The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-11-26
I'LL LOST PACIFIC.
statement OF Henry y. Jelly, Supposed
q" he the Only Surviving Passenger
Name. of the Lost.

pat'h iioiu ibll loNn>tnu Says: henry
+. Jelly, supposed sole survivor of the
Pacific, was brought here yesterday by
the ship Messenger, in "A wretchcd con.
dition, having been on a raft SO hours
before being picked up. lie says the
Pacific collided with some other vessel,
whose light he saw but in his inter
view with Gilkey, captain of the Mes
senger, lasting II hours, he made no
mention OF the lights Of the vessels, and
some think him laboring under IA hallu-
cinatiOn as 10 that. Experienced nayi-
gators think il more likely she struck a
sunken rock.
JELLY's STATEMENT.
took cabin passage on the Pacific
from Victoria, leaving about 9.l5 on
the morning of Thursday, the 4th inst.
About 200 people were on board. The
steamer ran all day against a southeast
err; the crew were constantly pumping
water into the boat 10 trim the ship.
The boats abaft the paddle-boxes had
no oars in them the others had. Be
tween $ and . in the evening, while in
bed, | heard a crash; felt "A shock rs if
we had struck n rock; heard something
fall As if the rocks had fallen. The
starboard bow bell struck 10 stop, back,
and 90 ahead. | went on deck and
heard voices say, "It's all right, we
have struck n vessel | saw several
lights at a distance; do not think they
were colored, butt paid little attention.
| returned TO the cabin; noticed that
the ship took a heavy lurch to port.
| went on deck to the pilot
house; heard some one say, "She is
making water very FAST The Captain
coming out of his room, | asked him if
there were any blue lights or guns. lie
said the blue lights were in the pilot
house. | got them and burned five.
Noticed the engines still working, but
no one at the wheel. | went To the
starb0ard side, forward Of the paddle
box, where a number of men were try
ing TO get the long-boat, but could not.
| went to the short-boat forward and
helped five or six women into il. |
tried 10 get the boat of, but could not
move ii. There were about twenty
women in it. | heard the boats abait
paddles had got of, but did not see
them. | think it was about an hour
after the steamer struck when she listed
so much. The port boat wa in the
water, and | was in that boat, cut loose
from the dayits. The boat filled and
turned over. | got ON her bottom, and
helped several up with me. Imme-
diately after the steamer seemed to
break in two fore and aft. The smoke
stack fell and struck our boat. and the
steamer sunk. | think about all the
ONE were in our boat, and | fear
they were all drowned when the boat
upset. This was about 10 in the even
ing. The night was not dark nor the
sea very rough, but there was a fresh
breeze. Afterwards | left the bottom
Of the boat, and with another man
climbed on top Of the pilot house float
ing near. Next morning / got some
life-preservers floating near the house,
and with their ropes lashed myself and
companion TO the house. / saw three
RATS; the first had one man on it
the next had three men and a
| could not make out the other for the
distance, except that there were people
on il. | think we were 80 or 40 miles
south Of Cape Flattery when the vessel
sunk. We passed a light on Tattoos
Island between 4 and 8 in the evening.
| and my companion were on the pilot
house all Of Friday until 4 p. m, when
he died. | cut him loose, the seas run
ming very high. All day the waves were
washing over Us. Soon after he died |
sighted a vessel, called, and heard the
people on the other RATS calling. but
the vessel did not come near. On Fri
day night there was but little wind until
morning, when the wind and sea rose.
| was then within a mile Of shore, at
Vancouver Island, and sighted two yes
sells on the American shore, which
passed on. About 10 4. m, on Satur-
day, the Messenger picked me up.
(Signed) HENRY j. JELLY.
GREAT EXCITEMENT
prevailed in this city on hearing the
news. The telegraph aud newspaper
offices and the Merchants Exchange
were besicgcd by people who had friends
and relatives on board. No one seems
10 know the names of the Hurlbut and
Rockwell troupe, but it is supposed
Fannie Marston wa one Of them. and
that Others were performers picked up
in that part of the country.
The steamer Los Angeles will be dis
patched 10 saye the survivors, if any.
Jelly stated informally that there was
no terror or confusion on the part Of
the passengers, and that if the boats
could have been launched and properly
manned, and the sailing comparatively
smooth. all would have been saved.