The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-01
TO OCEAN BOTTOM
Steamer PeconiC Goes Down
Of the Florida Coast.
TWENTY SAILORS DROWN

Only Two Of the Crew Escaped Wa
terry Grave to Tell the story-Ves-
sci Was Bound to New Orleans
With a Cargo of Coal on Board.
Twenty men constituting all but
two Of the ofIlcers and crew of the
American steamship Peoonic, bound
from Philadelphia to New Orleans
with coal, were drowned by the sink
ing of the vessel of the coast of
Florida Monday. The disaster was
the result Of a fierce gale which rag
ed along the coast during the night
and early morning. lAShed by the
storm, an immense wave struck the
vessel with terrific force about 1890
O'clock a. III. The impact coming
just as the vessel was making a
turn, caused a shift of the cargo
and the vessel careened and sank i'm
mediately
The accident occurred so quickly
that only two of these aboard her,
an italian and Spaniard, were able.
to save themselves. They succeeded
in getting into a life boat, reached
Amelia beach about noon Monday:
and, landing, told the story of the
disaster.
About midnight Of Sunday, during
the heaviest part of the storm which
had ragged all day, the officer of the
deck gave the order to put further
cut to sea, fearing they were ap-
preaching the coast too nearly. In
the endeayor to turn the ship was
struck by a heavy sea, the cargo
shifted, giving a brOadside and 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
lous escape out of all Of the ships
crew who went down was something
approaching the marvellous.
One Of these men was at the wheel
at the time the order was given, the
other was upon 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 20 go down. With their knives
they severed the ropes as the waters
level was reached, and the small boat
was thrown far out on the waves.
The men whose names are, respect
lively, Bagellini Humbert and AntO-
no Clark, were unable to speak out
of their native tongues, and 1T was
some time before the facts Of the
disaster were thoroughly ascertained,
They have testified to the correct
ness of the above report before a
notary pubic, and the people Of Fer
nandina ldldly cared for their wants.
At the time of the disaster the
ship was about 20 miles northeast Of
Fernandina, heading south, and il
the teeth Of the gale. The small boat
was thrown here and there until final
ly control was gained through hand
ling The oars, enabling the two un'
fortunate survivors to pull ashore at
last
The vessel had been engaged in
the fruit trade from Central Amer
lea to New Orleans, but on account
of the quarantine regulations pro
hibiting the import of bananas she
had been engaged for two voyages to
carry coal from Philadelphia to New
Orleans. She was a ship of LIZA
register and had on board about 1900
tons Of coil. Esle arrived at Phila-
delpbia August IA, and cleared for
New Orleans August 10.
The Peconic was built at Liver
pool, England, in 1881, She was 20
feet long, "a feet inches beam and
% feet 8 inches deep. She formerly
sailed under the british flag and
ran on the Phelps Brothers & Co.'S
line between New York and Medi-
terranean ports. d. H. t. Jones Of
the firm of J. WI Elwell & Co., New
York, is her present owner.