The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-04-04

Southampton, March 31.-The passenger
steamer Stella, plying between this port
and the Channel Islands, crashed upon
| the dreaded Casquet rocks, near the ISL
and of Attorney, yesterday afternoon, in
a dense fog, and fOundered in ten min
utes. her boilers exploding with ire
| .lendous report as she went down.
| The Stella, which belongs TO the London
and Southwestern Railway Company, left
| Southampton at noon yesterday, convey
| ing the first daylight excursion of the
| season to the Channel stands. There
were about 1S5 passengers on board, and
! the crew numbered thirty-five 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
doomed up through the fog bank and the
steamer almost Immediately afterward
struck amidships. The Captain, seeing
| that the Stella was fast sinking, ordered
| the Iifeboats to be launched. His instruc-
| tions were carried out with the utmost
! CELEBRITY. 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 twenty
five others put off from the Stella in
small boat. The sea was calm, but there
was a big swirl around the rocks. When
this boat was a short distance away from
the wreck the boilers OF the Stella burst
with a terrific explosion and the vessel
disappeared stern foremost in the sea.
CAPTAIN stuck to His rosi.
The last thing the survivor saw was
the figure of the Captain of the Stella
standing calmly on the bridge. giving his
last instructions. The Captain persisted
with his vessel, the suction caused by the
sinking steamer being very great, indeed.
Continuing the survivor referred to sad:
..The suction was so tremendous that
we thought our boat would be engulfed.
| saw five boats and the coilapSibie boat
besides our boat, leave the wreck They
contained altogether between eighty dnc
one hundred persons. Five Of the boats
we're soon lost to view. but We took
boat filled with women in tow ana the
occupants of our boat took the oars in
turn and rowed all night long, until most
of US dropped asleep, thoroughly ex-
hausted
I'VE sighted a sailboat at o'clock in the
morning, but the Grea; Western Rai'7
Company's steamer Lynx, from a.
bore down on Us and took Us al on t'oar'..
She eventually landed us at Guarnssy
The Great Western Railway anaiiy
steamer Vera, from Southar plcE.d
up forty others OF the survivor .HG la ld-
ed them at Guernsey.
According 10 the latest e. Inmates or the
officials of the London and Southwestern
Railway Company. nOt more than seventy
persons were drowned out CO the 20 on
board the Stella when she struck on the
rocks. Other reports, how ever, place the
number of drowned much higher.
HeaTIrendiug Scenes.
The disaster caused intense excitement
in the Island Of Guernsey and here.
There were narrowing scenes at the Of
fees of the London and Southwestern
Railway at both places. Many families
lost one or more relatives.
Husbands are inquiTing for their wives,
and wives are asking after their hHs-
bands; parents are seeking news Of loAt
children. and children are making inqui-
rfes for missing parents. All the hags
are half-masted AT 81. Peter-le-Port.
Up 10 noon to-day 100 passengers had
been accounted for, including Dir. j. Par
ton and his wife. AIR Parton is the man.
ager Of the Western London Office OF the
American Line.
Another steamer, which arrived az the
Island OF Jersey al about noon to-day, re-
LCrts having passed many bodies Of vic
tins Of the disaster about The Cssques
Rocks.
A survivor Of the disaster. named Bush.
says the speed Of the Stella tn the fog
Vas not diminished. thOJgh the fog whis-
ties Herc sounded. Bush adds that at
SO a. m the engineer showed him Ia the
engine room dial registering speed o.
IS II knots. He says the vessel struck
within TWENTY-FIVE minutes sfterward.
Bush further asserts that the two life
boats were sunk with the steamer which
after resting on the rocks for ten or
fifteen minutes split IN two and dlsap-
peared Continuing. Bush said:
When the Stella disappeared forty or
fifty persons were discovered eiinging 10
pieces Of Wreckage or cabin furniture and
crying plteousiy for help.
Little Panic on Board.
"AIl the passengers and crew had been
provided with iife-belis. and there was 1T
tie panic as the ship sank ! first slipped
into the water and then swan 10 one Of
the boats. into which ! was helped. We
roWed supposedly In the direction OF
Guernsey. but seven hours later We round
ourselves near the scere OF the wreck,
and saw dozens OF persons clinging TO the
rocks"
The boat in which Bush was a passen-
ger was afterwards picked up by the
Lynx
The passengers all agree that perfect
order and discipline prevailed on board
the Stella TIE crew promptly took 40
their stations shen the steamer struck,