El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-31
With Easter Excursionists
From London And South
a1hpton
SEVENTY-FIVE OF WHOM
Are Reported As Missing.
There Was Not Time To
Distribute Life Saw
ers To All.

LONDON, March 31.-Tbe steamer
Stella with tourists for the islands OF
Jersey and Guerney struck on Cas-
quets, a few pmiles off the coast and
sank in eight minutes. There were
176 passengers on board, only eighty of
whom were reported as saved. Cap
tain Reems went down with the ship.
There was intense excitement. The
Stella was crowded with Easter holi-
day excursionists from London and
Southampton. A thick fog prevailed
and the Stella got out OF her course.
When the vessel struck cssquets the
people aboard became greatly excited.
The officers of the vessel. aided by q
few cool heads made their way among
the frightened excursionists and
checked the threatened panic. The
people were crowded into small boats
as fast as possible, the women and chill
dren taking preference. The steamers
Litka and Vera which happened to
be in the vicinity rescued several boat
loads of the shipwrecked people.
Available boats at Guernsey the near
est point to the scene of the disaster
have gone to the scene of the wreck.
No bodies are yet reported as having
been recovered, but there is hardly
doubt that mum Der of lives have been
lost. 1t is difficult to determine the
full extent of the disaster as yet. De-
spite the efforts of the ships officers.
the Incredibly short time in which
the steamer settled caused great con-
fusion, there being no time to dis.
tribute life savers to all passengers.
Some of the passengers did not wait
for the boats but jumped into the
water.
The Stella struck casquet rocks late
yesterday evening. and her boilers ex-
ploded as she went down. The Steam
er Lynx has landed her quota of rescu-
ed passengers at South hampton, She
piled regular between Southampton
and the island of Guernsey and Jersey.
According to the latest reports. the
Lynx saved Al persons and the Vera 81.
It is estimated that IS passengers and
the crew are still missing.
LONDON. March 31.-A great crowd |
are at the Office of the London and |
Southampton railroad clamoring for |
the news of friends and relatives who
were the i'll fated aboard steamer. 1t |
is impossibl BILE as yet to give any list of
the saved or missing. Full advices of
the disaster say that the Stella was
steaming at the rate of 20 knots an |
hour when che struck. Six of the |
ships boats were lowered at once. Once !
of these capsized and one has not been |
heard from.
Four boats full of women and chill |
dren got away safely, and were picked |
up by the steamers Lynx and Vera. |
The crew OF the Stella heroically re-
fused to.enter the sboats and seemed to |
forget themselves entirely in assisting |
the women, many of whom became |
panic stricken. into the small boats. |
Most of the men passengers also re-
Trained from entering the boats.
AS the vessel sank her boilers burst |
with great noise and it is believed |
that the wrecksge scattered by the ex-
plosion upset the boat which has not
yet been accounted for. It is believed |
at least that sixty persons were drown
ed. Over one hundred are missing.