The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-06
HUNDREDS DROWN
An Italian Emigrant Ship Sinks
OFF Spanish Coast.
The Captain BIames Himself
and Commits Suicide.
VESSEL STRUCK A ROCK
Passengers and Crew on Board
Numbered 500.
They Fought With Knives for
Possession of Life Boats.
VESSEL STRUCK A ROCK

cartagena. Spain. Aug. s.-The
Italian steamship sirio, from Genoa
for Barcelona, Cadiz, Montevideo and
Buenos Ayres, with about 500 persons
on board, was wrecked off Hormigas
island Saturday evening.
Three hundred emigrants, most Of
them Italians and Spaniards. we're
drowned.
ted suicide.
The bishop Of san Pedro. Brazil, also
was lost.
The remainder of the passengers
and the officers and crew got away in
the ships boats or were rescued by
means Of boats sent to them from the
shore.
A number of fishermen who made
attempts at rescue were drowned
The Sirio struck a rocky reef known
as Bajos Hormigas ana sank soon
after, stern first. Hormigas island lies
! about two and a half miles te the east
ward of Cape Palos.
The steamer had 645 passengers on
board and her crew numbered 127
men. The sirio had $40 passengers
when leaving Genoa. but additional
| Spanish passengers were taken on
] board at Barcelona, where the vessel
touched a few hours before the dis
aster.
Struck on a Reef.
The steamer was threading a diff
( cult passage through the HOrmigas
/ group, where the Bajos Hormigas reef
is a continual menace to navigation
The vessel began to settle rapidly I'M
mediately after she struck. and a ter
rible scene of confusion and panic en-
sued on board. The fishermen along
the coast sought to render every as
! sistance in their power and sent out
boats, which brought many survivors
ashore. Most of the officers and crew
of the. Sirio are among the saved.
The survivors have gone into camp
on the main square of the town at
/ Cape Pa1os. Here narrowing scenes
are enacted as the stricken families
anxiouslv seek beloved members
among the rescued
A mother who lost her three chill
dren went insane. The doctor of the
/ Sirfo gave up his wife and child as
lost, but they were finally brought in
1 by one of the rescuing boats. and the
scene as this family was reunited was
4 most affecting. One of the boats sent
out by the fishermen brought in
TWEEN tv-four passengers.
The condition of the survivors is most
] depIorable. They have lost everything
and are without money. food or cloth
/ ing. The maritime authorities of Car
I Ja2ena nave QlSpdJCneQ a tug 10 the
! scene carrying relief supplies. The
/ buildings of q circus and the poor house
/ are being used as temporary quarters
for the survivors.
The latest reports from the cape say
that three boats have just brought in
number of rescued
The captain of the Sirio just before he
killed himself, attributed the wreck to
his own in1prudence.
The Sirio was an iron vessel of 5,141
/ tonss and 5012 horsepower. She was
built at Glasgow in 1882 and was owned
by the Navigazione Italiant of Genoa.
Many Trampled to Death.
The captain in order to shorten the
route and gain time, proposed to pass
4 as close as possible to the dangerous
| rocky lodges surrounding the Hormigas
Islands. Without any warming, and
while running at full speed. the Sifio
crashed upon the rocks with terrific
force. few minutes later the vessel
sank beneath the waves. The passen-
gers were in a state of horror and panic.
Crowds rushed forward, pushing each
/ other and fighting for places in the bow
of the boat. Many fell and were tram
4 pied to DEATH Dozens of men and wo-
men threw themselves into the sea- A
young mother who was carrying her
baby was advised to abandon the child
and try to save herself alone This she
refused to do. declaring that she pre-
ferred that they die together. Both
eventually were picked UP alive from
! the water.
In the midst of this panic the cap
| tain and officers of the Sfrio endeavOr-
ed in vain to restrain the people, re-
store a sembIance of order and organ
ize a system Of Hfe-saving. This was
| not accomplished. for the vessel sud
denly either broke in half or Eiided off
the rocks and foundered in deep water.
The archbishop Of San Pedro went
/ down with the vessel while blessing the
I drowning passengers. Another bishop,
who was first supposed to have been
l~ox1r1od has Efrra h6aF THnnTfPd safe
He is at Carthagena.
Fight Like Wild Beasts.
/ London, Aug 6.-The Madrid CORE
spondent OF the Daily Telegraph de-
scribes the Sisio disaster as one of the
worst on record. The Italian en1igrants
with knives in their hands and without
| regard for the women or children,
fought with the greatest brutality for
the possession of life buoys and boats.
i Many were killed or wounded, includ-
ing several members Of the crew who
were attacked by emigrants-
When the captain saw the vessel was
lost and that the emigrants had cap
tured the boats, he committed suicide
by shooting himself with a revolver. The
other officers then lost their heads and
there was nobody TO direct the work Of
rescue.
Eve witnesses give awful pictures of
the brutal panic on board For half an
hour the ernigrants were masters OF the
situation. They completely overcame
the crew by sheer force Of numbers and
this in spite of the efforts Of the Off
GERS who tried to save the women and
children first
One report even states that a group
of euigrants approached one Of the
ships boats and disiodged the people.
killing several with their knives. Just
as they were about 20 occupy the boat
themselves another body Of armed erni-
grants came up and a fierce fight for
: the possession Of the Hfeboat followed
Many Of the survivors brought ashore
we're seriously wounded, and 4 number