who
was among those rescued, says that a COL
lapsible boat was launched full of people
but he thinks she struck on the rocks, ow-
Ing to the fog.
Another steamer has picked up a boat
containing IS persons, including 20 women,
who escaped from the wrecked steamer.
They have been landed here.
The Stella had ON board 1856 passengers,
who were going to spend their Easter In
the Channel islands, and the latest esti-
mates today, based upon those known to
have been saved, are that twenty lives
were lost.
The Stella, which belongs to the London
and Southwestern Railway company, left
Southampton at noon yesterday, conveying
the first daylight excursion of the season
to the channel islands. There were 1856 pas
sengers on board, and the crew numbered
80 men The weather was foggy, but all
went well until the afternoon, when the fog
| became most Dense
| At o'clock the Casquet rocks suddenly
loomed up through the fog bank, and the
| steamer almost Immediately afterward
struck amidships.
| Ordered Boats Launched
| The GRAIN, seeing that the Stella was
| fast sinking, ordered that the boats be
| launched. His Instructions were carried
| out with the utmost celerity, and the wo-
| men and children were embarked in the
| boats. Then the captain ordered the men
| to look after themselves.
| A survivor says that he and twenty-five
| others put off from the Stella In a small
| boat. The sea was calm, but there was a
| big swirl around in the rocks. When this
boat was a short distance away from the
wreck the boilors of the Stella burst with a
terrific explosion, and the vessel disappear
ed, stern foremost, in the sea.
The last thing the survivor saw was the
calmly on the bridge and giving his last
Instructions. The captain perished with his
vessel, owing to the suction caused by the
sinking steamer being very great indeed.
Later accounts say that the Stella had
| 140 passengers on board and that her crew
numbered forty-two persons. Another
steamer of the same company, which ar
rived at the island of Jersey at about noon
| today reports having passed many bodies
| of victims of the disaster about the Casquet
| rock.
A survivor of the disaster named Bush
says the speed of the Stella in the fog was
| not diminished, though the fog whistles
were sounded. Bush adds that at 1880 a.
m. the engineer showed him around the en-
| gine room, noticing the dial speed. He said
| the vessel struck within twelve minutes
| afterwards.
| were sunk with the steamer which, after
resting on the rocks for ten or fifteen min
| utes, split In two and disappeared.
Passengers ClingIng to wreckage
when the Stella disappeared forty or
fifty persons were discovered clinging to
pieces of wreckage or cabin furniture and
crying piteousy for help. All the passen-
gers and crew had been provided with life
| belts, and there was little panic as the ship
| sank l first slipped into the water and
| then swan to one of the boats, into which
| I was helped. We rowed supposedly in the
| direction of Guernsey, but seven hours
later found ourselves near the scene of the
wreck and saw dozens of persons clinging
| to the rocks
The boat in which Bush was a passenger
was afterwards picked up by the Lynx.
The passengers all agree that perfect or
der and discipline prevailed on board the
Stella. The crew promptly took up their
stations when tho steamer struck, served
out the life belts and lowered the boats.
The scene at the moment of the sinking
of the vessel was heartrending. Those who
had succeeded in getting into the boats had
a narrow escape from being engulfed on ac-
count of the suction caused by the sinking
vessel. The voice of Captain Rocks from
the bridge was frequently heard urging the
rowers to pull for their lives. The boats
were adrift fifteen hours, during which time
their occupants were without food or wa
ter and as their clothes were drenched,
they suffered greatly.
The disaster is generally attributed to the
high speed at which the steamer was
travelling in the fog.
It Is thought probable that the Bartons
were the only Americans on board the
Stella, as the list of survivors does not con-
tain the names of any other Americans so
far as known. The second mate of the
Stella was the only officer saved