The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-18
A TRAGEDY AT SEA
RELATED REPORT OF DISASTER I,
 ISLE OF PINES.
Steamship went to Pieces and Twenty Nine Person Lost Lives--women
 and Children May Have Perfshed

Mobile. Sept. 17.-The Isle of Pines, off the southern coast of Cuba, and which Is now and has for a number of years been valuable portion of Mo bile's trade territory, was the scene of an awful tragedy during the August storm on the Caribbean Sea, which caused much nneasiness throughout the gulf coast of the United States.
 The Isle of Pines Appeal which had before given fumors of the wreck, in the issue of Sept. g. tells the graphic story of the wreck:
 "The greatest marine disaster ever known in the waters of the Isle of Pines occurred on the night of Aug. 23. when the iron steamship Nicolas Cas- tania. en route from Havana to Cien- fuegos. went ashore on the south coast and Caleta del Inferno (HelPs Cove).
 Every living thing aboard the ship perished. Not even the ships dog. the ships cat and the ships rats escaped death. The crew numbered twenty seven officers and sailors, and there were two passengers. The ship itself lies in bold relief on the high rocks jetting into the Caribbean in mute testimony of her awful end. Eighteen human bodies have been found scat tered on the beach more than three lLlitS iDHk dHu anu half in the interior.
 Some of the bodies found were headless. while many were mutilated in other ways. All were nude with the exception of one. who still wore an undershirt. The missing eleven are believed to have become the vic- tims of sharks. All the bodies re- covered were in a terribly decomposed state and Identification was impossi- ble, the stature alone being practically the only means of telling who is who. and even this meagre Identification has reached no further than the cap tain. Interment was given at the place where the remains were found :. "A Government commission, consist ing of Lieutenant Llamos and En- gineers Manuel Lusilla and Francisco Reinandez, after an examination, re- ported to Captain Villegas that the im- mediate cause of the wreck was the
 simultaneous explosion of the steamers | battery of boilers, combined with a violent concussion of the steamer against the rocks, whither she had been thrown by the gale and tidal wave which added to the force of the shock, making the absoluteness of the wreck possible with the accompanying awful mortality.
 "The safety valves. which were found separated by great distances, were all exploded and other parts of the ma chinery as well as the hull and super structure of the vessel were blown to atoms. the largest piece of iron left intact, measuring sixteen and a half feet. The fact that dead bodies were found more than a mile from the coast line contributed to the evidence of ex- treme violence.
 The crew and passenger list of the Nicolas Castinia shows no names of women. but among the personal effects which showed the wear and tear of use were a number of feminine articles of wearing apparel. There were corsets
 stockings. particles of dresses, pieces of ribbons, back combs, women's and ! children's shoes, the latter with the strings knotted and with every evil dence of recent usage. For this req son the Investigating party was led to believe that women were aboard the vessel "