Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-08-31
TWENTY DIE In
A SEA TRAGEDY
Steamer PeCOniC Goes down Of Florida
Coast and a Score are Drowned.
SAILORS HAVE MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
Spaniard and Italian Relate Story Of Fight
They Made for Life-Heard Pitifal
Cries of Dying ShipmateS'

Fernandina, Fla, Aug. 2S.-Twenty
men constituting all but two OF the
officers and crew of the American
Steamship Peconic, bound from Phlla-
delphia to New Orleans with coal, were
drowned by the sinking of that vessel
off the coast of Florida today. The
disaster was the result of a fierce gale
which ragged along the coast during the
night and early morning. Lashed by
the storm, an immense wave struck the
&essel with terrific force about 1890
O'Clock this morning. The impact COM
ing Just as the vessel was making turn
caused shift of the cargo and the YES
sci careened and sank Immediately. The
accident occurred so quickly that only
two of those aboard her, an Italian, and
a Spaniard, were able to save them
selves. They succeeded in getting in a
life boat and reached Amelia Island
where they told the story Of the disas-
ter.
These men could speak no word OF
English. They said they were the only
survivors of the crew of the Peconlc,
commanded by Captain Jones.
About midnight of Sunday, during
the heaviest part of the storm which
had ragged all day, the officer OF the
boat gave orders to put further out to
sea.
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 pushed
for one of the small boats which they
jumped into as the vessel began to 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. They further
more say that they discovered through
the blackness and storm the figures Of
part of the awakened crew while some
of them, managed to crowd into another
of the ships boats. This was, however,
caught in trough of the sea, thrown
violently against the ventilators, and
then wedged fast. Their pitiful cry
for help could be heard as the ship went
down in the sea which swallowed her
up.
Alone through the balance of the
night in the awful wash Of waters, with
the storm ranging and threatening each
moment to swamp their small boat, these
two men were gradually borne ashore
toward Amelia Island landing just at II
a. m. today. Their condition was pit
liable. with all the marks of savage
battle amid tempestuous seas. Cloth
ing torn off and death or shipwreck
staring them in the face. The men,
whose names are respectively, Bagellini
Humberti and Antenio Clark, were un-
able to speak out of their native
tongues and it was some time before
the facts of the disaster were thorough
ly ascertained. They have testified to
the correctness of the above report be-
fore notary public, and the commits
sion here kindly cared for their wants.
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 small boat was thrown
here and there until finally control was
gained through handling the oars, en-
ablins the two unfortunate survivors to
pull ashore at last.
The only names that either Of the two
could give were Captain Jones, Hate
James and Seamen Domica Calelaon
, and Pasqual Indecicato. He says there
were five Spanish fireman, one French
sailer, one Spanish seaman besides him.
and the balance were Italians.
The vessel had been engaged in the
fruit trade from Central America to
New Orleans, but on account of the
quarantine regulations prohibiting the
import of bananas she had been engag-