The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-09-23
SAVED FROM The VERA CRUZ.
Thrilling Accounts OF the Struggle for Lifo
by the Saved Passengers,

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Thrilling Accounts OF the Struggle for LIZ
by the Saved Passengers.
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Mr.. Ortavious Pacheo Silva, one Of th
rescued passengers of the "Vera Cruz,
has reached st. Augustine, and furnishe
many additional details of the awfil
struggle TINT preceded and followed th
sinking of !lle wreck. The Walsh fami
ly, consisting of the husband, wife en-,
little girl, all perished. The name o
Chi. ffmily has been ascertaned to b,
yAla'., and not Welsh, by the hotel reg
;av, at Philadelphia, WHERE they stop 3
ped before going 10 New York to tax,
the steamer. Mr.. Valch did his utmos
to console the ladies, and gave brandy tt
some that were suffering from the cole
and wet. Mn. Vaich was greatly dis
trce'cd about her little girl. All th
passengers had life presorvers on, and
they appeared calm and collected. Mr.
Sii"N le"pcd overheard Just before tho
steamer sunk, and was carried down il
the vortex, but on rcgaining the surface
he says: "The sea was covered with .
misccl !aneous assortment of boxes, bar.
rels, plnnks, sticks, spars, &C., all bentiuf
among the struggling crowd of men ant
women, crushing some out Of sight.
kept changing boards and planks al
each wave for about two hours, when
at last found part of the steamers deck
about four feet wide by fifteen long
This had wolnrge rings and bolts In it.
Before could get on it the ships baker
Joined me, and we took possession of it.
As l was trying TO drag myself upon II
l felt something pulling nt my duster,
and looking around l saw n lady with no
clothing OF her, not even life preserver
She begged me TO save her. RI told her
to let go of me so that could got on the
raft, aud then would pull her upon it.
She would not do so, and was compel.
ed by force to open her hands and tear
my duster from her grasp. l climbed on
the raft, holding her hand, and, with the
assistance Of the baker, we got her on
the rnft with us. The lady was very
weak, but VIC managed to keep her on
the raft with MS little exertion to herself
as was possible. The next wave brought
to us Mr.. Rafael Arrue. He had lost his
life preserver and was naked. / noticed
that nearly all the passengers were
nearly or quite naked in the water Mr..
Arrue said that he had lost his wife, and
that to swim with her ms long as he did
he found 1t necessary to tear her clothes
off. Tie next. tremendous sea tore us
all from the raft. aud it seemed that
would never come up. When I did
wns near the raft, and swan to it. The
baker soon followed, but Mr.. Arrue was
some distance off. He soon came to us,
and said ho say tho lady and che .rieS &c
grasp him. but he, having no life.pro.
server, showed his piece of board to her
and made for us. This was the last of
the poor lndy. In the afternoon We ran
across sailor who was on another
piece Of the steamer. We almost struck
one another. He said: "Hello, boys |!
Liow nre you making out?" We re-
piled: pretty we'll under the circum-
stances" Tho next minute we were
whirling through the air and water, and
Us we came up the sailor was laughing at
us for the wave had not broken until IL
passed him. We kept together until
dark, fighting for life. At about Z
raft and I saw no moro of it. / shouted
came. Twas alone with nothing but my
life -prcserver. was tossed about for
five or six hours, when I noticed q
change in the waves. I felt for bottom
and found it. My God, how glad 1 was !
1t was dark MS pitch, and one time I
struck into deep water again. The re.
ceding water puzzled me. and it was two
hours before could tell which way to
60. Then was dashed upon the beach.
l tried To stand up, but felt weak, and
staggered to the saudhills, and laid there
the rest of the night" ~
The next morning he walked for q
mile or two on the beach, when he met n
colored man, who took him 10 his house
and ministered 10 his comforts: While
there Mr.. Cook came In company with q
sai!or who had been saved, and on reach.
ing the house ho found Mr. Corrie there
in n weak condition. He had wondered
on the beach two days and two nights,
with nothing TO eat but two raw crabs.
The party stayed for week at the house
OF Mr.. Lowd. who, with his wife, was
very kind. The point where they were
washed ashore was three miles below
Mosquito Inlet, nearly two hundred
miles from where the other survivors
landed. Senior Arrue says that he left
the wreck with his wife on his back.
After swimming two hours he was COM
PEELED to tear her clothes off ns they had
become heavy with sea water. At last
she seized e board, and sea separated
them. He found her nguin In very
weak condition. He again took her on
his back only to see her washed away
from him again, to be seen no more.
After that lie met the raft to which Mr..
Silva and the man and the lady were
clinging. They continued together un-
til separated by heavy sea, and he new
er saw any of them until he met Mr..
Silva on shore.