Evening star., 1927-10-29
Believed Ship Would Float.

which had sailed the seas for 10 years,
would remain afioat. The passengers
shared his confidence. It was only
when the officers used the utmost per-
suasion, and in some cases force. that
all of the passengers left the sinking
ship.
The Athena was 800 feet from the
Mafalda and I could see Capt. Gun
clearly. He stood with megaphone
in his right hand and whistle in his
left directing the evacuation OF the
passengers. No one could hear what
he was saying. The whistles and the
sirens of the steamers, the shricks of
the passengers, the shouted commands
of the officers in charge Of the rescue
work, the shrill screams of women
calling to their husbands and children
made it impossible to distinguish what
any one was saying.
1t was a scene from Dante's inferno.
Meanwhile the Mafalda sank lower
and lower. The waves swept her
after deck. Then her hulk rose us If
attempting to fight off the sea; large
wave swept over her stern midships
and over her bow. Her tunnels disap'
peared and then her masts. Thus
ended her career Of II years.
What happened to Capt. Gull? NO
died shouting "Viva Italia" That is
ridiculous. He was too busy getting
his passengers off to indulge in such
patriotic tommy-rOt.
Scouts Suicide Theory.
Capt. Gull had no revolver with him
He could not have committed suicide
at the last minute, as some one re-
ported. A huge whirlpool ingulfed
the ship in the last moment, and that
was all there was to 1t.
My last sight of Capt. Gull showed
him clinging to the rail. I believe ne
sank with the ship he loved, too tired
by the work of the preceding four
hours to attempt to swim. lie was
too brave man to ask for place in The
boats. He fought to the last, giving
his life that others might be saved.
The Athena came alongside the NAL
fada at SIS in the afternoon. 1t was
9:47 when the whirlpool told us that
all was over.
I believe that the large loss Of life
was due to the fact that the passen-
gers were of many nationalltleS.
There were many Syrians, Hungarians
and Czechoslovakians aboard. They
could not understand either what had
happened -or the orders Of the officers.
1t is humanity impossible to save all
of a very large company of em1grants
undr such circumstances, and, this
heing so, I am not surprised that the
loss of life was SO great, but that 1t
was SO little.
Has Hope for Others.
Most of those who died were cabin
passengers, who refused to leave the
boat either through bravery or igno-
rance of the true state OF things. |
am thankful that not more than 300
were lost. This number may be re.
duced when all of the freight boats
which aided in the rescue work reach
port and a check Is made.
I landed at Rio, my clothes black
with dirt and SCOT, my mind filled with
the tragedy. Capt. Smolena Of the
Athena did all that he could to make
us comfortable, but after my expert.
ence l could not sleep nor eat. The
spectacle of hundreds Of dying pas
sengers and the sinking Of the ship
on which / spent so many years was
too fresh in my mind.
/ salute Capt. Smolena, to whom so
many of us owe our lives. l shall stay
in Rio 10 days and then return to
Italy on the Ducca AbruZzi. I do not
| think shall go to sea again. If / do.
I shall never again be the man that
sailed on the Mafalda.
Copyright 1927 in. all countries by the
North American Newspaper Alliance.)