Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-01


this port and Channel Islands. crashed
upon the dreaded Casquet Rocks, near
the Island of Attorney, yesterday after
noon, in a dense fog, and foundered in
ten minutes, her boilers exploding with
a tremendous report as she went down.
| In spite of this, it is seid there was
no panic ON board.
The coasting steamer Lynx, which
brought the news of the disaster here,
picked up four boats and forty persons
belonging to the Stella.
The second officer Of the steamer,
who was among those rescued, says
that callapsable boat was launched
full of people, but he thinks she struck
on the rocks, owing to the fog.
| Another steamer has picked up a
boat containing fifty-ive persons, in
Guiding twenty women, who escaped
from the wrecked steamer. They have
been landed here.
The Stella had on board 210 passen-
gers who were going to spend Easter in
in the Channel Islands.
| The Stella, which belongs to the
London & Southwestern Railway Com
pany, left Southampton at noon yes
| terday, conveying the first daylight eX-
cursion of the season to the Channel
| islands. There were about 1S5 passen-
gers on board and the crew numbered
| So men. The weather was foggy but
all went we'll until the afternoon, when
| the fog became most dense.
| At o'clock the Casquet Rocks sud-
| denly loomed out of the bank and the
| steamer almost Immediately afterwards
struck amidships. The captain, seeing
| ed the life boats to be launched. His
| instructions 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 rs
others put off from the Stella into
| small boat The sea- was calm, but
| there was 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 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 CIV
ing his last instructions. The captain
| persisted with his vessel owing to the
| suction caused by the sinking steamer
being very great indeed.
Continuing, the survivor referred to
said: "The suction was so tremendous
| that we thought our boat would be
| engulfed l saw five boats and the col
| lapsible boat besides our boat, leave
| the wreck. They contained altogether
between eighty and one hundred per-
| to view, but we took boat filled with
women in tow and the occupants of our
| boat took the oars in turn and rowed
all night long until most of us dropped
| asleep, thoroughly exhausted.
I'VE sighted a sailboat at 6 O'Clock
in the morning, but the Great Western
! Railway Company's steamer Lynx,
from Weymouth, had meanwhile hove
in sight. She bore down on us and
| took us all on board. She eventually
| landed us at Guernsey"
The Great Western Railway Com
| pany's steamer Vera, from Southamp-
ton, picked up 40 others of the sur
vivors and landed them at Guernsey.
Later accounts say that the Stella
had 140 passengers on board and that
her crew numbered ~ persons.
| Another steamer of the same COM
pany which arrived at the island of
Jersey at about noon to-day, reported
having passed many bodies of victims
Of the disaster about the Casquet
Rocks.
! A survivor of the disaster named
Bush says the speed of the Stella in the
fog was not diminished, though the fog
whistles were sounded. He adds that
at $3.50 a. m. the engineer showed him
I in the engine room a dial registering a
speed of 1871 knots. He says the yes
sci struck within % minutes after
wards
| Bush further asserts that two life
boats were sunk with the steamer,
which, after resting on the rocks for
ten or fifteen minutes, split in two
and disappeared.
The second mate was the only officer
of the Stella who was saved.
The steamer Honheur returned to-
night after having made the circle of
the Casquet Rocks. She picked up two
boats containing women's clothing,
money. jewels and an opera glass case.
The last had evidently been used in
bailing. Many pathetic incidents are
reported. In several cases men Fitted
their wives and children into the boats