The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-29
Two Members of the Cr:u
 Have Thrilling Escape
TWENTY MEN ARE DROWNED
Cargo Listed and the Steamer Peeonio Sank Off the Florida Coast Almost In the TwnkIing of
 an Eye.

Fernandina, Fla, August 2S.-About
 noon today two sailors. one a Spanlard.
 the other an Italian, reached a landing at
 Amelia Island beach, to which point they
 had pulled ashore in the small boat be- l longing to vessel lost at sea about
 1;3O o'clock last night. These men, who
 could not speak English, were interview
 ed and the result of their testimony Is
 as follows:
 1 They were the only survivors of the | crew of the steamer Peconic, Captain Jones, which was bound for New Orr ! leans from Philadelphia, loaded with coal.
 capacity 1154 tons Counting officers and 1 crew, there were twenty-two men on
 board, of whom twenty were drowned.
 About midnight of Sunday, during the l heaviest part of the storm, which had
 ragged all day, the officer of the deck | gave the order to put further out to sea,
 fearing they were approaching too near
 the coast. In the endeavor to turn, the
 ship was struck by heavy sea, tho
 cargo shifted, giving broadslde, and i she began sinking rapidly. In less than | ten minutes after the alarm was sounded.
 she had gone to the bottom, and no trace
 of her was left upon the waters. Escape Was Marvellous. | The two sailors account of their own | escape out of all of crew which went
 down. Is approaching the marvellous. One of these men was at the wheel at the
 time the order was given. the other on l watch. As soon as the ship began to | careen these two men rushed for one of | the small boats which they jumped into | as the vessel began to go down. Wi@ | their knifes they severed the ropes as tho | water was reached, and the small boat was thrown far out on the waves. They furthermore say that they discovered fOlt tha arIfF4 1tr.s Inc. l figures of part of the awakened crew, l some of whom managed to crawl into another of the ships boats. This was, however, caught in a trough of the sea, l thrown violently against the ventilators.
 and then caught fast Their cries 15f help could be heard as the ship went down.
 Alone through the rest of the night with the storm raging and threatening each moment to swamp their boat, these two | men were gradually borne ashore toward l Amelia Island, landing Just at Il a. m. | today. Their condition was pitable, with all the marks of a savage battle amid | tempestuous seas.
 Testify Before Notary. The men, whose names are Bagelllni Humberti and Antonio Clarkz were un-
 able to speak exceN In their native tom gues, and 1t was some time before the | facts of the disaster were thoroughly as- | eertained. They have testified to the l correctness of the report before a notary 1 public, and the community here has cared for them.
 | At the time of the disaster the ship
 was about twenty miles northeast of here | heading south and in the teeth of the gale. The only names that either of tho two could give were Captain Jones' Mate , James and Seamen Domlriea Calaleno | and Pasqual 1ndeciocato. He says there were five Spanish firemen, one French sailor, one Spanish seaman. besides him. self, and the rest Italians.
 The Paconic was of 1154 register and
 had on board 15O0 tons of coal. She cleared
 from Philadelphia for New Orleans Au- gust g.