The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-11-17
Terrible Disaster.

WASHINGTON, Nov. S.-A private
dispatch received here this evening,
announces the total loss Of the steam
ship Pacific between Portland, Ore
gon, and San Francisco, by founder
ing at sea on last Thursday. The
dispatch says all on board, including
SO passengers, were lost
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, November 8.
LThe following press dispatch has
just been received:
SEATTLE, Washington T., Novem-
Der 8.-lbe Daily Dispatch received
the following special from Port
Townsend this morning: The Amer
lean ship, Messenger, Capt. j. F..
Gilkey, arrived nine days from San
Francisco, and reports picking up,
twenty miles south OF Cape Flattery.
part of the pilot house and Henry l..
Jelly, the only survivor of the steam
ship Pacific, which sailed from Vic
toria at 8 o'clock on Thursday morn
ing and foundered forty miles south
of Flattery at s O'Clock on Thursday
evening. Jelly foated on the pilot
house from 8 O'Clock on Thursday
night until 10 o'clock on Saturday
moraing, when he was picked up by
the Messenger.
Several boats were launched but
all were %foundered.
"a. F. LARNEs."
Jelly is too low to give the full
particulars. He states that be was
in a boat which swamped and with
another man succeeded in reaching
part of the pilot house. The other
man subsequently, died from expos
ure and was cut loose by Jelly.
LATER.
SAN Francisco, November "a
dispatch from Port Townsend, this
evening, says that Henry f. Jelly,
the supposed sole survivor of the
Pac fc, brought here yesterday by
the ship Messenger, is in a wretched
condition, having been on a raft SO
hours before being picked up. He
says the Pacific collided with some
other vessel, whose light he saw, but
in his interview with Captain Gilkey,
Of the Messenger, lasting II hours,
be made no mention of the lights of
the vessel, and some think him labor
ing under a hallucinatiOn as to that.
Experienced navigators here think
more likely she struck a sunken rock.
Jelly makes a statement to the fol-
lowing effect:
81 took cabin passage on the Pa
cifc from Victoria, leaving about a
quarter past Q on the morning of
Thursday, the 4th inst. About two
hundred people were on board the
steamer. The crew were fighting
against a s~outbeaster, and were con-
stantly pumping water into a boat to
trim the ship. The boats aDaft the
paddle boxes had no oars 10 them;
the others bad. Between s and Q in
the evening, while il bed, / heard Il
crash and felt shocked, as if we had
struck a rock. | heard something
fall, as if rocks bad fallen. The star
board bow bell struck 10 stop, back
and 60 ahead. | went on deck aud
heard voices say its all right, we
have struck a vessel. Saw several
lights at a distance; do not think
they were colored, but paid little at
tention. Returning to the cabin, |
noticed that the ship took a heavy
list to port. | went on deck to the
pilot house, and heard some one say
she is making water very fast The
captain coming out Of his room, |
asked him if there were any blue
lights or guns. He said the blue
lights were il the pilot house; got
them and burned Eve; noticed the
engines still working, but no one at
the wheel. Went to the starboard
side, forward of the paddle box,
where a number Of men we're trying
to get the long boat. but could not.
Went to the port boat forward; help
ed five or six women into it; tried to
get the boat of, but could not move
1t, There were about twenty womenl
IN il; heard the boats abaft the pad
dies had got off, but did not see chem.
Think it was about an hour after the
steamer struck when she listed so
much. The port boat was in the
water. | was in that boat. Cut
loose from the davits. The boat fill
ed and turned over. | got on her
bottom and helped several up with
me. Immediately after the steamer
seemed to break in two, fore and aft
Of the smoke stack, fell and struck
our boat aud the steamer sunk
Think about all the women were 10
our boat and fear they were. al
drowned when the boat upset. This
was about ten in the evening. The
night was not dark, nor the sea very
Rough, but a flesh breeze Nas blow
ing. AfIerward | left the bottom OF
the boat, and with another man
climbed on top of the pilot house
floating near. Next morning / got
some life preseryers that were float
ing near the house, and with their
ropes dashed myself and companion
to the house. Saw three RATS: the
first bad one man Oh ii; the next had
three men anda woman. could not
maze Gut the other for the distance,
except that ibere were people on it.
| think We were thirty OF forty mites
south Of Cape Flatiery when the
vessel sunk. Passed a light or Tat
LOCKS islagd beiween four and FIVE III
tue evening. | sad ~ companion
-tald on The pilot house al Of Fri
DAY until about tour p. m, when be
died. egt him loose. The sea Vas
running very high all day, the waves