The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-27
A STEAMER WRECK
HUNDREDS OF LIVES WE'RE IN
GREAT DANGER.
BUT ALL WERE RESCUED.
THE nUSITANLA ASHORE OFF CAPE
BOLLARD.

The Vessel Ran Upon Reef on the
Newfoundland ShOre-Had 500 Pas
senRers Aboard, Chiefly Russian
and Polish Emigrants-CrazedP Pas
sengers Fought With Their Knives
for the Boats and TrampIed Upon
Women and Children-Omcers and
Crew Subdued Them and Got All
Safely Ashore.
o. Johns, N. F., June S.-The Orient
Steam Navigation Companys steamer
Lusltania. Capt. McNay, from Liverpool,
June Is. for Montreal, having 500 passen-
gers on board, was wrecked last night off
Cape Bollard. No loss of life occurred. All
the passengers were rescued.
The Lusitania was bound round Cape
Race for Montreal, with a large cargo
and a shipload of passengers. She mistook
her course in dense fog and went ashore
near Renews, twenty miles north of Cape
Race, before daybreak. The ship ran over
a reef and hangs against cliff. The pas
sengers, who are mostly emigrants, were
panic stricken. They stampeded and
fought for the boats, until they were over
come by the officers and crew, who Sc
cured control after great trouble and a
prolonged struggle with the rougher ele.
ment among the passengers, who used
knives. The women and children were
first landed and the men followed. The
crew stood by the ship
The passengers of the Lusitania had a
terrible experience. The first knowledge
which they had of the disaster was when,
owing to the ship rasping over the rocks,
they were all hurled from their berths by
the shock Many of them were. bruised,
and they all hurried on deck in their
nightclothes. A scene of great excitement
ensued. Five hundred persons were clam
oring to escape while the crew tried to
pacity them and launched the boats. The
male passengers. in their attempt to seize
the boats, trampled the women under
foot and fought the crew with knives.
Some of the more cool-headed of the pas
sengers assisted the crew in the efforts
TO get out the boats.
The women and children rescued were
almost naked Drenched with spray, they
were pulled up the cliffs by the coast
people. Some of the boats were demol-
ished in the surf while attempting to
land, and their half-drowned occupants
held onto rocks, shivering with cold, un-
III rescued.
This morning the unhappy passengers,
after shivering for hours on the hilltop
tramped over weary miles in their en-
deavor to reach the houses of the fisher
men, where they are now sheltered.
Previous TO reaching the cliffs the pas
sengers passed two hours of terrible an
xiety on the wreck.
Passengers Were Desperate.
Lusitania's passengers, is due here to-
night. The messenger who brought the
news of the wreck to st. Johns says the
passengers on board the Lusitania drew
their knives 20 cut the boat lashings and
threatened the crew of the steamer when
they thought the latter attempted to in
terfere with them in doing SO.
The last message to the agents of the
Lusitania here says the vessel is hard
and firm aground on the reef and hope
less wreck.
The Passengers All Rescued.
St Johns. N F., June N.-The steamer
Glencoe arrived here at midnight, bring
ing six first, fifteen second and 436 steer
age passengers, and SO of the crew of the
Lusitania. Capt. McNay and the chief Of
fcers of the ship remain with the wreck.
The passengers are almost entirely Poi
ish and Russian Jews. The LEsitania
struck the reef at 1880 o'clock yesterday
morning during a dense fog. Capt. McNay
had to force the vessel up on the reef,
for if he reversed the engines the whole
ships bottom would have been torn out
and she would have sunk Instantly