Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1879 — A Terrible Fate-Forty-five Lives Destroyed by a Fire at Sea. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Terrible Fate-Forty-five Lives Destroyed by a Fire at Sea.

On’ Thursday m»rmfig ttie »ritlsh dteamshipr. Loi*i»-.-tl.i, Capfiaia* po* seventeen of the officers and crow <J# the Spanish stea®aßMp.“ Nuero Pajaro del foom'that I Tiicht wore- oh b*drd,’ in additkp to stes eers of .tke,v<bsd«l*tho- Captain (Jriaz) and the firaf apd^P on| l w mates were rescued, pjjfe^a ; ,<ji;ew'of Through thhi«hi*c(iv»r^Pa>i*n»tfwwho odtbe r tragedy, o’ ve aw t m The a wooden, side-wneel steamer, which was once used is ft ttrafcspfrtrt for trmjps. She left Havana p* October 16, bound for Nuevitas, Cuba,.having onboard a miscellaneous of gram, provisioiis and ammunition, for the army. On board were some'sefenteeri passengers, four of whore wore’ merchants, ana the others soldiers in th# Spanish array, one being a Captain, while the crew consisted of forty-two Wen. The tHp Svas ft quiet and uaintorrupted one up to the . time the vessel neared the Paredon Hght-bouse. At about fonr o’clock on the morning of Saturday last the dreadful cry of “Fire!” which, always startling and alarming,, is doubly so when uttered pn the was raised.' and pierced the Air like thp signal! xjt doom. Qsiefkly niqthe cfjJ.vMfi ,on every side, ana in a moment all thel sleeping voyagers were afoused and hurnea to the deok. The scene of confusion, uproar and terror which followed can only be realized by those who have gone through similar scenes. The terrified.passengers* >vben,Awakened, save any or iirelr vaniables, Dilt, clad only in their night garments;- they rushed in an agony of fear to see where escape might be possible. On reaching the oeck, the si*htoth*£, presented itself fulfilled all the fear and dread which the alarm had iusj&edv Hear the*' en-gine-room. And In-tire center of (the dypwd 4jh^f.Were.consuming everything -within reach, and most enbethaily off : trll comrfitinlcatioftj between those forward and aft. uln instinct; of' SeM-preservalion, tbe first law of,U9ture, ÜBserted jiltfelf in she agonized and despairing crowcj. As the hot and stiffing flames rose higher a&d,higher in the heavens, and terror-stneken creathres atP either end of the VfSisCT,' ehch man Seemed • t» east hpmtnityjo th#. WOVM, dtp save buntne nie*“oat» in inc were iDWerea with, .the haste of raeiiarhoheardealhat

into Shese boats proved enough to upset th*jp» and; the* unfojtupatqs wJm> : W, jumped in sank beneath the graves never to rise again. One of the boats lying forward was lowered,- and twenty persons sought safety in, her,, hpt a passing wave dashed "her agairist'the larger veoset, 'and of the twenty ndneescaped>a t watery gray*. (The ijftnwningboft'wg*successfully lowered, and in ner some six' 6F‘Mrrtfei*<wS ’tN&ped, arfd kre J Sltpp»#e* to have ‘beetfd-fecfiet!. * Every' moment, and -ii/seemed an: age to those who experienced, it,tsomelone driven to would leap darkand treacherous waves rather .thin perish by the flames. Xfce'vessel, bujft of inflammable material, burned like tinder. Ihe“cargo dtftf added fresh fuel to'% l jM*>*WftHKi ten ’ midutts afffr'lhWaiwrfn had sounded the gunpointer, sos, fwliichctherei war i a 'large * quantity 00 hoardv. andy with, 4fd« Ad ,Wrf»r®l&S it hemamed nothihg but a .-bdrnfrigr shapeless altme could have told' how the^flrd f originated, never reached ‘thtonleck,, and they suffered a horrible death by being roasted aUve. , / , , . \ ( The fate of several of the soldiers was a'jsad one, indeed. It i» supposed that on seeing their desperate situation, and maddened by tdmJr, thdy seemed their revolvers, and by their own hands sought the cold embrace of death. It wiwfuU four bbtfra before the vestp water's edge and sank.,, . T?e Mtyatioa of those .who had jumped,overboard Was anything but ehviable, Captain Diaz, at one time, was nfiar a young man when they saw the life-boat a short distance away. The. Captain, seeing a chance to save many lives, asked hie -Companions to sarifa to the 1 bast and direct tfcftttoft to return With her. The young man Started boldly forward, but that was the last seen of him. first mate had an experience with; a shark which he does not ealre to repeat. 'The bloodthirsty moofttc# Came within a few feet of him, and W«S U tbe act of darting' for him* wbunth* mate,,shook his plank so ytole*ttegb#f if fcfcfetened the shark B§£e D^' F< pS l oveiftaisr^d the due of the men; but at length dThatMthd nature gave way and stftitAy btaltiuzj?.) 0; Pua&tn* h o i , -iflU-b iMJ iiA- UJ «ditav*»q ii-, *i 1 u,» i^e. JHW the'' °wh o bo?h his 1 bade suspender-buttons whdh stoops to pluck k.-^SaM^Eye. i VI,tL iryn VOS ; -ir rtrn • v . , T#*R» Me +,mi women .apd girls iTItS" Kingdo A of oSt