Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-11-03
Jhe 4stly 3ress and 2ststsiss
q 81 vAhkTON . DAKOTA

q
- a. yANkTON DAKOTA
Saturday Evening, November 3, IsH
An ENGLISH vEssEl LOST on 4 Rocx N tine
PACaFpc.
aai ara s4~4 1891
Her MaJssty,s Steanshlp AmstASyt Re.
fasss to Rsseus the PassssGsss-orsat
Lose OF Life, and Tsrribfs suASr.
ings OF the survivors.
The Lima Journal Mercurio contains the
following account, dated at Vilos, In Chill, I
Of the wreck Of the Pacific Steam Navigs-
tion company's mail packet Eten, and The
strange proceedings Of the English VA YES
sel Amethyst: After . tempsstuous and
dark night on the morning Of Sunday, the
10th Of October, at $40 the vessel struck on
Q suuken rock, forming part Of = little islst
situated about 500 metres from the coast,
and four miles north Of the mouth Of the
river Chaopa. The highest part Of this islst
is capable Of giving room 70 about eighty
persons standing close together, and Was
soon destined to become the thea&er Of terri.
bic s~uferings, physical a we'll q moral.
All was panic and confusion after the Eten
struck. The captain and his officers tried
IN vain to t%sanquilize the terror stricken
passengers and restore something like order,
but finally they succeeded in getting some
sixty on the highest part of the bows. There
they passed about half an hour, when The
ship suddenly broke in two AMI every one
was precepitated into the watery abyss.
Meanwhile, the stern, yielding to the force
Of the waves, gradually approached the
point of the rock, and between ffty and
sixty ~unfortunates succeeded in Obtaining .
footing upon it BY means of . plank. At
the same moment that refuge was sought
upon the rocks another dreadful scene Wa
enacted upon the vessels poop. An attempt
was made to lower the life-boat from the d..
Wits where it was hanging on the quarter.
It was instantly crowded With pallid, tremb
ling wretches, impelled BY q blind instinct
Of self.preservation to try to escape death
by rushing into It's very jaws. Most of them
only forestalled their fate, for in their hurry
and confusion one end of the boat was low
cred whilst the other remained stationary.
owing, probably, to the fouling ofthe tackle.
All who could not hold on 10 the thwarts
were precipitated into the sea and persisted.
Those who remained at last the cut tackle, and
the boat was sweep. away, reaching, wonder
full to say, the shore with six men and two
women in it.. Those who had saved them
selves on the rock began to entertain hopes
Of being rescued, Listening eagerly to the
captain n he told them that the seafaring
inhabitants of the coast would soon come to
their assistance. Endeavors were made to
construct RATS with planks washed in reach.
The largest broke adrift when completed,
and on a small one two seasmen, who strange
TO cay, could not swim, gained the main
land ~ If BY a miracle. As time wore on
mauen bsgsn to change for the worse. The
wind increased, and the waves with the ris-
of the rocks; the individuals most within
their reach pressed inward, and gradually
pushed those on the opposite edge into the
water. The second officer, the carpenter,
four English and six Chilian and Peruvian
sailors stripped and swan for the shore,
which they reached, with the exception of
one, after a desperate struggle with the
angry elements. Nor would several have
been saved, 70 exhausted were they, had
not Don Jose Guerra. q Chillan gentleman,
bravely ridden his horse into the surf and
by . dexterous use ofhis lssso drawn them
out one by n About an hour afterward
the captain, followed by the pnrser and
other employees, made q similar attempt
without undressing :the consequence being
that they sank before the eyes of the If.
dcted groub, who watches their agouizinR
struggles from the fatal rock. and doubt
less beheld then what would probably be
their own fate. This group had diminish
ed from about sixty TO twenty.eight OF
thirty persons, and 80 they passed the
night. On Monday, the shore was cover
ed with people brought from the surround
Ing country by the news of the shipwreck
They TODD little heed of the tragedy thu,
selves up to drunkenness and the plunde,
of the wreckage which strewed the short
in every form. including barrels of wine
spirits and beer. Such scenes becam,
hideous and sickening when o~ccurirf
within q few hundred yards of the horribl,
suffering on the rock. On it's black sum-
nit. standing out in relief againt a gra,
and threatening horizon, was q knot O
despairing creatures, who for thirty.fou
hours had neither eaten, drunk nor rested
and this In the midst Of the most acut,
ID mental agonies and physical suffering. A
last the gloom Of another night began L
envelop the melancholy scene. Mr.. Steph.
. enson. the second officer, who only forty.
TWO hours before hsd narrowly escaped
watery gave, aided by Q brave Frencbmsn
: succeeded In persusding three Chiliau 6sh.
ermen 70 join them 10 an attempt to estab-
lish communication with the rock, aud. en-.
ltering the boat mentioned above, wen
J launched iato the breakeu, only to be draw,
back after &, gallant struggle to proceed
which nearly cost them their lives. Th,
last endeavor made 70 save the castaway
was In the shape of q raft, Consisting 8
; boards lashed to q large cask, which it Va
proposed TO 6oat from q prominent reef O
rocks on the north Of the strand, 90 as 10 b
carried BY the wind and the current towart
the reck, and within their reach.
Atthis moment the thrilling cry Of ava
por! vapor!" q fsteamer! steamer ! aros.
and the Engli,h shouted 'cThe Amethyst!
, Flag of distress we're quickly displayed
In . fsv minutes 6ye. waved on the edge q
the water, With ! large I'D one half.mast o.
B a loAv nola nlanted unon n hillock IN onds