Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-11-13
THE Loss OF TUE STEAMER PA.
CIRIC.
From the Victoria Colonist.l


from his fatigue and emotion ard was able
TO converse with greater cohercncy than
when interviewed on board the North Paci>
fic in the afternoon.
: He says that if the crash he heard while
lying in bed was caused by a collision with
another ship 1t was very slight one. Ho is
positive, however, that on gaining the deck
he saw on the starboard quarter three lights
as from vessel He heard no hail. The
weather was not foggy at the time: The
wind was fresh, but the sea smooth. He was
told that there had been a collision and that
the steamer had sustained no damage. Pre-
vious to going on deck the first time he
heard the bells to stop and then to reverse
the engines When he reached the deck the
steamer was going ahead again. Passengers
were told not to be alarmed that there was
no danger, and matters quoted down. MIR.
Jelly went back to his stateroom and was
getting into bed again when lie felt the slip
give sudden lurch and heard a rush of was
ter. He again went Oh deck and discovered
that the ship was sinking. lie saw Captain
Howell standing In his room and asked him
where do you keep yonr bluelights?" The
Captain answered, I'm the pilothouse. Mr..
Jelly went there and found the wheel deser-
ted and the ship steering wildly while the
engines were still underway. He burned
four lights and then saw the people getting
into the boats. He saw boat uhe launch)
into which the women were being placed and
he took his stand there, and saw Mrs Otis
Parsons assisted in. Mrs. Parsons was be-
waiing tho death of her child Ia little boy
of year and half which she said q man
had fallen ON and killed instantly. Another
lady supposed from the description TO be
Miss Alice Vaudeville, Mrs. Parsons sister
stood by her and also wept bitterly at the
chid's death. Mr.. Jelly says he helped
young lady, who from the description must
have been Miss Fanny Palmer of this city,
into the launch. A number of the slips
crew crowded into the boat, which was in
charge of the Chief Engineer Houston. They
were demonstrated with and replied that
they were there to look after the ladies and
ordered all the men to get out of the boat,
but wouldn't 60 themselves. They seized
one man, passenger, whose wife was in the
boat, and threw him out on the deck. His
wife impored them to let him stay, saying
"Oh, my God! Save himi' But they would
not allow him to get In again. All this time
the ship was settling, settling into her grave
Some one came along at this moment and
said, 1.-TWO of the boats have got off on the
other side" They then tried to let this boat
down from the davits; but they could not.
AS the ship settled, however, the launch
reached the water, anu some brave spirit
standing ON the deck cut the fostenings loose
with an AK The boat rode for moment
and as the sea was still smooth and the boat
well provided with oars it was hoped tina
she would get clear. Unfortunately, howcv.
err the launch had been filled with wahr
during the day (for reasons that will be
presently explained) and was more than half
full now The weight of water and the peo-
pie, therefore, caused the boat to carecn and
she turned com pletely over amid the shrieks
of the women and the despairing cries of
the men. Mr., Jelly and four other men
managed TO Chamber on the boats bottom as
she came up; but the poor women, weighed
down by their clothes could not avail them
selves OF that forlorn hope and speedily dis
appeared. About this time our informant
observed the steamer setting down on tire
port side, That is the side on which he and
the others were floating on the boats bottom,
and the smoke stack or funnel fell into the
water. The steamer gave two or three lur-
ches and then broke in two amidships with
q crashing noise and went down, carrying
with her ut least 100 persons who we stand
ing on the decks ne the time.
The chinese who numbered about so, had
huddlcd near the smokestack, where they
had dragged their baggage and had Kept up
an incessant and loud conversation while the
exciting scenes were being enacted. When
the ship broke into and sank beneath the
waAes, these poor creatures sank with her,
The surface of the water was presently COW
cred with wreckage from the lost steamer to
some of which men and women chung with
that tenacity which only feeling of despair
can ieapart. The shrieks and cries at this
moment were dreadful. The wind and sea
were rising and the poor people, adrift on
"Old Oceans melancholy waste, were
moment Mr.. Jelly saw tho top of the pilot.
house with man seated upon IT, He made
an effort and reached it. He found the oc
cupaut to be large man. evidently an Amer.
!ea., with fun black whiske, and D,ustache.
The two drifted away from the scene OF the
wreck and were soon out of sight of the
other unfOrtunates. When Monday morning
broke the wind had increased to gale and
the waves washed clean over them. About
500 yards off they saw three men and We
man on o raft, and mile or two away a
vessel bowling along with fair breeze, all
unconscious of the near presence of misery
and death In their most hldeous forms. The
people on the raft, our informant and his
companion, shouted for long time TO at
tract the attention Of the ship; but they were
not seen, and hope died away with tie yes
sci in the distance The pllothousc soon
parted company with the raft and next they
saw another raft with one man standing on IL,
and soon after third raft, with three or four
men ON it, was seen long way off. The
tendency of the current was towards Van
couver Island, and as they drifted on the
land which had not been seen, earlier in the
day, doomed up ahead of them. The gale
still Continued and about noon Jellys com.
panion complained of great weakness. He
had previously stated that he was from the
State of Maine. had passed a long time at
Carihoo and Cassiar as a miner, had done
we'll there and was on his way home eAs
evening approached. he grew delirious, and
talked OF absent friends and his distant home,
then lay down on the raft and seemed to fan
into o sweet sleep; but the waves dashed
over his face and he did not move again, and
when Jelley raised his head he found that he
was dead. Az evening approached the SEQ
still continued, aud wave aftaf wave washed
over the pilothouse. jelly reluctantly cut the
iashings that bound the dead man to the
support. and tho body sank. That night the
survivor passed In great misery, and In the
morning he saw no signs OF human life
around him. All the RATS. seen on the pre-.
vious day had disappeared, but on the folds
of his clothes be found Hive fish that had
leaped out of the water, like mamma from