TRAGIC MISTAKE IN CHANNEL COLLISION

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6544, 28 February 1928, Page 7

TRAGIC MISTAKE IN CHANNEL COLLISION

Causes Delay in Sending Lifeboats to Rescue COASTGUARDS MISUNDER- \ , STOOD SIGNALS (Britisli Official Wireless.) EUGBY, Feb. 26. Late last night. the Russian cadet sailing ship Tovarisch, badly damaged, was towed into Southampton carrying one survivor of the crew of 21 of the Italian steamer Alcantara, with which she collided in a fog between Hastings and Folkestone. Steamers and tugs searched the sea all through Friday to find any other survivors on the floating wreckage. Aeroplanes also coursed over the Waters on a fruitless errand. A lifebuoy marked Alcantara, to which was lashed a dead body, was picked up last night near Dungeness. An empty lifeboat of the Italian ship and two lifebuoys have also been washed ashore near Rye Harbour. ■ It' appears that assistance for the ships was delayed by an unfortunate misunderstanding. Tho commander of the coastguard station at Sandgate says that he received an S.O.S. from the Russian: vessel on Friday night and he telephoned to tho lifeboats at Dungeness and Rye Harbour to proceed to the scene. Th S.O.S. was followed almost immediately, however, by a wireless message from the Russian vessel to the effect that she was ell right and not in need of help. This gave the impression that all was well with both ships, and tho coastguard commander had no idea that the Italian ship had gone down. the Peninsular and Oriental liner Moldavia sent a message stating that she had seen wreckage bearing the name Alcantara. Then immediately lifeboats from both Dungeness and Rye Harbour put out to find only the wreckage of the Alcantara and no sign of the survivors. SURVIVOR’S STORY OF DISASTER • : : LONDON, Feb. 26. Giovanni Favour, engineer of the Alcantara and sole survivor, was found gazing at the battered Tovarisch. He said: “It was dark. There was a strong, breeze and tho engines wore rduced to v 7| knots, when the chief engineer came <SoWn and said that tho captain had ordered him to stand by because there was terrible danger. A tremendous crash followed accompanied by groans and curses. “The chief engineer shouted: ‘All hands on deck!’ “I rushed up. It was pitch dark, but there was no fog. The Alcantara reeled. I saw the stem of the Tovarisch wedged in the starboard quarter. “I ran to the engine room stairs vainly calling to the mate. “Two tremendous reports denoted the explosion of the boilers. I grasped the Tovarisch’s bowsprit chain. "The Alcantara sank in three minutes. , A Russian hauled me up. The Tovarisch played a searchlight on the lowered boats.”

ENGINEER’S AMAZING ESCAPE. RUSSIAN CAPTAIN’S INDIGNANT DENIAL (Received Monday 7.55 p.m.) ' LONDON, Feb. 27. Pavon, the engineer on the Alcantara, who is barely five feet in height, had an astonishing escape. He was thrown across the engineroom by the force of the collision picked himself np half dead and struggled on deck which was already under water. Half walking and half swimming Pavon managed to clutch the chain on the Tovarich’s bowsprit just as the Alcantara sank stem first. Pavon held on for ten minutes until a Russian sailor climbed along the bowsprit and lowered a lifebelt on a rope. Pavon was then hauled aboard. Aeroplanes and fishing boats have been searching for hours for possible survivors, but' so far without result, though two bodies wearing lifebelts have been recovered. The Captain of the Tovarisch indignantly denies that ho was responsible for the cancellation of the S.O.S.