The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-10

Death-Ship's Boats Were Heroical-
ly Assisted by Local Fishermen. Who
f! Saved Many From a Watery Grave.
Cartagena Spin, Aug. 5-Th.ee hum
dred and twenty-five or more persons
lost their lives in an awful marine Cts
aster last evening off Cape P2los.
The Italion steamship Sirio, from
Genoa for Barcelona, Cadiz, Montevideo
and Buenos Ayres, with about 800 per-
sens on board, was wrecked off Hormi-
gas Island. Three hundre. Immigrants
most Of them Italians and Spaniards.
were drowned.
The captain of the steamer commit.
ted suicide.
The Archbishop Of Sac Pedro, Bra
I'll, was among the drowned.
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.
Those rescued from the vessel are
now at Cape Palos in pitable condition,
being without food or clothing.
The Siria struck a rocky reef known
as BajOs Hormigas, and sank soon at
ter, stern first. Hormigas Island lies
about two and a half miles to the east
ward of Cape Palos.
Before he committed suicide, me
caLtain declared the steamer had SIS
passengers on board, and the crew
numbered 1877 men. At the same time,
he attributed this wreck to his owa
imprudence.
The Sirlo had III passengers when
leaving Genoa, but additional Spanish
passengers were taken on board at
/ Ra!1eiona, where the vessel touched
a few hours before the disaster.
TERRIBLE PANIC ON BOARD.
The disaster occurred at 5 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. The steamer was
threading a difficult passage through
the HOrmlgas group, where the Bajos
Hormigas reef is a continual menace
to navigation. The vessel began to set
tie rapidly Immediately she had struck,
and a terrible scene of confusion and
panic ensued on board.
The fishermen along the coast sough!
to render every assistance 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 shore of the town at Cape
PalOs. Here horrible scenes are mac
ed, as the stricken families anxiously
seek beloved members among the res
cued. A mother who lost her three
children went insane.
FOUND HIS WIFE AND CHILD.
The doctor Of the Sirlio gave up his
wife and child as lost, but they We're
finally brought in by one of the res
cuing boats, and the scene as this
family was reunited was most affecting.
One Of the boats sent out by the fish
ermen brought in t~wenty-four pasSen-
gers.
The condition of the survivors is
most deplorable. They have lost eve:y-
thing, and are without money, food or
clothing. The maritime authorities 1T
C~arIagena have dispatched a tus to
ne scene carrying relief supplies. The
hu ldings of a circus and the ILGr-
house are being used as temporary
quarters for the survivors.
Che latest report from the capes s
that three boats have JUS brought !,
z number OF rescued.
An additional sadness is added to the
catastrophe, owing to the fact tcat i
number Of fishermen who were con-
. GnPr1np rQcnJJyno npnrofINnc OrarA
drowned in consequence Of the over
turning of 4 boat.
The Sirio left Genoa August 2.
NEARLY ALL ITALIANS.
All the ships books were lost. 1t is
impossible at present to ascertain til
full extent Of the disaster. Nineteenth
OF the passengers were Italians and
the remainder Spaniards. All the sur
vivOrs have been landed at Cape Palos.
The inhabitants provided them with
clothing and nourishment- Thirty
We're landed at Hormigas Island, about
one mile from the scene Of the TRACE
dy.
Fishermen brought in the first news
Of the laundering of the Sirio, and it
created CONSERVATION here. Boat loads
Of h shipwrecked passengers and
crew began TO reach shore shortly af-
ter the news became known.
Passengers confirm the fearful nature
of the calamity.
From the broken narratives OF the
terror-stricken survivors, it would APP
pear that il was the intention Of the
captain of the Siria, after leaving Bar
celona, to call at Cadiz before proceed
ing to Brazil. The captain, in order
to shorten the route and gain time.
purposed to pass as close as possible
the dangerous rocky lodges surrounding
the Hormigas Islands. Without any