The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-08-25
WHOLE NUMBER529

Wreck Of tie American Ship
Manchester-eaptaln Murdered
blythe Indians nj Cape Horn,
Eishteen Of the Crew Pefishsd
Only Two Saved. srtr
We have been favored with the Distressing
account Of the wreck and total loss Ofythe
Manchester, on the 2sth Of August last year
in latitude 55 deg. s.. We presume il to be
the statement of the. captains son. one Of
the survivors Of the i'll fated yessel:
COS BoARp MAs-op WAX MsfSo6o.
'Hcn B. v. aartinez, Commander, May Is, 1eS5.t
"The American ship MGnckestsr, Of Nan.
tucket, left New York for Valparaiso on the
7th of April 1854, the complement Of hands
on board being seventeen, and the captains
wife. One msn died at sea before we srri.
we'd at MontsEideo, which. port we put into.
on the Gath Of July, 1854, and again let on
the 28th for Valparaiso, after having shipped
four extra hands at Montevideo.s.-
"On tfp2Sth of August, after having pass.
ed Cape Ham, the ship struckona snaksn
rock in about lat. IS deg. s., and % the
westward of the Cape, the land being distans
about thirty miles. Not being able to keep
her free withthe pumps, got the boats out.
which were shortly afterward stove, and af.
terward the nain-nast was cut away N
e"At ten, O'Clock the sane night she was
full ofwater but continued to drift until
FIVE in the morning Of the 29th, when, after
passing a small island, she grounded, and in
less than twenty minutes opened in two
parts, and all or board were itnmersedin tle
water The captain and his wife clnng to-
gether, but by some chance they got separ-
atedS and the captain alone rose to the sur
face; he Immediately seized upon q plank.
and succeeded in rescuing his son, on which
they drifted 10 the stern part Of the vessel,
where they remained until sunset, having
concluded they were the only survivors. of
the III fated vessel. They then managed to
get ashore on the island, where they found
one barrel Thread and another of flour.
-Four days after, the second mate and
one seaman arrived at the island on a raft
they had constructedon another island, on
which they were cast, distance about two
and a-haH miles. Here we remained while
the.captain was building boat. Having
allcrossedon the raft 10 the island on which
the second mate first landed, where was
much. .ofthe wreck Of the ship and cargo and
provisions, on the Sd of November, the Sec
ond mate died, being completely exhausted
His name was David Reese Evansj a native
of South Wales. YES" 70 saa p2!Si21 El9fS
"On the 18th Of November we first saw
some ofthe natives, men and three women
having landed from a canoe. We had just
finished our boat, and were ready for starting.
The Indians having at first received what
could be spared to them Of our cloths, &c,
retired; and afterward returned, with blud.
geons, and insisted upon stripping u.s.
Three attacked the captain and three the
seaman, who, having disabled two Of them
fled to the boat in which the, boy already,
was. Unfortunately the captain received .
blow which must have. instantly killed him.
The boy received two arrows in his jacket,
but escaped unhurt. We landed on the
| island, where part of che wreckstiil refnainl
ed; we returned in the evening, and found
the captains body lying naked on the rocks
and quite dead. Not daring to remain, we
took two barrels of bread and jumped to- the
wreck. After remaining some days-in-
deed several days-we ventured along the
cost in our boats. At the end Of about six
weeks We found the provision all expened.
and subsisted On such shell-fish as we could
gather among the rocks. After spbsistiug
some time in this way, native canoe again
hove in sight. Being then quite destitute d
any means of subsistence for month al
least, except raw sheltfsh, we gave oarse]s
YES up to the Indians, and having nothing to
excite their cupidity, they behaved very kind.
ly to us, and with them we have remained up
to this present time, having never once seen
a avessel until a steamer passed few days
since, but had no communication with her. ],
. 81 have only to add that our. eternal graf
itude is due to the captain of the Meteor'
who has not on,y taken us on board fee
, and clothed US in many instances fulfiitet
!, the promises made by us to the Indians te
, induce them TO take us on board" es7as
. Ft0 - a--------+sassA------ --------1------tEs { . .
. The following isa list OF the CEars, AM
the date Of their ascending the throne o
: Russia;E 5sta2a q 5spe la syo7g7 ara
John H. 81 : 70 -4Hls- A, d. l46
m nan,atr;us f,nurdarnJN a Ika