Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-12-02
STEAMER BURNED:
SCORES ARE LOST
TERRIBLE DISASTER OCCURS
NEAR PORT OF vALETTA.
SHIP A ROARING FURNACE
Many Arab Pilgrims Among the VIC
tims-Explosione Add to the
Horror-captain Dies at
Post.

~-As'AA q Gu pcISOuS lOSt CQelr lives,
occurred at the entrance to this port
Wednesday morning, within sight of
the whole population of the city, who
were powerless to give aid. The Brit.
ish steamer Sardinia of the Ellerman
line, hailing from Liverpool and bound
for Alexandria, with crew Of A Eng
l1shmen, II first and six second cabin
English passengers, and nearly 200
Arab pilgrims aboard, caught fire and
within a few minutes was roaring
furnace surrounded by clouds of black
smoke through which flames burst up-
ward to height of 200 feet, from fire.
quent explosions in the hold.
So rapidly did the fire spread that
the frantic efforts of the crew to op-
crate the fire apparatus proved USE
less, for it seemed but moment be-
fore the upper works and masts
crashed down upon the deck, while
the ships boats were crushed by the
falling debris or set on fire and quick
ly burned.
Work Of Rescue Is Difficult.
Safety lay only in the sea, for no one
could save himself except by jumping
overheard and taking chances of be-
ing picked up. Assistance 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 impeded by the strong tide
that was running. Even the naval
launches, which came as fast as they
could be driven, were unable to go
alongside.
Among the Arabs there was panic
that could not be controlled. Many of
them were too terrified to jump and
they were burned to death. Others,
casting themselves into the waves,
were drowned.
Captain Dies at His Post.
The crew behaved with admirable
courage out life preservers
to the last, and working the pumps.
When the pumps became useless,
Capt. Charles Littler, commander of
the Sardinia, took the helm and d.
rected his ship towards the shore as
long as it could be navigated. He per-
ished at his post. First Officer Frank
Watson, all three engineers, IS of the
ships company and two first class pas
sengers, one of them a boy named
Grant, are missing. Fifty or more
bodies have been recovered and 20 per-
sons were rescued. 1t is impossible at
present to say just how many were
drowned or burned to death, because
the list of Arab pilgrims is incom-
plete, 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
She is total loss.
The British vice-admiral, Sir Asshe-
ton Curzon Howe and Admiral Fisher
directed the rescuing boats.
Story Of a Passenger.
One of the rescued passengers gave
a graphic account of the disaster.
THE Sardinia" he said, left Valet
ia at 9:45 this morning. We
were just outside the harbor and the
crew were securing the anchor when
the cry of fire was heard. Flames
could be seen issuing from a ventilator
on the port side. A hose was promptly
brought up and stream poured down
the ventilator, but this did no good.
In less than ten minutes flames were
streaming out of the other ventilators
The whole vessel amidships was
wrapped in flames. The Arab passen-
gers were told to leave the hatch. to
which they chung desperately, but they
refused to move. All who remained
forward persisted, except some of those
who leaped into the water.
I'm the meantime naval pinnaces
hurried to the scene. They could not
approach close on account of the high
seas and falling spars. The European
passengers, being aft, were in COM
parative safety, and the great MAORI
ty of these eventually succeeded in
reaching shore. The Arabs, among
whom were many women and child
rem, were terrible spectacle. They
chung together shrieking, and but few
of them would jump overheard, al
though urged to do so by those in
boats waiting to pick them up.
Hurled Into Air by Explosions.
"The ships boats were rendered
useless by the flames, and no attempt
was made to get them over the sides.
Soon the matches were blown off with
loud explosions, throwing the Arabs
into the air and killing and injuriug
many of them. Amazingly good order
prevailed among the crew, considering
the lightning rapidity of the terrible
affair. After few minutes had been
spent in trying to put out the fire,
nothing remained but to jump over
board"
Many Of the Arab women behaved
with greater calmness than the men,
who were utterly panic-stricken. The
cause Of the fire is not known, but
denial has been made that there were
explosives aboard Unquestionably,
however, explosions occurred, and it
was at first believed that the rapid
spread of the flames was due largely
to naphtha