The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-12-02
SCORES PERISH
Two Hundred Lives Lost in Aw-
Yul Sea Disaster.
DEAD MOSTLY ARABS

English Steamer Burned OF tn
Coast Of Mslta-Fire Appsratu
Was Cseless-Passengers Trappe'
and Were Forced to jump Int
the Sea and Drown.
yaletta, Island OF Malta, Nov. %
y terrible disaster, il which mor'
than & hundred persons lost thei'
lives, occurred at the entrance x
this port Wednesday morning. The
British steamer Sardinia, OF the
Ellermap Line, hailing from Live
pool and bound for Alexandria, with
9 crew OF ~ Engllshmen, Il nrs'
and 6 second cabin English Dassec-
gers and nearly 200 Arab pilgrims
aboard, caught FIRE and within rev
minutes was roaring furnace the
flames bursting upward to a height
Of 200 feet from frequent explosions
in the hold.
So rapidly did the fire spread that
the frantic efforts Of the crew ID
operate the FIRE apparatus proved
useless, for it seemed but moment
before the upper works and masts
crashed down upon the deck while
the ships boats were crushed by
the falling debris or set fire and
quickly burned.
Safety lay in the sea, for ne one
could save himself except by jump
Ing overheard and taking eha2esa
Of being picked Up. Assistance was
hurried to the burning vessel from
ali the war ships in the harbor and
from the shore, but the work OF res
cue was greatly inpeded by the
strong tide that was running. Even
the naval launches were unable to
20 alongside. Among the Arabs
there was q panic that could Rot be
controlled. Many OF them were too
frightened to jump and they vere
burned to death. Others, casting
themselves into the waves, were
drowned.
The crew behaved with admirable
courage, serving out life prese1vers
to the last and working the pumps.
When the pumps became useless.
Capt. Charles Little, commander OF
the Sardinia, took the helm and
directed his ship towards the shore
so long as 1t could be navigated. He
perished at his post
First Ot1eer Frank Watson. all
three engineers, Seagraves. Hislop
and Neill, thirteen o: the ships
company and two first class passeng-
ers, one Of them boy named Grant,
are missing. Fifty or more bodies
have been recovered and seventy per-
sons were rescued It impossible
at present to say just how many were
drowned or burned to death. but
the number will doubtless far e1-
ceed a hundred.
The vessel 6rifted around three
times, and finally was beached broad
side on the rocks at the mouth OF
the harbor. She is still burning and
will be a total loss.
The British vice admiral, Sir
Ashetol, and Curzon-Howe and Ad-
miral Fisher directed the rescuins
boats, which did gallant work II
saving those who were yet alive.
and bringing the bodies Of the deac
ashore.
Capt. Little's body, which was
terribly margled, was landed this
afternoon. The other bodies were
also mutilated and burned. Fifty
six Of the injured are being cared
for in the hospitals. One OF the
rescued passengers gave q graphic
account Of the disaster.
s"The Sardiaia,' he said, "lert
valetta ct s:45 this morning. We
were Just outside the harbor and the
crew securing the anchor when the
CRY Of fire was heard. Flames
could be seen Issuing from venti-
lator on the port side. A hose was
promptly brought up and stream
poured down the ventilator, but thl'
did no good. In less than ten min
utes flames were streaming out OF
the other rentilators. The whole
vessel admidships was wrapped IN
flames. The Arab passengers were
told to leave the hatch, in which
thev clung desperately, but they re-
fused to move. All who remained
forward perished, except some OF
those who Ieaped into the water.
IN the meantime naval pinnaces
hurried to the scene. They could
not approach closely on account o
the high seas and falling spars. The
great majority Of the European pas,
sensers succeeded in reaching shor"
The Arabs, among whom wer'
many women and children, cluns
together shrieking, and but rev O
them would jump overheard, al
though urged to do so.
sTte ships boats were rendered
useless by the flames and no atten p
was made to get them over the side
Soon the matches were blown OF
with loud explosions. throwing IL
Arabs into the air and killing an
iniurins many Of them. After
few minutes had been spent in tryiH
to put out the fire nothing :ensine
but to jump overheard. .
Unquestiorably explosions occur1
ed. although the cause of the
is not known. and it was first believe
that the rapid spread OF the far
was cue largely to the flowing napf
tina.