Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-11-26
OVER HUNDRED
DEAD ON FIRE
SWEPT SHIP
ORIENTAL LINER BURNS
OFF MALTESE CAPITAL
Panic Stricken Victims P5ast-
ed Alive by Flames Fed by
Cargo Of Naphthai High Sea
flinders ReSCuerS,

IBy Morning journal Special LEASED Wire
Naletta. Malta Nov. pa teIrIli
disaster in which more than a hun
dred persons lost their lives, occurrc
at the entrance at this port this morn
ing within sight of the whole popula
tion of the city. who were powerlcs
to give and. The British steamer
Bardania of the Ellerman hne, haiing
from Liverpool and bound for Alex
andria with crew of forty-four Eng.
lishmen, eleven first and six secont
cabin English passengers. and nearly
two hundred Arab pilgrims aboard
caught fire, and within few minutes
was roaring furnace surrounded by
clouds of smoke. through which
flames burst upward to a height OF
two hundred feet from explosions IN
the hold. SO rapidly did the flames
spread that the frantic efforts of the
crew to operate the fire apparatus
proved useless, and it seemed bat a
moment before the upper works and
masts crashed down upon the deck.
tiuSltNl
by the falling debris or quickly
burned.
Safety lay only in jumping over
board and taking chances Of being
picked up. AS istanCc was hurried to
the burning vessel from all the war
ships in the harbor and from the
shore, but the work of rescue was
greatly impcded by the strong tide
that was running, Even the naval
launches which came as fast as they
could be driven, wcrb unable to go
alongside Among the Arabs' there
was panic that could not be CON
troled. Many Of them were too ter
rified to jump and they were burned
to death. Others, casting themselves
into the waves were drowned
The crew behaved with admirable
courage, serving out life prcservers to
the last, and working the pumps
When these became useless, Captain
Charles Littler, commander of the
Sardania, took the helm and directed
his ship toward the shore as long as il
could be navigated He persisted at
his post, First officer Frank Watson.
all three engineers, ScagTaves Bishop
pany, and two first class passengers.
one of them a boy named Grant, are !
missing Fifty or more bodies have |
been recovered and seventy persons
rescued. 1t is Impossible at present to !
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 a |
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 stll burning and viii be total
oss. IN
The British vice admiral. Sir Aston
Jurzon Howe. and Admiral Fisher, di-
'ected the rescuing boats Captain
.ittlers body, terribly mutilatcd. was
anded this afternoon in the presence
If great crowds which stood uncov-
red. The other bodies were also mu-
Hated and burned. Fifty-siX of the
injured are being cared for I'm hos
'itals. one Of Tho rescued passengers
ave graphic account of he disaster.
The Sardania left NalettI at 9:45
'clock this morning" he said. we
we're just outside the harbor and the !
rev was securing the anchor when ,
he cry of fire was heard Flames
ould be seen issuing from a vcntilator
y the port side. Hose was prompt
j, brought up and a stream poured ]
own the Yentilator. but tIis did no ,
ood. In less than ten minutes flames 5
ere streaming out of the other ycn- {
lators. The whole vessel amidshipe J
as wrapped in flames The Arab ]
assengers were told to leave the q
atch to which they chung desperate =
:. but they refused to move. All who
'maincd forward pcrishcd except G.
lme who leapcd into the water. j.
In the meantime naval piunaccs n
urried 10 the scene. They could not v
pproach close on account OF the high "a
as and falling spars. Tho European D
issengers. being AFT. were in COM u
lrative safety. and tho great major n
y of these eventually succeeded in
aching shore The Arabs among =
hom were many women and chill ri
zen. clung together. shripkinE and %
1t few Of them would jump over IL
Dard, although urged go DO so by the %
'ats waiting to pick them up.' Il
The ships boats were rendered u-o- S
IS by the flames, ana no attempt n
as made to get them over the sides. p,
,on the matches were blown off with p
I'D explosions throwing the Arabs h
to the air and killing and injurng o.
any Of them. Amazingly good or 4
r prevailed among the crew. oon- h
iering the rapidity of the terrible a- II
2 A frsrH Nss % o.