, 1875-03-05
CASUALTIES.
THE LOSS OF THE STEAMER JAPAN


t4HH tFHHf1AtH .itI
On the night OF Dec II, at lies. the slnrm of
fire vaa given. Immediately Oh sounding tho
alarm. black smoke was hecn issaiug f,o1n tho
cngine-soom and veutilaturs. Tlr ship at Tho
timo vhs about 20 miles from tbs nearest lana,
and about 100 miles from Hong Koug. The
fore.topna;l man.torsail. a..I foreHail werc ses
tho topsniis wero Immediately c!cwcl down mud
tho foresall hauled ur, helm put to port. onsine
| stopped. mud preparations made TO nscertain a.,l
e1tnRu.h the fire. The smoke from the fire
was snfrocating in the extreme, and Of inky
b!acknoss. Finding it impossible to snyo tho
Hbip, the boais woEo lowered away, tho
fire in tho nleautin,o cutting OF eomnitlni-
ca:iou from, the forward mud aft part Of ,ns
ship. lie Chinese passengers, OIL seeing tbs
/ flaucs barst out amtdhhips, were sturelicd with
terror. Huma budding together In the forward
rnstof the ship others r1lahlns to tls boats with
fright. filling the boats AMI Increasing tie dam
Ecr Of lowering tf,cm awa.'. Boue londed down
NTH porsoslal eacgls, Jul . Ing overheard with
lite-rreservers Oh. ciineinG UT to pieces Of tho
wreck aud tc.can.ng for assistance. A great
| Mauy worc supposed 70 hayn bcon dfownod by
| having 80 lnuci! weight ab0nt their rcIsou,
which proved to be tho fact. 1wodays after The
tlshormen hooked up ono body with life-pro-
server aud e1,ouo ou hia pessop. Ono Of tho
largo bouts forward broke tic dayta while being
! lowered away. tho dasits being too weak to
hold tho inln1cnso weight Of tho people,
t: being impossible to keep them from
cred away 1t waa vcIy difficult to keep
them fro1u being stove against the ships side OH
account OF Tho 4ea which WAS increasing. also
tho win,, accompanied By Equals. Tho boats
remained In tho vicinity Of tho wreck till day.
light: During .he night cries for assistance woro
heard from uvely guatter. but mono could bo
rendered, az lno~t Of tue boats wcro !sab'o to be
ewatnpcd. AZ daylight appeared large numbers
f1f$ trf{ h
prcseryers Oil. drowned. Sosesa! Chiueao fishing
iunEs NeTe Rcc,l. tie sight at which gayo cour-
aso to all Que Of them sailed closo by tho slaip
aud after palaves'ns around for aono time
thoy wero 10 receive, commencing III tho
moderate sum Ct $4,000, tiny con-
cialed to lot tha few officers como on board
the tlmo being 4. IN. Another ono Of thu
tnnka sailed around Que of tho boAts for somo
timo before taking tho rcop1c on board. then
searching ts,o and taking their effects clothes,
otc,, aud or1ttiug them Iclow, out OF tho NAY,
toforo tlloy wo:d h!low another boat to como
alongside. nearly aIl bring used in the tlko man.
ner. lu tl,s meantime they wore getting out Of
tho wafer such tl,InEa ~ pleased th0ir sye, Que
leins elers with sa.ooo III It; belonging to ono
OF tho ChinoFo passengers. Alter sailing aTo1lnd
up tuat we're scot,. the Captain Of Ito junk
sayn uH to undc1stas,d that the sun waa geiting
ras. the meridian. and that he was going
for tic ta,l. Tue last seen OF tho wreck
hua AQnHt ~ = @4pGAs 4S4AHk y y Et4cA H. Ill.
tho Junk waa beaded for tbs lhnd. From tho
Chinese sailors We soon escerthinel that II We
wero ot,ca on shore 10 the vicinity Of where wo
wcto hoalinR, and ln The aslds OF CIR deIlycrcrs,
our chanccH wero Rnall to have c!0thcs to cover
rts and life to hroatka. The p1trscs on leaviug
tho ship. Ind soo coin In bags that wero In l,is
room. which lo Bayod, thoughttlo Chinese fisacr-
men l,ad peculiar liking for tho dollhrr, Within
hftcen or twenty minutes sail Of the pAce We
wcro going to-a place chilled Cup Chit being
then about o'clock p. 1n.. light was seen,
which proved to 10 the ateanier Yottnng. She
was hxiled aud ahkea il they would take til OIL
bpard. Icing answered In tito affirmative. wo |
tllon wont alongside with tho iunKs Tho |
steamer did not have sufficient bozts to tako I
tlH OF. an at tho tlno there being quito |
chop OF q sea, which made It difficult and at
tnnael with considerable danger. All being IN |
board, VIC steamed for kuAtow. arriving abn'it II
a. IN. nS tie 18th. At II u. We went uu board |
OF tho sseAlner Yesso. At Z p. NJ, wo AtoaElod |
for Hong koug. On tho passage from Awatow, |
when In the vicinity of tic WRECK. wo spoke Bny-
cral fishing -lunks il ta hope OF getting H0n,e
information II tho missing bonts, or III rcgard |
to tbs wreck but failed to get any. ", then |
htcknlod far Hung Kong, arriving ~ ! =. ~. Of
tho 10th. There wo wcro cured for by the lAci-
tic Mail Steamship Co,upun,'s agollt, all having
IoAt everything but the clothca they had u1i. |
Home Ve1u sent to tho Bsilor2' uulue, otheyH 20
luz on bosEd tie Btealner Alaska at Aberdeen.
On hsar1ng Of tho disaster tho United StateH
steamers Yanlio aud Snco immediately stean,ed
10 aud along tho coast in search Ut thu lliAs-
ing Gpats, and other information In regard to the
wreck,