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Frank Dimaio to Buenos Aires with documents, pictures and an warrant
of arrest. |
testimonies, useless chases and mythical captures. All this would become part of a collection of anecdotes of a distant Patagonia, enchanting enough to gather some of the most famous characters. |
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| Chapter 2 Tragedy of the Cervantes THE “MONTE CERVANTES” SHIPWRECK |
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| he "Monte Cervantes" steamboat belonged to the Hamburg
South American Company, whose agent in Buenos Aires was the Delfino
Company. The Cervantes had a length of 450 feet and a breadth of 63
feet. Its facilities were distributed in six levels and holds. It
carried 13.750 tons at a speed of 16 knots. The Cervantes had been
launched during 1924, and its last and most dramatic voyage took place
on January 22, 1930.
Further to the frightful adventure the passengers suffered, the
Cervantes’ tragic end served to show the camaraderie of the
Ushuaian community. The friendship and affection that bonded the
people in this long, bitter experience would live forever in their
minds. |
The "Monte Cervantes" had been built having in mind immigrants
more than tourists. The passenger beds were 1082, but on this particular
journey there were 1500 people on board. In order to establish the
social impact caused by this tragedy, these amounts must be considered
especially when taking into account the 800 people that living in
Ushuaia at the time.
The ship, in the hands of Captain Theodore Dreyer – born in Germany in 1874 – who had been with the company for 31 years, sailed off Buenos Aires on January 15th, 1930, at 10 am. The crew was qualified as very selective, since it included many professionals, legislators and members of the armed forces. These |
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