The Postcard
A postcard that was published by I. Wurster. It was posted in Bracebridge, Ontario using a 2 cent stamp on Wednesday the 25th. November 1908. It was sent to:
Mrs. B. Custer,
School Street,
Winfrith,
Dorchester,
Dorset,
England.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Dear Friend,
Thank you very much
for your nice letter.
I hope this will find
you well.
I will be glad to send
you a few PC's if you
like them.
Yours sincerely,
H. D."
The Christian Science Monitor
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 25th. November 1908, the Christian Science Monitor newspaper was first published, in the United States.
The Christian Science Monitor (CSM), commonly known as The Monitor, is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in electronic format and as a weekly print edition.
It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist.
The newspaper has been based in Boston since its establishment. The Christian Science Monitor has won seven Pulitzer Prizes and more than a dozen Overseas Press Club awards.
A Disaster in Malta's Grand Harbour
Also on that day, a fire broke out on the SS Sardinia as she was leaving Malta's Grand Harbour, resulting in the ship's grounding and the deaths of at least 118 people.
The ship was carrying Moroccan pilgrims on their way to Mecca. It is believed that a cooking fire on deck accidentally ignited nitrate in one of the ship's cargo holds, resulting in a number of explosions and causing the ship to run aground.
The SS Sardinia
The vessel had been built in 1888 and had previously been known as Gulf of Corcovado. She had a tonnage of 2361 GRT, and was 310 ft (94 m) long.
The Fire
The Sardinia left Malta's Grand Harbour en route to Alexandria at 09.45 am. She was carrying 39 crew members, 12 first class passengers and 142 steerage passengers who were Muslims from Morocco on their way to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage.
The vessel was also carrying cargo which included nitrate. She was captained by Charles Littler from Birkenhead.
Soon after the vessel left the harbour, fumes were seen coming out of a ventilator on the ship's port side. The crew attempted to fight the fire by hosing water down the ventilator, but this effort was futile.
Within a couple of minutes, flames appeared out of other ventilators. When the vessel was about 200 metres (660 ft) away from the breakwater, thick smoke was seen coming out of her starboard side.
The fire probably started when embers from a pilgrim's cooking brazier came into contact with the cargo of nitrate held in the vessel's No. 2 hold. In less than 10 minutes, the Sardinia's amidships were engulfed by flames.
The vessel changed course, probably in an attempt to return to the harbour. However, it soon began to move in circles as the crew abandoned the wheel and lost control of the rudder,
The crew in the engine room were all killed in the fire. While the vessel was turning, it ran aground off Fort Ricasoli. Multiple explosions tore through the vessel and blew off hatches, probably causing loss of life. Strong winds made the fire worse, and it reached the top deck where it destroyed the ship's lifeboats.
Captain Littler stayed on board the vessel and was one of the first to be killed in the fire. The crew handed out lifebelts to the passengers, although one of the chief cabin attendants was one of the first to jump overboard.
Many of the Moroccan passengers, who included many women and children, had been below deck and died, while others who were on deck panicked and refused to abandon ship. Some of the people on board the ship managed to jump into the water and were rescued.
Small boats with Maltese fishermen and sailors attempted to reach the Sardinia to help the survivors, but they were unable to reach the burning vessel due to the intensity of the flames. Admiralty tugboats were also sent to the scene.
The ship was left to burn out on the rocks as thousands of people gathered on the harbour's fortifications to witness the disaster.
Victims of the Fire
Sources conflict as to how many people on the ship died and how many were rescued. Some sources state that only 23 crew members and 10 passengers survived, while others state that 21 crew members, 9 European passengers and 40 Moroccan passengers were rescued.
By 16.00 on the day of the accident, 18 crew members, 5 European passengers, and 100 Moroccans were still missing. The final death toll was also reported to be 16 crew members, 2 European passengers and over 100 Moroccans. Therefore, it can be said that the final death toll was at least 118 people.
At least 40 bodies were recovered on the day of the accident, including that of the captain. Post mortem examinations revealed that those who died had either burned to death or drowned.
Only 23 of the Moroccan pilgrims' bodies were recovered. They were taken to the Central Civil Hospital, and they were buried at the Turkish Military Cemetery in Marsa the following day. The captain and some crew members were buried at Ta' Braxia Cemetery, as were three other bodies who were recovered later. Captain Littler's remains were later returned to England and reburied there.
Aftermath of the Fire
An inquiry found that the fire originated in No. 2 hold, and it was probably caused through the pilgrims' carelessness due to cooking fires on deck. The inquiry found that there were no precautions to prevent fire on board the vessel.
The Sardinia disaster is regarded as Malta's worst peacetime maritime disaster, and it has been called Malta's equivalent of the Titanic. Although the Sardinia was smaller and carried far fewer passengers than the Titanic, the comparison was made because of the large proportion of lower class passengers who perished in the disaster.
