The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-18
Ships Boilers Explode Killing
 All on Board
WRECK AT ISLE OF PINES
Cuban Steamer is Driven Ashore by Storm When Explosion Occurs and None is Left to Tell
 the Terrible Story.

Mobile, September 1.-The Isle z $, off the southern coast of Cuba, a ~ lcn is now and has for number : Cars 1 been a valuable portion of Mo trade 1 territory, was the scene of : awful tragedy during the August { 7 : on the | Caribbean sea, which caus , D lch un- easiness throughout the gu cS st of the | United States. The Isle Q , a s Appeal,
 which had before given Q , of wreck | In the issues of Septen tells the | graphic story of the WI
 "The greatest marine dsaster ever
 known in the waters of the Isle of Pines occurred on the night of August 23, when the iron steamship Nicholas Castania, en route from Havana to Cienfuegos, went ashore on the south coast of this island between Carapatachibey and Caleta Del Inferno CHell's Cove).
 Every living thing aboard the ship perished. Not even the ships dog, the ships cat or the ships rats escaped death. The crew numbered 27 officers and sail ors, and there were two passengers. The ship itself lies in bold relief on the high rocks jutting into the Caribbean in mute testimony or her awful end. Eighteen human bodies have been found scatte>-d on the sea more than three miles lcig and extending a mile and a half into tho interior.
 Some of the bodies found were head less, while many were mutilated in other ways. All were nude with the exception of one, who still wore an undershirt. The -eIt I., ,l,o victims of sharks. All the bodies recov- cred were in terribly decomposed state and Identification was impossible, the stature alone being practically the only means of telling who was who and as yet even this meagre Identification mas reached no further than the captain. h. terment was given at the place where the remains were found.
 "A government commission consisting of Lieutenant Llamos and Engineers Manuel Lusilla and Francisco Rearendez, after an examination, reported to Cap tain Villegas that the immediate cause of the wreck was the simultaneous ex- ploson of the steamers battery of boilers, combined with violent concussons of the steamer on 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 in tact measuring 161h feet. The fact that dead bodies were found more than mile from the coast line contributed to the evidence of extreme violence.
 ''The crew and passenger list of the Nicolas Castania shows no names of women, but among the personal effects which showed wear and tear of use were number of feminine articles Of wearing apparel There were corsets, stockings, particles of dressess, pieces of ribbon, back combs, women's and. children's shoes, the later with strings knotted and with every evidence of recent usage. For this reason the Investigating party was led to believe that women were aboard the vessel"