Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-10-31
SHIP WRECKED MEN
TELL THEIR STORY
OF WRECK OF THE FRUIT STEAM
Err NICARAGUA
Ten Of Crew Are Enjoying Hospital
ity Of Isabel Citizens, After Many
Days Hardships-Mate Sebastian
Graphically Describes Hurricane.

| toward satisfying appetites made
ravishing after more than fifty miles
of travel afoot, ten of the twelve
sailors of the ill-fortuned steamship
Nicaragua are now faring well at
the hands Of citizens of Point Isabel.
The little town on the coast, twenty
miles from Brownsville, is entertain
ing its unfortunate visitors as only
/ fisherman's town can.
The six sailors who reached the
Point Tuesday afternoon were Joined
Wednesday morning by four others
who, footsore and weary, had given
up the attempt TO reach civilization
eighteen miles up bleak and barren
Padre Island The four were picked
up by Captain Wallace Reed of the
3razos Island life saving station, who
had gone with his crew to their aid.
The Nicaragua, half in water and
half beached, fifty-four miles up
Padre Island, is now manned by two
II the original crew of twenty-five
men, Felix Aizpura, a coal passer,
and A. PONCE, a watchman. These
two were in such poor physical con-
1ition that they decided to stay on
board and trust to those who went
1own the island to send them succor.
There is sufficient on the Nicaragua
to last some time Captain Reed
wired the United States life saving
station at Galveston that the men
are on the ship, and the u. S. revenue
utter Window, which made a search
or the Nicaragua when she was re-
ported disabled. probably will be
sent to remove them.
The men now at Point Isabel in
clude Constancio Sebastian, first
nate; Luis Lamiguiz, second engi-
leer; Tusto Contreras and Porfirio
Magaade, firemen; Hiparion Miguel,
second cook; Leon Diez, ships car
penter; Salome Paredes, oiler; Ur-
bano Gonzales, coal passer; Faus;ino
Romero, negro, donkeyman. aad
Robert Charlton, negro, sailor. Rom
,ro is Jamaican and subjec: Of
England. The others are Mexican
subjects.
Mexican Consul +. Viscaino of
Brownsville will 90 to Point Isabel
today to take charge of the men, and
make arrangements to send them tc
heir homes at Tampico. Mexico.
Through an Interpreter, Mate Sc
bastian told the following story to
Herald reporter Wednesday after
noon:
'On October l / at o'clock in the
afternoon, the Nicaragua. with a
crew of twenty-five men sailed from
Tampico, in ballast, for Sabine Pass.
where we were to take on cargo of
lumber. The Nicaragua has regis
cred tonnage Of a little more than
52S tons, is about $50 feet long with
draft OF fourteen feet, and her
beam Is thirty-fiye feet.
"The afternoon Of the second day
out the hurricane struck us. For
three days the crw was without rest.
while the hip rolled and tossed in
sea driven by gale registering at
times from 90 to 100 miles an hour
Despite all efforts, the Nicaragua
became disabled and we lost control
of her
AT 6:30 o'clock on the morning
of the 10th, and in latitude 26 de-
grees and 43 minutes north, we
sighted land The boat was badly
disabled The hold was full of wa
er, the enginemen working in wa
ter up to their breasts. and we de-
cided to run her into the shore.
The whole crew were on the Mic
aragua when she was beached. We
remained on board four days hoping
in vain that we might be seen by
some ship. On the goth ii was de-
cided to abandon her.
Three boats set out to the south
at O'Clock in the morning, one with
the captain and nine men, one with
myself and seven men, and the third
with the ships carpenter and three
men. About o'clock in the after
noon the wind was against me, and
we brought our boat near the shore
and anchored.
About o'clock in the evening !
saw the light on the captains boat
off in the distance. His anchor
dragged. and he drew up to my boat
and asked for an anchor. had two
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