The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-23
LOSS OF $40 LIVES
BLAMED ON CAPTAIN
Survivor Of Principe de As.
turias Charges Crew and
Master With Negligence.
80 ATTEMPT AT RESCCES

yr>os A.yREs. March 22.-Many OF
~, $40 passengers who were drowned
wien ,nc rinillos liner Principe de
,rtuIias sank of the coast Of Brazil two
weeks ago could have savei themselves
lad MOI members OF the crew assured
them ;na, the ship was in no danger. ac-
.ordIus to l.. A. Nichols. n business man
@ .his city. who was on the vessel. Most
O, the stories told by survivors have
cen .ncoheren,. but Mr.. Nichols accuses
iar officers of wilfui neglect and care
,.sncss. According to him the steam
.nip was not suddenly found to have
rai. out Of her course at the time Of the
rataStrop re.
I'VE rad not known where We were
or where We were going for several
hours prior to the wreck" he said. AT
Midnight the captain was In the saloon
playing cards. Later he went onto the
bridge. and although still unable to get
his bearings did not stop the ship or re-
duce the speed and we steamed steadily
onward. no, knowing In the least where
We we're going. No eoundines we're
Zone in the way Of ordinary precautions
wss neglected.
CareIessness Apparent.
This carelessness had been apparent
al through the voyage. The day before
the diea ster Capt. I-otina passed at full
epeed the Catalina. belonging to the same
company, at a distance of only nifty
meters. We did not like the fact and
several passengers demonstrated with
The captain. but he assured US that he
knew what he was about.
The night OF the wreck was op-
pressively hot and I did not go below
untfi after midnight. At a quarter past
1 my wife was awakened by a loud
noise, which unnerved her. slipped on
some clothes and went outside the cabin.
asked a steward what had happened.
He told me not TO be alarmed. that
nothing exceptional had occurred. Other
passengers were awake and in a panic.
brt the stewards were busily reassurir&
them and urging them to stay in their
cabins. No more disastrous advice could
have been given.
"I Jisbelieyed what I had been told.
ard when I felt the vessel irclininR 10
s,arboard told my wife We had better get
ur on deck. Before We reached the top
etairs all the lights went out and the
vessel was in darkness. We went toward
the bridge and met the purser. who. In
WI w III NV w tNss sh''s
We went to the boat deck and there
fsaw the captain and seven or eight men
trying 10 swing on, one OF the boats. No
attempt was being made to owe any
NJ TIRE other boats. The men did not a p
pear to have any stations no one was
IN control and meanwhile the majority
~ the w.etched passengers were below
vh.e towards were urging them to sta!
there. The boat deck was PRACTICAL!
deserted.
Driven From Boat. =
-NheiheY the boa; was ever launched
rasno, tell. for there was an eXplo'
sion vat tore the ship into a thousan nd
rers- NJ, wife and l reached the water
together. | held her In my arms and
ssve'u' lines AZ She came NJ she com
pa ned that she was d~rowning--she had
swallowed much salt water. i sea
all around VAS sirewn with vreckage
Some time elapsed and then ! felt my
vlfA was quiet, I looked and saw she
uas dead She had a wound IN the head
tNa, evidently had been caused by some
~ the v~reckage. Al | could do nothing
more for h-c | released her and tried
to save myself In the darkness | saw
a boat. swan toward IL and lifted a
hand TO clutch the life line around the
gunvsle Al the moment when my hand
vas on tho point of clutching the line
J saw A simmer Of steel over the
sunpale Of the boat, Some one had
noticed my intention and was waiting &c
sever my Rand.
Il kept myself aloat for some time
and then ! saw a young ~Spaniard on
portion Of a boat. I Joined him. but II
q very short time it was obvious tina
we would have 10 find some better sup
prt After many difficulties we man
AGED 20 make a serviceable raj; fror
'ore and w-eckage that was floating
about us. BY this time We had heen II
The water nine hours. Later We were
picked IN ny the French steamer Vega
Mr. Nichols aid that IL sufficient
precautions had been taken the deatf
roll would have been less.
The fac' that the vessel was doomed.
he continued. was obvious to any on
ard must have been known by Capt
Lo'ina. Had the passengers been per
United 20 20 on deck they would have
Rad excellent chances of escape, No
only was the sea covered with boating
wreckage, but we had one deck piled W
with large pieces OF cork which had beer
brought up 10 be discharged as soon al
we entered port, Many who were saved
one their lives 10 the cork. which was in
nnitelv preferable to the almost useles!