EXTRAORDINARY SCENE AT A SHIPWRECK.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 820, 15 July 1881, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE AT A SHIPWRECK.

A fearful story, of the sea ia. told in .aii ( American paper . received.'.by", the last ' mail. |The Italian baraue Ajaca, from Antwerjp, bound, for .an American port, went aihore during a. storm: on iCooney - Island, and-'was ilosti with , all bailfts- jfyexceptihg one man,; named PietrtySala. The crew consisted'oMi, composed of Austrians, Italians, 1 and 'one' Greek; The Burvi ! Yoj' states th'at'after the Tesael struck, the officers and' Sailora lost all self-control. The capitain offered' ii bottle of brandy to thecre\y telling them to drink and die like men who afraid pf .death. ... The men were 1 too niiicli excited to pay 1 ' attention to the captain's offer. He t took a small'dHtik Himself, and. a wave' 1 A carried lawav the bottle. The steward went bojow for a small image of the.Madonna, yhich he held aloft in both hands and the crew all knelt before it shrieking : and ciyhig, and 'imploring' the Madonna to' resciie.,them. , Another t wave,caught the imajje'frbm the' steward's hands, and carried ij; into the sea,,. Then the steward cried out loud, " The Madonna has desertedjus, there is no hope," and pulling out His shealli knife, cut his throat, declaring that he would rather die by his ojvn hanjl than be drowned. The sight,, of lysjbljiod as it ppurfed from his neck ■'■ and fell on the where he had fallen, seemed tjj madden some of the crew, ' and ■ immediately the carpenter, a Neapolitan,' and a Genoese lad;' drew their knives and ' followed Jus example: While these men were yet broke over the , - k vessel, washing "them overboard. Sala .adds that: he was saved.by clinging,,to a piece of wreckage.