Evening star., 1933-10-13
FIVE SURVIVE GRIM
TRAGEDY OF OCEAN
Reach Port After Fl Mates
on AnnouIa Lose Lives
in Hurricane.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PHILADELPHIA, October 13.-Lone
survivors of a grim tragedy Of the sea-
five Greek sailors reached port today
aboard a rescue vessel, telling of a ter
rifle hurricane which sent their ship,
the freighter Annoula, and 81 Of their
mates to the oceans bottom.
They were picked up Sunday night
by the Italian steamship Montello in
thrilling rescue after spending SO hours
in a small open boat. battered by raging
Atlantic seas and drifting they knew
not where.
Hit Off North Carolina.
The hurricane struck the vessel 600
miles off the coast Of North Carolina
early Friday. With terrific force it
smashed her superstructure, battered
her hull and sent her to the bottom.
Capt. George Couvielos and four OF
his crew-Boatswain VaSsilio Pappas,
Paniagio Diacatos, cook, and Isadore
Cheras and Johannus Mathison, sailors
managed to keep afloat one of the
small boats. They were picked up 1l0
miles off Bermuda, many miles from
where the wreck occurred.
The rescue was made in the dead OF
the night by the Montello, commanded
by Capt. Antonio de Gregorio The five
drifting seamen, shouting and calling,
were heard by the Montello's crew. A
searchhght was turned on them and
they we're pulled aboard, small boat
and all, while mountainous seas swept
down on them.
The storm struck us Friday and
continued all day." said Capt. Couvielos,
who was confined to his state room be-
cause of injuries received in swimming
to the small boat floated from the An
noula.
Reaches Ferocious Proportions.
'We were riding it out pretty well,
ciouS proportions and continued until
1:30 am.
Il went to my quarters then and sent
for the wireless operator, intending to
command him to send out an S o S.
He opened the door of my cabin, stand
ing in water ankle deep, and as he at
tempted to enter a vast wave broke
over the ship and I saw him carried
overheard.
IT was knocked down and apparently
senseless, but I came to, swimming in
my own state room.
The water was rising rapidly and
I thought my quarters would be my
tomb when another wave suddenly
ripped off the top of the cabin and I
was swimming in the open sea. I saw
the tunnels of the ship for moment
and they were Cnly a few feet above
water.
Il managed to reach the one life
boat which had not foundered. The
four men were in it and they pulled
me in"
One of the other survivors, Mathison,
told of members of the crew leaping
into the pounding seas when they
realized the boat was sinking rapidly.
One woman was among the 81 who
drowned. She was the wife of the chief
engineer.
1t was the strangest sight in the
world to me-" Mathison related Here
we were, diving from the rail of sink
ing ship on a desperate gamble for life
Only we few made the boat. The others
apparently swan fer a while and then
gave up.
I'VE remained near the place where
the ship went down, searching for sur
vivors, but there were no more after
We pulled the skipper aboard. Those
who didn't jump into the ocean, I be-
lieve, went down with the ship. 1t
sank altogether in about minutes"
Awakened by Cries.
Capt. de Gregorio, describing the
rescue, told of being awakened by the
cries of the few survivors.
II went to the bridge and turned
the searchlight in the direction of the
shouts" he said. II saw the men
tossed about in their boat, trying to
make headway with small sail Within
20 minutes they were aboard, boat and
all.
Il have been at sea % years and
this was my first rescue"
The Annoula was bound from New
port News to BuenoS Aires, loaded with
coal. The Montello, was On her way
here from Spain with 10000 bales of
cork in her holds
One survivor said Dennis Couvielos,
brother of the captain of the sunken
vessel. was among those who lost their
lives. The chief engineer was George
Nikoletatos, who was drowned along
with his wife, Marie.