New-York tribune., 1909-06-11
ALL HANDS OFF LOPEZ
PASSENGERS NOT HARMED
Priest Quelled Trouble in Steerage-
BraUe Yankee School Ma ans.

and stowaways ever were landed in New York
than taken last evening from the Merritt
Chapman wrecking tug Relief. which had brought
them up from the Antonio Lopez, stranded on the
treacherous sands off Fire Island At no time had
they been in great peril but the turbulence Of the
frightened steerage passengers after the steamship
took the ground might have spread and grown to
serious proportions haG il not been for the work
of Father Domenico, Captain Mario Adami. the
Italian naval surgeon, and five Sisters of Cath
ole order, who quelled the outbreak by quick wit
and courage
It was about $50 when the Lopez Graded herself
in the Long Island sands. AS soon her owners,
the Compania Transatlantca Espanol. learned of
her plight two big wrecking tugs down
to her, the Relief and the c. F Chapman Twelve
hours after the Lopez struck the Relief began to
take off the passengers, a difficult task, the
steamship lay less rhan yards off shore. with
heavy surf running The transshipment I'm the
small boats accomplished without accident.
and the passengers, with eleven of the ships stew
ards attend TO their wants. taken to Pier
s. East River The first and second class passen-
gers went the Hotel America in East 18th street
and the steerage passengers through special ar
rangements with Commissioner Williams,
quartered the old barracks Ellis Island
OF all aboard the Lopez the stowaways had the
worst time Nine Of them. which three
Italians, two Levantese and the rest Spaniards,
were smuggled on board AZ Genoa and Cadiz II
was not until the Relief reached Pier that they
were found. and some might have got away had
Ali Salvatore da PuceIla Jonico, former
draE CONAN in one of the consulates at Alexandra.
broke through the crowd Of steerage passengers at
the pier and tried 70 escape. He was caught by
customs Inspector, who turned around Just in time
grab Carmnc Francesca da SOrbor and Do
menico ToscanL They said that six more were
hiding in the flst cabin baggage These we're
hauled out in shcrt order and herded into the tiny
supply the pier
THE sTOWAWAY's TALE.
When the ship struck we were all together in the
hold fcO said aft he Ia
caught We did not know what had happened.
The cargo began TO groan End move about, and we
afraid that would be crushed. We rounded
on the bulkheads and at the matches. No one paid
any attention to We were all sorry that we had
paid 200 francs 10 go Havana that way. It would
have cost much more to have gone in the steer
We could have got on deck then. have been
in fights and I brave I made all the others
keep still. when nothing more happened. We lay
all night top OF the boxes one Of the men broke
open a fruit case but the sailors were afraid 10
bring Us any water. This morning they opened the
hatch. and hurried up and mixed with the steer
age passengers Nobody noticed when got in
the boats When got the small boat We hd
ourselves IN the baggage We should have waited.
and then could have got away. Next time We
will go slowly"
Tho Lopez carried 81 first class. 50 second class
and +27 steerage passengers. OF the steerage pas
senCerS 2s7 were 70 be landed this port. while
most OF tho other passengers. except a party Of
about forty American school teachers returning
leo.
All hands piled on deck ~ the first shock of the
grounding The first and second class passengers
returned below In \ few minutes but the steeraEe
passengers were too badly frightened The crew
stuck 20 their posts I'm admirable fashion. When
the sfe-raec passengers refused to go below. Cap
tain Adami and party Of seamen forced them TO
60 and then battened down the matches on them
The men. of whom all but sixty were Italians
cursed and the women and children were crying
Ice
start panic There were insistent demands FOR
Father Domenico. whom the steerRge had adopted
during the trip its padre and he went
below With the other priests and the sisters. The
passengers swarrned about him. until he held aloft
a small crucihx and commanded "Genuhecte vos!
Nearly all fell to their knees and began to pray
then In few minutes the danger had been
passed
PASSENGERS FINISHED BRIDGE GAME.
The cabin passengers took the situation philo-
sophcauy after Captain Mir and his officers as
srlred them there would be danger. Mrs. J. r.
Cunningham wife Of the returning teachers.
was diseusted when she what unromantc
shipwreck II was
oh. this is not the last interesting" she de
c1ared Let's go below and finish that game Of
whist" The bridge hands were picked up where
they had been laid down.
Ralph p Robbins. supervisor Of schools in Rial
Province said the first shock when the Lopez
struck the sand great He was on deck just
before she struck. \ schooners light standing in
toward Fire Island Inlet, caused the Lopez 10
change her course, and moment later she
grounded.
Her plight soon by the surfmen at
Pont-o'- Woods and Edward Baker. son Of the reg
uIar keeper. put with a volunteer crew As the
boat was seen coming through the surf, James
NJ Schneider another teacher, went up or the
bridge and rigging a sort OF impromptu Ardois
signal with an incandescent bulb. tried TO signal by
the Morse code to Baker. The surfman did not
know that code. and tried to answer by wis-wag.
Neither understood the other, and the signalling did
no good After the surfmen returned to shore the
concert in the cabin. which had been interrupted
by the shock was taken up again. Mrs. F. W. Nc
Callan solost in the Cathedral at Manila. and
Mrs. Peyton Carter, the wife or teacher singing
until late at night.
one passenger did not know until some time later /!
what had happened. That Mrs. W. ". Rod ,
we'll who was bathing at the time. She did not /
feel the shock but when she found the tub filing
with Long Island sand instead Of good Atlantic /
water she felt that something was wrong. Then J
she learned she had been shiPwrecked-
Judge James Powell. Of the Supreme Court in /
Manila who Is his way To his home in Georgia. |.
,raised the behavior the teachers highly.
"No matter where you are" he said. "ahoat or !
ashore YOU cannot beat the Yankee schoolma'a am. |
Their behavior last night was superb Although !
the wind and tide kept swinging and banging the ,
boat around until she pointing into the north /
east they never showed the least fear. They !
playing cards singing half the night just as
though nothing had happened
There was another heroine. too. aboard the |
Topez Sonora Ara Herro seventy-two years old. |
and suffering from paralysis. She travelling /
with a companion Havana from Barcelona and /
cannot walk unaided, but through all the furry in
the steerage she cooler than any one. When !
the women of the steerage hung back and feared !
to enter the small boats she led the way almost !