The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-01
How Many is Not Known, But the
Smallest Estimate is Seventy.
F0UNDERED IN TEN MINUTES.
The Vessel, Crowded with Excursion
lists. Struck on the Casquet Rocks
Ncarthc Island of Aldcrney and
Sank Immediately - The
Captain Went Down
with His Ship.

SOUTHAMPTON, March 3l.-Ihe pas
senger steamer stella, plying between
this port and the Channel Islands crash
ed upon the dreaded Casquet Rocks,
near the Island of Alderney yesterday
evening in d dense FOG and foundered in
ten minutes. her boilers exploding as She
/ went down. Reports as 10 the number
lost are conflicting. but the officials OF the
London ana Southwestern Railway Com
pany, which company owns the ooat said
| tuat the drowned would not exceed
seventy. other reports make the loss
much higher Three boats including "A
| colapslbe boat are missing
The Stella iaft southampton at noon
/ yesterday conveying the irst daylight tN-
| cursiOn OF the season 20 the Channel ISL
auds There We're about one hundred
and eiehty-hve passengers on ooaid and
The crew numbered tnirty-hve men.
THE CRASH.
The weather was foggy but AL went
well until the afternoon when me tcg
became more dense. AT o'clock The
/ Casquct Rocks suddenly lcomet mp
through the fog bank and The steamer
almost Immediately afterwards struck
amidships The captain. seeing That the
/ Stella was fast sinking, ordered the me
| boats 10 be- launched His i1sirIetions
were carried out with the utmost cclef'y
/ and the women and children were en-
barked In the boats. Then the captain
ordered tho mon 20 look aftec them
selves.
A survivor states that he and twenty
five others put OFF from the Stella 10 a
small boat The sea was calm but there
vas "A big swirl around the rocks. When
Nf. tf..tr NV
from the wreck the boilers Of tine Stella
burst with terrific explosion and the
vessel disappeared stern foremost IN the
seA.
STICK TO HIS POST
The last thing the survivor saw was
the figure of the captain of the Stella
/ standing calmly ON the bridge and Civ
/ ing his last instructions. The captain
porished with his vessel, owing 10 the
suction caused by the sinking steamer
being very great indeed. The survivor
referred 10 said. "rhc suction was so
tremendous that We thought our boat
would be cneulfed. ] saw five boats and
the collapsible boat beside our boat
/ leave the wreck They contained alto
gether between eighty and one hundred
persons.
Five % the boats were soon lost 10
I Wow. but we took "a boat filed with wo-
men ion tow and the occupants Of our
boat took the oars i'm turn and rowed
an night long until we most dropped
asleep. thoroughly exhausted.
we sighted "a saii-h0at at o'clock
I'm the morning. but the Great Western
Railway COmpany's steamer Lynx. from
Weymouth had meanwhile hove I'm sight.
She Lore down ON us and took us an
on board. She eventually landed us az
+ GUERNSEY"
PASSENGERS PICKED Up.
The Great Western Railway C0mpany's
/ steamer Vera. from Southampton. picked
mp forty others OF The survivors and
I landed them at Guernsey Up % noon
TODAY SOD passengers bad been accounted
/ for including Mr. J. Parton and his wife
I Mr. Parton is the manager Of the Western
London office Of the American line
/ Later accounts say that the stella had
/ 1i9 passengers on board and her crew
numbered forty-twO persons Another
steamer Of the same company which
arrived az the island Of Jersey at noon
I to-day. reports having passed many
bodies OF the victims Of the disaster at
/ Casquet Rocks A surveyor of the dis
trict. named Bush. says that the speed
/ Of the Stella I'm the fog was not dimiuish-
/ "a. though the fog whistles were sounded
/ Bush adds that at $50 T. VI. the engineer
+ showed him I'm the engine room "a dial
registering "A speed of 1912 knots He
/ says the vessel struck within twenty
/ five minutes afterward. Bush asserts
tha. two life-boats were sunk with the
steamer. which after resting on the rocks
/ for ten or fifteen miutes. split i'm two and
disappeared.
LITTLE PANIC.
Continuing. Bush said: when the
| Stella disappeared forty or fifty persons
I were discovered cluging 10 pieces Of
wreckage cabin furniture. etc. ana cry
ing piteously for help. All the passengers
I and crew had been provided with life
| belts and there was little panic as the
| ship sank [ nrst slipped into the water
/ and then swan 70 one of the boats into
| which / was helped We rOwed suDpos-
edly I'm the direction of Guernsey. but sew
eral hours later we found ourselves near
the scene of the wreck. and saw dozens
| OF persons clinging 10 the rocks"
The boat IN which Bush was passen-
| ger was aftcrward picked up by the Lynx
The passengers all agree that perfect
order and discipline prevailed on board
| the stella. The crew promptly took ND
| their stations when the steamer struck
served out the life belts. and lowered the
| boats.
The scene at the moment OF the sink
| ing or Ile NtrStl was nttftfenOlng.
! Women were screaming and praying and
people were clinging to spars and other
| wreckage In all directions Those who
had succeeded In getting into the boats
had n narrow escape from being enguf-
ed on account OF the suction caused by
the sinking vessel The voice of Captain
Rocks. from the bridge was frequently
| heard urging the rowers 20 pull for their
lives. The boats were adrift for fifteen
hours. during which time their OCCUPANTS
were without food or water. and as their
clothes were drenched they suffered
greatly.
RUNNING TOO FAST.
i The disaster IS generally attributed TO
the high speed at which the steamer was
travelling In the fcg.
n is thought probable that the Partons
were the only Americans on board the
stella. as the list of survivors does not
contain the names OF any other Americans
80 far as known.
The second mate was the only ofsicer
NJ the stella who was saved. The captain
F; and tho other of3cers, most Of the crew
land many of ths pssssnsen sank with