, 1875-11-11
vHIRTY-sIx HOURS AFLoaT ON A RAFT F!
THREE FITS.
With Human Freight, Still Afoat!!!
HOPES That MORE WILL Be SAVED.

HOPES THAT MORE WILL Be SAVED.
PORTLAND, Nov. 9.--The following
special appears in the Oregonian of this
morning:
PoRT TOWNSEND. Nov. s.
To OREGoN1AN OFFICE: My name is
Henry Frederick Jelly, am native of
Ireland, but have lived for the past
nine years in the Dominion of Canada,
and am % years Of age. took passage
on the S. S. Pacific of which j. D.
Howell was Master. on the morning
of Thursday, the 4th inst. for voyage
to San Francisco, CAL, and on the same
morning at 9:15 the steamer left the
harbor of Victoria, B. G. There were
about 200 people on board more or less,
and we steamed all that day against
head wind blowing from the southeast
fresh. During the day the crew were
constantly pumping water intothe boats
to keep the steamship on an even keel,
first on one side and then on the other,
and she would list to either side alter
nately and noticed tho boats abaft the
paddle boxes had no oars in them, but
the forward boats had oars in them.
Between eight and nine O'Clock that
evening and while was in the cabin in
bed l heard crash and felt shock as
if We b I'd struck rock OF something of
the kind and heard something fall as if
q lot of rocks had broken Ito and fal-,
len in her starboard bow and imme-
diately heard the bell strike to stop her
and then to back her and then strike to
go ahead. Iweut on deck and there
heard voices forward say 1t was all
right, we had only struck vessel, and
on looking around I saw several lights
some distance on our starboard beam.
I think there were three lights, but do
not think they were colored lights, but
did not pay much attention to them.
I went back into the cabin and was
about to turn in when I noticed her
take heavy list to Fort. then thought
she was going down and went on deck.
1 heard some one say she was making
water very fast forward, went forward
to the pilot-house and there beard the
Purses ask the Captain what boat he
would take charge of, did not hear the
answer. Iasked the Captain if there
were no blue lights or gun, he told me
would find blue lights in the pilot
house. The Captain was at that time
coming out of his own room, did not
see him after that. l then, with an
other man whom 1 did not know, went
into the pilot-Aouse and found six blue
lights, set five of the off and lost the
other QUE. then noticed that the en-
gines were working but there was no
one at the wheel. then went on deck
to the starboard side, forward of the
paddle box, where a number OF men
were trying to get the long boat out but
could not do 1t, then went to see about
the port boat forward. and helped five
or six ladies into 1t, and tried to get the
boat off but could not bulge the boat.
There were about 20 ladies in that boat.
then heard that two boats abaft the
wheels had gotten off, did not see. The
boat was near was full of water, we
could not get her off at all. think it
was about an hour from the time the
steam sr struck up to the time when she
listed to port, so much SO that the port
boat was let into the water and cut
loose from the davits. l was in this
boat, which, when it touched the water
began to fill and turned over. crawled
upon the bottom of the boat and helped
several others on with me. Immediate
Iy after, the steamer seemed 10 break in
two, fore and aft, and one-half with the
smoke-stack fell to port and the smoke
stack struck our boat and pushed it
away and the S. S. Pacific sunk. l |
think about all The ladies' were in our
boat, and when she sunk they all fell
into the water and I tear were all
drowned. This was about ten o'clock
in the evening. the night was not dark,
nor was the sea very rough but there
was fresh breeze. 1 afterwards left
our boat and with another man climbed
on the top of the pilot-house which was
floating near and we held on to cop
per wire that came out of the top. Next
morning got some life preservers float
ing near the house and with their ropes
lsshed me aud my comrads to the house.
saw three RATS. The first one had
one man on, the next had three men
and woman, and the other could not
make out for the distance, except that
there were human beings on it. II
think We were 30 or 40 miles south of
the Cape when the vessel sunk. We
passed the light on Tatoosh Island be
tween A and and o'clock on the even
ing of the fourth. and my .comrade
were on top Of tho pilot house all Of the