A terrible disaster happened on Wednesday to the British steamer
' Sardinia,' which had just left Malta for Alexandria. Flames were discovered in one of the holds, and they spread so rapidly that all hope of extinguishing them was very soon abandoned. There were about two hundred and fifty persons on board, including the crew of thirty-nine ; the passengers were mostly Arabs, Levantines, Maltese, and Egyptians, and a few were Europeans. The ship, burning fiercely, was beached near the harbour. A heavy sea was running, and added enormously to the difficulties. When the ship struck there were several explosions. One European passenger, several of the crew, including the captain, and over a hundred Arabs lost their lives by burning or drowning. Some of the Arabs, especially the women and children, refused to jump overboard, even though boats were waiting alongside to pick them up. The fire is said to have been caused by the carelessness of some of the Arabs. The captain and crew seem to have done all that was possible to save the passengers.
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