The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-08-08
SHIP SINKS, THREE HUN
DRED ARE DROWNED
A Terrible aWreck off the Coast of

A Terrible aWreck Off the Coast Of
Cartagena, Spain. August "a ter
rible marine disaster occurred last
evening off Cape Palos. The Italian
steamship Sirio, from Genoa for Bar
celona, Cadjz, Montevidio and Buenos
Ayres with about 800 persons on board
was wrecked off Hormigas Island.
Three hundred emigrants, most of
them Italians and Spaniards were
drowned.
The captain of the steamer commit
ted suicide.
The Bishop of Sac Pedro, Brazil, also
was lost, and it is reported that anoth-
er Bishop is among the missing.
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 fisherman who made
attempts to rescue were drowned.
Those rescued from the vessel are
now at Cape Palos in pitiable condi-
ton, being without food or clothing.
The Sirio struck a rocky reef known
as Bajos Eormigas and sank soon after,
stern first. Hormigas Island lies
about two and half miles to the east
ward of Cape Palos.
The Sirio was owned by the Naviga-
zione italian OF Genoa.
Before be committed suicide, the
captain declared the steamer had $40
passengers on board, and the crew
numbered 127 men. The Sirio had III
passengers when leaving Genoa, but
additional Spanish passengers were
taken on board at Barcelona, where the
vessel touched few hours before the
disaster.
The disaster occurred at o'clock yes
terday afternoon. The steamer was
trading difficult passage through the
Hormigas group, where the Bajos Hor-
migas reef is a continual menace to
navigation.
Passengers were Panic-Stricken.
The vessel began to settle rapidly
Immediately she had struck, and a
terrible scene of confusion and panic
ensued on board. The fisherman
along the coast sought to render every
assistance in the power and sent out
boats, which brought many survivors
ashore. Most of the officers and crew
of the Siro and among the saved.
The survivors have gone into camp
in the town of Cape Palos. Here horri-
BILE scenes were enacted as the strick-
en- families anxiously sought beloved
members amoug the rescued. A moth
er who lost her three children went in
sane. The doctor of the Sirio gave upl
his wife and child as lost, but they
were finally brought in by one of the
rescuing boats, and the scene as this
family was reunited and most affect
ing. One of the boats sent out by the
fishermen brought in twenty-four pas
sengers.
The condition of the survivors is
most deplorable. They have lost 1v-
erything and are without food or clo-1
thing. The maritime authorities of
CartageDa have dispatched a tug to|
the scene carrying relief supplies.
The buildings of circus and the poor
house are being used as temporary
quarters for the survivors.
The latest reports from the capes is
that three boats have just brought in
a number of rescued.
An additional sadness Is added to
the catastrophe, owing to the fact that
q number of fishermen who were con-
ducting rescuing operations were
drowned in consequences of the over
turning of boat. The captain Of the
Sirio just before he killed himself, at
tributed the wreck to his own impru.
dence.