WRECK OF A STEAMER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 28

WRECK OF A STEAMER.

A TERRIBLE PANIC.

THREE HUNDRED LIVES LOST.

LONDON, August 6.

The Italian steamer Sirro. bound from Genoa to Buenos Ayrea with 80Q emigrants, struck Harmiga's Shoals, .18 miles from Cartagena, and sank- stern first within half an hour. A fearful panic ensued, and many people jumped into the sea. The Italian emigrants, wfto completely lost their selfcontrol, fought, with knives and revolver* for poseessiomft^pf the lifebelts and boats, and tbey^jcomptetely overcame the officers and jcrewT who "were trying to save the women and children. The eea was quite calm at the tim« of the disaster, and a number of fishing boats put out to the rescue. Several were overloaded with emigrants, and sank, drowning the would-be rescuers. The carptain of the vessel shot himself when he 6aw .the ship- and the boats""in possession of the emigrants.. The officers then abandoned the ship. ■; It is feared that fully -300 people' "were drowned,, the list including the Archbishop of San Pedro (Brazil), who was swept away while he was blessing the di owning people. Another bishop was saved. It is alleged that the wjeck was due to the captain's imprudence in going tod near the shoals. A steamer picked up a baby floating' fa the wafter, alive and wellSome of the steamer's boats were safely launched. Numbers of drowning persona tried to - cling to the gunwales, bu^^lw occupants beat them, off with hatchets, *

Mr Bent (Premier of Victoria) ha.l arranged to set the unemployed at wotk improving Crown lands. He says that altogether an area of 50.000 acres will" be improved, and about £40,000 will be spent on the worke.

One of the events in the life of the late Mr Donald M'Lennaa was that, whil« taking part in the Maori war, he wa» badly wounded and ' rendered unconscious. On recovering consciousness he was startled by the circumstance of an Ethiopian, who was also in hospital, singing a Gaeiro hymn. It appears that the negro was brought up by a Highland family, and from them learnt the Gaelio tongue.— North utago Times.