The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-11-26
THE FATE OF THE PACIFIC.
Statement Of the QuartermlaEter of th,
kacific-HAOw She was LOsf-Fate of He
Passengers.

s'"fsena e abs & Of Of .1. ss
Passengers.
A dispatch from Neah Bay, Washing
ton territory, gives the statement of Neal
O'Haley, quartermaster of the Pacific,
rescued by the revenue cutter Oliver
Wolcott on the morning of the seventh
instant, to the following effect About
two hundred and fifty people were on
board I went below at eight o'clock in
the evening; everything was all right,
and the lights in place when the shock
occurred | ran on deck; everything was
in confusion, the passengers crowding on
the hurricane deck; the ship fell off into
the trough of the sea; saw a large vessel
under sail, which they said struck the
ship; saw her green lights distinctly; the
passengers crowded into the boats against
commands of the officers; 1 and the chief
engineer got the port boat into the water !;
got fifteen women and six men in, when
she was swamped by the ship; saw none
afterward; supported myself by float
ing on a skylight about fifteen minutes ;
| then got on portion of the hurricane
deck with some eight others on looking
for the steamer we found she had disap-
peared, leaving a floating mass of human
but soon ceased, and we were alone; on
the raft there was the captain, second
mate, second cook, and four passengers,
including a young lady; at one O'Clock
next morning, the fifth. the gale blew
from the southeast, the sea making clean
breaches over the raft, when we lashed
ourselves; about four o'clock the sea
washed overheard the captain, second
mate, the lady and another passenger;
about nine o'clock the second cook died :;
it cleared up about four o'clock in the
afternoon; saw land fifteen miles distant,
and piece of wreck with two or more
on it; about five o'clock another died );
on the morning of the sixth another died,
leaving me alone; about four O'Clock in
the afternoon large empty box floated
near me, which ] got on the raft for
shelter; slept sound at night for several
hours; on the morning of the seventh
saw land on both sides; it continued
calm all day and night, and at three
O'Clock in the morning was rescued by a
cutter.
A later report from Neah credits OLA
ley with the statement that the second
mate told him on the raft that the chief
mate with eight of the crew in a boat
got clear of the ship. The WOlcott has
gone cruising along the coast of VancOu-
yer Island. The Gussie Telfair went
south. The Wolcott took Indians and
canoes to search the shore for any that
may have landed, as the current has
been strong from the westward, carrying
the bodies recovered far up the straits.
1t is believed that the two saved are all
that will be found alive except those in
the boat with the mate, in case they
made the shore. Evidently but little of
the stern broke up, except the hurricane
deck. Nothing has yet been seen of the
ship which struck the Pacific. Several
vessels from the outside have been spoken
of, none of which had seen her. O'Haley
says the captain was the last man to
leave the ship. A dispatch from Point
Townsend, reports the return of the rev.
enue steamer WOlcOtt from a cruise after
the survivors of the Pacific. After find
ing O'Haley, quartermaster, the cutter
steamed for Neah bay, near Walden
island, and picked up the body of an
under-steward of the Pacific. On reach
ing Neah bay, Lieutenant Howard, in
command of the WOlcott, sent the In
dians in canoes, who searched the coast
for twenty miles south of Cape Flattery,
but returned, after two days, unsuccess-
full.
There was a heavy gale all day Tues
day, "WEDNESDAY the WOlcott sailed
for Barclay sound, Vancouver island,
thirty-five miles from cape Flattery, and
communicated with the Indians along
Vancouver's shore; nothing Of impor-
tance was ascertained. Steaming up
Barclay sound the first Indian village
hailed, a canoe came off containing a
white man, who came aboard and intro
duced himself as the first mate of the
shin Orpheus; he stated she had been run
| into the Thursday previous by steamer;
| was wrecked on an island near by; the
captain and crew had got ashore safely,
and were encamped further up; proceed
| ing in the direction indicated, another
canoe approached, in which was Captain
| SAWYER of the Orpheus; he gave an ac-
count of the disaster Thursday evening
he was approaching the cape, by his reck-
oning about twenty miles off; fresh
southeast wind and steering about north
east the man at the wheel first saw the
steamers headlight off the bow imme-
diately after, straight head, could see
neither of her side-lights; could not
m Ike out which direction she was com
ing: put his helm astarbOard the light
came nearer he continued starboard his
helm until his vessel turned around,
with the sails fiat aback the steamer by
this time had got very near him he
blew his whistle in less than half min
ute; after her bow struck his ship a
alancing blow just abaft the foreehains,
crashing in the rail and breaking the
planking down to near the copper, she