The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-04-05
ON THE ROCKS.
Steamer Stella Furnishes the
Latest Ocean Tragedy.
The Unfortunate Craft IL Wrecked in
the English Channel and It is he.
leved that 20 Persons Were
Drowned az q Reault.

Southampton, April 1.-THE pas
senger steamer Stella, plying between
Ghis port and the Channel islands,
crashed upon tee Casquet rocks, near
the island of Alderney, Thursday after
noon in a dense fog and fonndered in
ten minutes, her boiler exploding as
she went down. The coasting steam
er Lynx, which brought the news of the
disaster here, picked up four boats
and 40 persons belonging to the Stella.
The officials ef the London & South
western Railway Co. declare that the
loss of life by the wreck of the Stella,
which belonged to that company, will
not exceed 20. Three boats, including
the collapsible boat, are missing.
The Stella left Southampton at noon
Thursday, conveying the first daylight
excursion of the season TO the ChaRnel
islands. The weather was foggy, but
all went well until about o'clock
the Casquet rocks suddenly loomed up
through the fog and the steamer almost
Immediately afterwards struck amid.
ships. The captain, seeing that the
Stella was fast sinking, ordered the
life boats to be launched. His instruc.
tions were carried out with the utmost
celerity and the women and children
were embarked in the boats. Then the
captain ordered the men TO look
after themselves.
A survivor states that he and % 9TH
ers put off from the Stella in small
boat. The sea was calm but there was
big swirl around the rocks. When
this boat was short distance away
from the wreck, the boilers Of the
Stella burst with terrific explosion
and the vessel disappeared stern fore
most in the sea.
The last thing the survivor saw was
the figure of the captain of the Stella
standing calmly on the bridge and
giving his last instructions. The cap
tain perished with his vessel, owing to
the suction caused by the sinking
steamer being very great.
The Great Western Railway Co.'S
steamer Vera, from Southampton.
picked up 40 others of the survivors
and landed them at Guernsey.
Another steamer of the same COM
pany, which arrived at the island of
Jersey yesterday, reports having
passed many bodies Of victims of the
disaster about the Casquet rocks.
B A survivor of the disaster named
Rush says the speed of the Stella in the
fog was not diminished, though the
fog whistles were sounded. Rush
adds that at $3.50 a. m. the engineer
showed him in the engine room a dial
registering speed of 1sH knots. He
says the vessel struck within 25 min
utes afterwards.
Rush further asserts that two life
boats were sunk with the steamer
which, after resting on the rocks for
10 or Is minutes, split in two and dis
appeared.
The passengers all agree that per-
feet order and discipline prevailed on
board the Stella. The crew promptly
took up their stations when the steam
er 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 narrow escape from being en-
quilted on account of the suction caused
by the sinking vessel.