Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-11-27
THE PACIFIC DISASTER.
Story of the Supposed sole SuryivOr--Three
Rats with Persons on Them Seen by him
Terrible Sufferings-Thirty-six Hours
Floating on the PilOt-hOuse.

Rats with Persons on Them Seen by him
Terrible sHferings-Thirty-six Hours
Floating on the Pil0t-hOuse.
Henry F. Jelley, the supposed sole
survivor of the steamship Pacific disas-
ter, which was lost with over two hun
dred souls, who was brought to Port
Townsend by the ship Messenger, is in
o wretched condition, having been on the
raft thirty-six hours before he was pick
ed up. He says the Pacific collided with
some other vessel, whose light he saw,
but in his interview with Capt. Gilkey,
the master of the Messenger, he made
no mention of the lights of vessel, and
some persons think he is laboring under
a hullucination as to that. Experienced
navigators here think it is more likely
that she struck sunken rock. Jelley
makes o statement to the following
effect
took cabin passage on the Pacific
from Victoria, leaving about 9:15 o'clock
Thursday morning, the 4th inst. with
about two hundred people on board. We
steamed all day against southeastern
gale, the crew constantly pumping water
into the boats to trim the ship. Two
boats abaft the paddle boxes had no oars
in them; the other boats had oars. Be-
tween eight and nine o'clock in the even
ing, while in bed, 1 heard crash, and
felt shock as if we had struck rock.
1 heard sonnet ling fall as if rocks had
fallen on the starboard bow. The bell
struck to stop, back, and go ahead. l
went on deck; heard voices say All
right, we have struck vessel" 1 saw
several lights at distance; they were
colored, but [ paid little attention to
them. 1 returned to the cabin, and no.
ticed that the ship took heavy list to
port. went on deck to the pilot-house,
and heard some one say "She is MAX
ing water very fast"
The captain coming out of his room,
I asked him if there were any blue
lights OF guns. He said the blue-lights
were in the pilot house. I got them,
and burned five. noticed the engines
still working, but no one was at the
wheel; went to the starboard side, for
ward of the paddle-box, where number
of men were trying to get long boat
launched, but could not; went to the
port boat, forward, and helped five or
six women into it; tried to get the boat
off but could not move it. There were
about twenty women in it. | heard that
the boats abaft the paddles had been
got off, but did not see them. think
it was about an hour after the steamer
struck when she listed so much. The
port boat was in the water. l was in
that boat and cut it loose from the da-
Wits. The boat filled and turned over,
and got on her bottom and helped sew
eral up with me. Immediately after the
steamer seemed to break in two, fore
and aft. The smokestack fell and
struck our boat, and the steamer sunk.
think about all the women were in our
boat, and I fear they were all drowned
when the boat upset. This was about
ten o'clock in the evening. The night
was not dark nor the sea very rough,
but there was fresh breeze. Afterward
left the bottom of the boat, and, with
another man, climbed on top of the
pilot house, which was floating near.
Next morning got some life preserv-
ers floating by the house, and with their
ropes lashed myself and companion to
the house. saw three RATS. The first
had one man on it; the second had three
men and woman; but could not make
out the third raft owing to the distance,
except that there were people on it. I
think we were thirty or forty miles south
of Cape Flattery when the vessel sunk.
We passed the light on Tattoosh island
between four and five o'clock in the
evening; I and my companion were on
the pilot house all of Friday until about
four o'clock P. NJ, when he died; I cut
him loose; the sea was running very
high all day, the waves washing over US.
sighted vessel and called to her, and
heard persons on other RATS calling, but
thevessel did not come near us. Friday
night there was but little wind until
morning, when the wind and sea rose; I
was then within mile of the shore OF
Vancouver's island. I sighted two yes,
sells on the American shore, which passed
me. About ten o'clock Saturday morn.
ing the Messenger picked me up.
(SigneO HENRY F. JEILEY.