The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-26
SHIP BURNS; DEATH AT SEA Steamer Sardinia Seized
 by Flames. CAPTAIN AND CREW HEROES They Stood by Roaring Furnace to Save Persons. Vessel Had Just Left Island of Malta for Egypt When Fire Broke
 Out in Forward
 Hold.

ger steamer Sardinia, of the Ellerman Line. was destroyed by fire just outside of this port today and total of iss persons were either drowned or burned to death. Seventy persons were res- cued.
 The dead include 100 Arabs i've Euro pean passengers. and eighteen members of the crew. Most of the people on board were pilgrims.
 Assistance was hurried to the burn ing vessel from all the warships in the harbor and from ashore but the work of rescue was greatly impeded by the heavy sea. The flames spread rapidly and were fed by streams of naptha from the forehold.
 There was a condition of uncontrol- able panic on board and the passengers who did not jump into the sea were roasted to death.
 The Sardinia was scarcely mile on Grand Harbor when the first sign or fire appeared, but with a strong wind to fan the flames the whole ship was soon ablaze and the passengers and crew had scarcely chance for their lives.
 There was frightful panic on board as the rapidly spreading flames drove tho passengers to the rails, and many of the excited ones. not even waiting for the boats to be lowered, plunged into the sea. Scores are believed to have been drowned. Others. trapped by the fire were literally roasted to death or smothered without a chance for life.
 There were many craft in the har- bor at the time of the disaster and several tugs and other swift small vessels rushed to the assistance of the imperilled liner. The high sea and half a. gale which prevailed at the time. however, made it impossible for them even to approach the Sardinia, apd they could do little in the way of aid. The Sardinia left Liverpool Noyem- Der 14 with rargo of generaf nler~ ehandlse for Mediterranean ports. Her crew numbered forty-four and about twenty hrst-class and six second-elass passengers embarked at Liverpool
 Most of her other 200 passengers un- dou btedly were Levantines. Maltese and Egyptians. Many of these people cross on the steamers of this line from Malta to Alexandria. It is their cus- tom to pitch their tents on decks for shelter, during the four days trip. The decks are cluttered and this condition undoubtedly made the orderly clearing of the ship difncult
 Up to o'clock this afternoon fifty bodies from the Sardinia had been brought ashore. Many of these per sons evidently had come to their end from drowning. though some had been burned to death.
 The flames apparently originated in the forehold. A quantity of naptha was stored there and 1t. fed the con- hagratlon to such an extent that 1t soon became impossible to save the vessel.
 She crew behaved with admirable courage. serving out life preservers to the last and working the pumps. When the pumps became useless. Captain Charles Littler. commander of the Sar dinia. took the helm and directed his ship towards the shore, so long as it could he navigated. He perished at his post First ohlcer Frank Watson. all three engineers. Seagrave, Hislop and Neeil. eighteen of the ships company and two 1 frst-class passengers, one of them boy named Grant. are missing. It is impossible at present 10 say just how many were drowned or burned to death because the list of Arab pilgrims is incomplete. but the number will doubtless far exceed hundred. After the vessel refused to obey her helm. she drifted around three times and finally was beached broadside on the rocks at the mouth of the harbor. She is still burning and will be total loss.
 Captain Littler's body. which was terribly mutilated. was landed this af- ternoon in the presence of great crowds who stood uncovered. The other bodies were also muti1ated and burned. Fifty-slx of the rescued are being cared | for in hospitals. ~
 Many of the women behaved with greater calmness than the men, who were utterly panic stricken. The cause of the fire Is not known, but denial was made that there were l however. the explosions occurred. and if was first believed that the rapid spread of the flames was due te the l flowing naptha.