Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-07
SURVIVORS CAUSE ANXIETY
Genoa Doesn't Know What to Do with
People from Lost Ship.
PASSENGERS FRIENDS slsIEsE OFFICES
Report of Terrible scenes at the
Wreck Continue TO Come 20
CartaEena from Hor-
migas Island.

UlEAh Ahlanus
GENOA. Aug. s.-The loss Of the steamer
Sirio causes intense excitement amongst
the relatives and friends Of the Italian
passengers and crew. most Of whom lived
here or in this vicinity The offices Of the
captain Of the port and the Italian Cen
eral Navigation company, to which the
sirio belonged were so besieged today by
agonized throngS seeking information that
the police were compelled to establish bar
riers to hold back the crowds. Some OF
the people assumed a threatening aspect
declaring that facts were being withheld
The Sirio had seen twenty-three years
Of service, but it was considered to be in
a seaworthy condition. 1t was built of
iron and wood, had a single screw, was
Of 1900 tons gross register and had speed
Of seventeen knots per hour. Its captain,
Giuseppe Paradi, was a native of Genoa
and a veteran seaman.
The disposition to be made of the i'm
poverished emigrants who were saved from
the SiTio causes special anxiety. The
situation recalls a similar wreck of
Genoese ship near the rock of Gibraltar,
when the survivors were unable to proceed
TO America or return to Italy, and there
fore established a fishing colony near Glib
naltar, where they still remain.
How Bishop Lost Life.
CARTAGENA, Spain, Aug. 6.-Reports
continue to arrive here of the terrible
scenes attending the wreck on Saturday
evening, of Hormigas island, OF the Italian
steamer Sirio. from Genoa, August 2 via
Barcelona and other ports, for Buenos
Ayres, resulting in the loss of over 800
lives. The drowning of the bishop Of
San Pedro. Brazil, is now attributed to the
action of an Argentine passenger who for
chilly took from the bishop life belt with
which the latter had provided himself.
One Italian woman kept her three chill
dren afioat on a plank until they were all
picked up.
A bridegroom who was on his honeymoon
lost his wife and sister, and one old man
who was saved lost three children.
Captain Padri, commander of the sirio,
was g. years old
Ship Total Loss.
The Sirio is considered a total loss.
It's captain is said to have formerly cam
manded the Persues. which sank off Car
tagena. A number of bodies of the
drowned were buried today. Some of the
rescued passengers died after being
brought ashore.
The survivors say that the Sirio sank
with extreme rapidity. Many of the pas
sengers were on deck as the steamer dis
appeared. The boats were so overcrowded
that a number of them Immediately cap.
sized, throwing their occupants into the
water
Quantities of food and clothing for the
survivors are arriving here from all parts
of the country. A public subscription,
started for the relief of the destitute pas.
sensers, has already raised a large sum.
The survivors are quartered in the the
aters, hospitals and clubs, the poorer
classes of the inhabitants of Cartasena
rivaling each. other in assisting the ship
wrecked people.
Charles Venturini, a resident of BARGE
Iona, who was a passenger with his family
on the Sirio, succeeded in saving his three
sons and nine other passengers. Senor
Venturini's daughter, who is IS years old
and an expert swimmer, saved two chill
dren, whose parents are unknown. One of
the families, consisting of father, mother
and six children, were all drowned with
the exception of the father, who lost his
reason.
Prigadi Morella, who has arrived at
the Italian consulate here, relates how
she and her husband were hurled into the
sea by the force Of the explosion of the
Sirio's boilers. She was picked up and
brought ashore, but does not know the fa.e
of her husband.
Many Bodies Recovered.
Numerous bodies were thrown UP on
the shore during the day. Most of them
are of persons of the better class. Sew
eral small fishing smacks have arrived,
! bringing in sometimes one and sometimes
several survivors OF the Sirio who were
found floating at sea a long distance from
| the scene of the disaster.
1t is believed that some of the pas
senRers who secured life belts have been
picked up alive by French, German, Italian
or British sailing vessels passing in the
vicinity and disembarked at Barcelona,
Port Vendres, or Marseilles. The vicinity
of Cape Palos is much freduented by sail
| lung and steam ships.
The first reports Of the disaster de-
| clared without qualification that the cap
tain OF the Sirio had committed suicide.
Later information, however, shows that
he was on board the steamer when It
sank, and expressed the determination to
go down with his vessel. He was after
ward rescued in spite of his refusal to be
1 saved.
/ The survivors OF the sirio are COM
/ posed OF S4s Italians, 10 spaniards, Il
I Arabs 10 Austrians, s Orientals 4 Ar
: gentines Brazlians, Montenegrins and
/ lls persons whose nationality is not set
/ forth.
/ One of the women survivors has given
/ birth TO a child since being brought ashore.
Anxiety at Naples.
| NAPLES. Aug S.-Many OF the emigrants
/ who sailed for South America on the
wrecked steamer sirio were from Southern
Italy and, accordingly great anxiety is
manifested here, Crowds OF people are
seeking details Of the disaster and the
/ names OF passengers for the purpose of
/ identifying the lost apd saved.
| The srio touched here July % after leav-
| ing Alexandria, Egypt, with which port
! It carried on a mail service. The Italian
/ General Navigation company TO which the
wrecked vessel belonged has dispatched the
/ steamer Cartagena, carrying relief for the