People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1893 — FOUR SCORE DEAD. [ARTICLE]

FOUR SCORE DEAD.

The Haitian Cruiser Alexandre Petloa Goes Dowd, and Klghtjr Men Perish— Story of the Sole Sorvivor. New Yorh, Sept. 28.—A report of the sinking of the Hayti&n warship Alexandre Petion was received in this city Friday. All aboard, with one exception, were lost All told, eighty were drowned. Among the number were many prominent officials and diplomates of the republic. The cause of the disaster is unknown. Late Friday it was stated that the Haytian minister in this city received a dispatch confirming the story. The lost vessel was doubtless of the mitrailleuse type of gunboats so popular with the Haytians. The news of the catastrophe was brought to this city by the ex-minister to Hayti, J. 8. Dunham, who arrived on the steamer Prinz Wilhelm I. from I ort-au-Prince. The disaster to the Petion occurred on September 6, about 50 nriles south from Cape Tiberot. The cruiser had just been put into condition. She left Port-au-Prince September 4, bound for San Domingo. She had on board many distinguished passengers, among them being Gen. Molini. San Domingo’s envoy to Hayti; M. Cohen, the Haytian minister to Mexico, and other wellknown diplomates. The suddenness and completeness of the disaster, only one sailor escaping, makes the affair most mysterious, and it is probable that the real cause of the wrecking of the ship will never be known. According to the testimony of the sole survivor there was absolutely no warning. Neither collision with another vessel, submerged coral reef nor storm can account for the occurrence. The day was fair, the wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze and the passengers were enjoying themselves in the cabin. Suddenly the vessel began to sink. The officer on the watch ordered the men to pass the word in the cabins and forecastle to reach the deck as quickly as possible and jump overboard. It was already too late. There was terrible confusion in the cabin as tne panic-stricken passengers struggled to reach the deck, blocking the passageway as they did so and preventing one another from escaping from what was destined to be their tomb. For only a moment the awful struggle lasted. In one minute and a half from the time she Began to sink the vessel was entirely under water. One sailor, as the ship sank under him, snatched a pair of oars from the lifeboat and threw himself into the water. He caught a plank as it floated by and looked around, but not a man arose from the swirling waters which engulfed the warship. The sailor drifted for thirty-six hours on the plank with nothing to eat or drink, and when picked up he was almost exhausted. The place where he was picked up was about 90 miles southeast of Port lloment For a long time the castaway was unconscious after he was taken aboard and could not speak. Brandy was administered to him, and after a hard fight he rallied a little. When he was able to speak he told a terrible story. He said he was one of the sailors of tbe Alexandre Petion. When the warship was off the Tiberon, on September 6, a gale arose. The sailor said the ship went down head foremost in the waves, without the slightest warning, and that all on board but himself were drowned. He was brought to Port au Prince and put aboard another warship.