Imperial Valley press., 1927-10-28
MAF AIDA
VICT Inns
IN PORT
Rescue Vessels Arriving
In Rio With Survivors of
Sea Tragedy.
DEATH LIST GROWS
Conflicting Reports Still
Show More Than 800
Died in Disaster.
BY U. G.. KEENER
Omitted Press Staff Corresponden


RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 2S.---
The French steamer Formosa, third
OF the rescue ships present at the
sinking Of the Italian liner Princi-
pessa Mafalda, east anchor here to-
day with her quota of survivors.
Preparations were made to dock
the ship Immediately and discharge
the survivors which the Formosa
had radioed totalled 353.
Some of these had been transfer
red from other ships present at the
scene of the disaster off the coast
Of Brazil Tuesday night
AS the rescue ships came in one
by one, their stories tended only to
&C nfirm the extent of the tragedy
that overlook the immigrant laden
liner when propeller shaft snap
ped, failed hole in the ships
stern and permitted the flooding of
the engine room.
The Dutch steamer Athena arrived
shortly before midnight last night.
At sea she had wirelessed she was
tringing $50 survivors. 1t was stat
I'd in port that the number totalled
800. This figure was not accepted,
pending careful check-up.
Strange secrecy surrounded the
Athena 5. arrival. In Brazilian wat
crs, the Italian ambassador was Civ
ell complete control over the Dutch
ship. Every effort was made to pre-
vent communication of survivors
! With people who might spread their
stories
DESIRE for secrecy was attributed
to the fact that Is hours after the
sinking the Navigazione Generate
ltaliana had Announced that
only handful of people were lost.
Yesterday the estimate was.nse-
vlsed to accord with others-that
more than 800 persons were unae
counted for.
Figures Keep Changing
Latest reports h is morning
showed that of 1856 passengers and
crew aboard the Principessa Natal.
da the following had been account
ed for:
Landed by French steamer Mosel
la at Bahia, %.
Landed by Dutch steamer Athena
at Rio de Janeiro, $50.
Arrived aboard French steamer
Formosa, 353.
Died aboard Mosclla, 4.
Seen to be eaten by shark, |.
To this total of 9lO there might
be added speculatively the addition
al 80 people declared to be aboard
the Athena and ~ reported to be
| aboard the steamer Rosetta pos
siblc aggregate Of 967.
These figures would place the
missing as between 269 and 346.
Eye witness stories given at Ba-
hia yesterday by rescuing and res
eucd men as well as passenger OBJ
servers aboard the Mosella appar-
emily had left little to be added to
their terrible picture of panic and
herOism.
But the bedraggled, exhausted,
destitute emigrants who arrived
aboard the Athena in the new world
for which they had started from
! Genoa did have additions to make.
They declared that eco people,
"i"otN ihot anu Stcohu tidsS pdsSeH-
| gers and members of the crew, must
have remained aboard the Principles
! so Malfalda when she sank in the
shark infested water.
They declared that the ship had
navigated poorly ever since she left
| Barcelona, and indicated a general
air of uneasiness during the entire
VOYAGE.
The steamers Avelona, Bage and
Massilia, all at various times re-
ported to be carrying survivors,
have arrived in port without a sin
gle survivor.