The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-02-18
GALE TOSSES BOAT
UPON THE SHOALS
ONE LONE SURVIVOR TELLS OF
AWFUL TRAGEDY.
NEARLY 100 SOULS PERISH
The French Transatlantic Steamer
General Chanzy Was Crashed
to Pieces During the Still
Hours of Night.

helplessly from her course, in one OF
the widest storms that has swept the
Mediterranean in forty years, the
French Transatlantic steamer Gener-
al Chanzy crashed at full speed in the
dead of night, on the treacherOus
reefs near the Island of Minorca, and
all but one of the 1877 souls on board
persisted.
The sole survivor is an Algerian
customs official, Barcel Rodel. who
W" rescued by fisherman, and who
lies in the hospital at Cludadela, raw
ing as result of the tortures through
which he passed, and unable to give
an account of the disaster
In the ships company there were 81
passengers, of whom 80 were in the
first cabin.
Captain Was Careful Man.
The crew numbered 70. 1t is not
thought any Americans were aboard.
The ship was in command of Captain
Cayol, one of the most careful officers
of the line. In his long experience he
had never before met with an acct
dent. He had intended to retire from
the service in the near future.
The passengers of the Chanzy were
mostly French officers and officials
returning to their post on Algeria, ac-
companied by their families, few sol
diers, some Italians and Turks, and
one priest.
Only Two Anglo Saxons.
The only Anglo Saxon names on the
passenger list were Green and Stakely.
They were members of an opera
troupe of eleven which had been en-
gagged to sing at the Casino at Algeria.
The General Chanzy struck at nine
o'clock Thursday night, after Captain
Cayol had been unable to cope with
the tempest of almost unprecedented
violence. Other ships in the neigh
borhood had safely ridden out the
storm, but the Chanzy fell prey to
the elements, was lifted off her course
through the Baleric archipelago, and
brought on the coast of Minorica in
the vicinity Of Cludadela.
To Assist Families.
Marseilles.-The news of the wreck
of the General Chanzy caused con-
sternation in this city, whence the
vessel sailed Wednesday for Algiers.
Relatives and friends of the passen-
gers and crew rushed to the steam
ship office imploring details Of tho
accident. Pathetic scenes were enact
ed when they were informed that with
the exception of one passenger all on
board had persisted.
The government is arranging to as
sist the families of the crew, who were
all members of the Merchant Marine.
Tried to Avoid Storm.
When the Chanzy sailed from this
port, according to the details reach
ing here, instead of heading direct for
Algiers, she Rugged the coast as far
as Barcelona in order to avoid the
storm, and finally ran under the shell
ter of the islands Of Minorca and Ma
jorca. The engines broke down, how
ever, and the vessel was rendered
powerless. The storm hurled her
against the rocks on the north coast
of the island of Minorca, in the vicini-
ty of Ciededalfa, and she went down
almost Immediately. The sole survi-
vor, Marcel Rodel, brought the news
to Palma.
Captain Was Confident.
According to the steamship COM
pany's sailing list, the steamer Mare.
chal Bugeaud should have sailed on
Wednesday, but was replaced by the
Chanzy. Many passengers booked ioT
Algiers had waited to go by the
Chanzy, because of the great conf
dence in her captain.
The French line authorities say they
have hopes that some of the passen-
gers have escaped and landed on other
parts of the island Of Minorca.
The Chanzy is a total wreck. Steam
ers have been despatched from Spain
and from points in the Balearic is-
lands to the scene of the catastrophe.
Among the victims was the cele-
brated Partisan music hall singer.
Francis Dufor, as we'll as other promt |
nent music hall favorites.
II Is now believed three American
vaudeville players from San Francisco
we're on board the steamer. Their
names are Elsie Henry and Messrs.
Dronda and Delyum.
The French consul at Cludadels re-
ports that large numbers of bodies
are floating at sea, but that the storm
continues making impossible their re-
covery.