THE GIBRALTAR WRECK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 94, 24 April 1891, Page 3

THE GIBRALTAR WRECK.

DETAILS OF THE LOSS OF THE UTOPIA.

FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE PERISH.

BRITISH AND SWEDISH SEAMEN DO GALLANT WORK.

Gibraltar, March 18. Thk officers and seamen of the British ironclads Bodnoy and Anson and the Swedish man-of-war Froya worked like heroes to save the struggling passengers of the illfated steamer Utopia, and through their manly efiorts hundreds of lives were saved. The Aneon's boats were lowered immediately after tho collision, as were also the boats from the other vessels, and the ironclads turned their powerful electric search lights on the scene of the disaster to assist tho rescuer?. On shore the news of the disaster spread quickly. An enormous crowd soon gathered on th 6 parade and great excitement prevailed. The sea was co heavy that the boats of the rescuers could not with safety approach the wreck, bo they were compelled to lie to the looward, where they picked up the people aa they were swept from tho deck. As the Utopia's bows settled the terrible scene was witnessed from the boats. Those still on board the sinking steamer made a rush en masse to the fore rigging,

STRUGGLING FOR THEIR LIVES and vainly seeking places of refuge. Twenty minutes later the forecaetle was submerged and the large number of persons gathered there, who had nob dared to leap overboard With the hope of being picked up by boata, and who had failed in their efforts to ascend the rigging, wore carried away by the waves. A steam pinnace rescued all others who had taken refuge in the main rigging, but the last ones were not taken oft until 11 o'clock at night. While the steam pinnace belonging to the British ironclad Immortalite was engaged in the work of rescue her screw fouled and she drifted on the rocks. Two of her sailors were drowned, but the remainder were rescued. The total number of live 3 lost is now placed at 576. C. G. Davis, of Boston, a saloon passenger on the Utopia is among the missing. Petersen, the Swedish Quartermaster, who had been steering the Utopia a short time before the collision, says that just before fche veseols came together he went below. While there he felt the ■

SHOCK OF THE COLLISION and rushed from below, but before he reached the main depk the Utopia had gone broadside upon tho spar of the Anson's ram. The commander of the Utopia, Captain McKeague, according to Petersen, was on the steamship's bridge until the last moment. Petersen adds that as the Utopia was crushed by the Anson'a ram he clambered up the davits of one of the steamship's boats and cut the ropes holding it. He had no tinie, however, to lower the boat away, as the bows of the Utopia had pasaed beneath the war ship and 16 was evident the passenger steamer was rapidly sinking. Soon after, the boats of the Anson having been promptly lowered, one of the man-of-war's cutters ran alongside the Utopia and Petersen managed to jump into her. He says while on board the Utopia after the collision he was surrounded by a terrible mass of human beings,, fighting their way desperately and savagely, regardless of sex or age, toward the boats. Men, women and children tumbled and climbed over each other in

THAT HORRIBLE FIGHT for a chance of escape from drowning. One poor woman who was rescued by the Anson's bluejackets went raving mad when she was convinced that her children were drowned. There were similar distressing incidents by the score, the most awful of all occurring when the Utopia, with a final desperate lurch, sank with her human freight clinging about her and drew hundreds of living persons down with her. Many of those who hud sprung into the sea as they caw that the steamship could not float many moments longer wore then also drawn down in tho awful whirlpool caused by the Utopia's disappearance. Some came to the surface again for a few moments before sinking finally in their watery tomb. Others more lucky were able to cling to pieces of the wreckage, floating spare, oars, gratings, latchways, boats, lifebelts, etc., and this'kept them above water until reficued by the warship's boats. But, as usual in such cases, tho weaker succumbed more readily. The shrieking, praying women sank to rise no more, with their terrified offsprings on their breasts. The children clung to their parents so desperately as to in several cases causo death to both, whore they might have escaped had better judgment been used. At 4.30 p.m. it was announced by the official report that the number of persons on board the Utopia when she left Naples was 880 souls, including passengers and crew. Of this number only 311 have been saved. Thus 569 of her passengers and crow are either drowned or missing. The Utopia was struck abaft trie engine-room, and sank etern foremost in five minutes after the collision, in seven fathoms of water. Great ■ aid was derived from the use of the electric lights with which the British fleet was provided, the scene of the wreck being fully illuminated, and many were thus seen and saved who ■would otherwise have been drowned in the confusion and darkness. The officers of the Utopia in talking about the catastrophe say they will never forget the scenes that followed the collision. The Italians were thrown into a state of complete and cowardly panic, They yelled frantically and fought madly to reach the forecastle. A few of the married men brought their wives with them, but the majority of the Italians acted