Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-01
PICKED UP BY FRENCH TUG.

w'nout any Clothing, and clad only In
blankets.
PICKED UP BY FRENCH TUG.
| CnERBOCRG. March 31.-The tug
Marsouin has arrived here, and reports
having picked UP boat containing eight
passengers OF the British steamer Stella.
wrecked yesterday afternoon on the Cas-
quet Rocks, In a fog All the rescued per-
sons were suffering severely.
PAINFUL SCENES IN LONDON.
LONDON. March 3i.--The news of the
usaster 10 the Stella spread slowly
through London. In the absence Of the
usuai evening newspapers, the day being
Good-Friday. AS the afternoon advanced
small groups gathered at the Waterloo
station. where many painful scenes trans
| pred among inquirers for friends at the
railway office. A large crowd collected to
wait the arrival of the train from South
ampton at this evening, which brougnt
three OF the survivors-Messrs. Da'ia
King. London merchant; Hebron. ana
Greener. all OF whom were wrapped ~
great rugs, and bore traces OF ihelr SUI
ferings. They were Immediately surro'"''
ed and anxiously questioned.
| Mr.. King. who was among the last 10
leave the ship, said:
CREW BEHAVED SPIENDlDLf.
"The greater part OF yesterday was ex-
ceedinelv plcasant, but toward evening
we encountered a mist. which soon de-
yeloped into a dense fog. There was NO"
| ever no apprehension. Suddenly great
shock told US that the Stella had struck
| the rocks The cOonesS OF the oihctiS
| considerably aIlayed the excitement. The
| crew behaved splendidly. towering the
boats with the greatest promptitude
Every woman was supplied with a life
belt. At first we thought there would be
lime for ali the boats to clear away, but
the boilers burst, rending the ship amid
ships"
GAVE HIS LIFE-BELT TO A WOMAN.
Mr.. King and two fremen. Osborne and
Bailey. were the last to leave the vessel
He had just given up a lfe-belt to aid a
clergyman's wife. and was pulled into a
boat by SecondMate Reynolds. who was
instrumental in saving many lives. The
boat with twenty-five persons, drifted
for fifteen hours in the intense cold. and
was finally picked up by the Great West
ern railways steamer Vera from South
ampton.
Mr.. King believes that five boats were
launched. He saw one upturned, with
children clinging to 1t.
BEARINGS LOST.
Otner accounts say tnat captain kcckS
supposed the fog was merely in banks,
as is the usual experience. and decided
TO run through it, but as Ii became con-
tinually denser he lost his bearings.
When the Stella slid off the rock she
turned completely over. carrying lot
of people with her.
The eight survivors who were landed at
Cherbourg by the tug Marsouin were
picked off a floating furniture van by
fishing boat.
WOMEN OF COURAGE
The ladies on board one of the life
boats sang hymns all night long to keep
up the spirits Of their companions.
Two bodies were washed ashore on the
Island of Alderney.
One of the passengers says he remarked
to the crew on the high rate of speed at
which the Stella was travelling i'm the
fog, telling them he did not consider Ii
safe.
INVESTIGATION CALLED FOR.
The Daily Mail will publish tomorrow
dispatches from several passengers urg-
ing the paper TO demand a thorough in
vestigation as 10 whether the steamer
was racing against time.
The Cherbourg correspondent of the
Daily Mail says: 1.-The eight passengers
OF the Stella who were landed here were
rescued from a boat that originally con-
tanned fourteen men. The boat capsiZed
and six were drowned. The others clung
to the keel for five hours and then man
aged TO right the boat, which was half
full of water"