Sole Survivors Vivid Story

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 289, 27 February 1928, Page 9

Sole Survivors Vivid Story

British Wireless—Press Assn.—&?>pyright Received 12.45 p.m. RUGBY, Sunday. 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.

and tugs searched the sea all through Friday night and yesterday, but failed to find any other survivors on floating wreckage. Airplanes 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 other lifebuoys have also been washed ashore near Rye Harbour. It appears that assistance for the stricken ship was delayed by an unfortunate misunderstanding. The commander of the coastguard station at Sandgate says that he received an S.O.S. message from the Russian vessel on Friday night, and he telephoned to the lifeboats at Dungeness and Rye Harbour to proceed to the scene. The S.O.S. was followed almost immediately, however, by a wireless message from the Russian vessel to the effect that she was all right and not in need of help. This gave the impression that all was well, and the coastguard commander had no idea that the Italian ship had gone down. Later the P. and O. 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 wreckage of the Alcantara and no sign of survivors.—A. and N.Z.