Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-15
A STORY OF sHIPWRECK.
Particulars of the Loss of the
Bulwark.
THE TALE TOLD BY A SURVIVOR
Arduous Labors at the Pumps-A
Drunken Captain.
lsraouL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE REoORD-Usros.l

EMPIRE CITY (Or.l, March l4th.-In regard
to the wreck of the Bulwark. reported yester.
day, Hugh Mcdonald gives the following:
a SURVIVORS, STORY.
We left Yokohama January 31st. In get
ting out, strained the ship badly. The next
day found the copper started. -Four days of
moderate weather were then experienced.
The sand ballast clogged the pumps, and we
had to bail. About the eleventh day we
found three feet of water in the hold. Bailed
constantly for thirty-six hours, taking no
time TO eat or sleep. A heavy northeast gale
was prevailing. The Captain was drunk, and
falling about the deck. while the men
were trying 10 free the ship. After get
ting the ship free. all hands went
aft to have an understanding with
the Captain, as the vessel was unfit
to proceed. The bolts were starting from
the deck, and'the copper WAS stripped from
half her length. Found the officers in the
cabin, who said they had concluded to pro-
coed, as that was the nearest way to safety.
The crew was much dissatisfied, and the
Captain promised TO run for the Sandwich
Islands, and if the ship was not fit to PRO.
coed, would put in there. The ship was then
900 miles from Yokohama. Strong north
west winds favored Us to the islands. but the
Captain passed them. Wehad good weather
till February Goth, when the port watch
came to the pumps, and after working an
hour and making little water. informed the
mate that it was useless, as there was nine
inches of water on the skin. The mate or.
dered the watch again to the pumps, but
they threw very little water, and kept going
till II o'clock the next day, when it blew a
gale and
THE WATCH LEFT THE PUMPS
To shorten sail, which took an hour and
half. The watch below concluded that it
would not do to let the ship fill, SO they came
on deck without orders and manned the
pumps. They worked the pumps all that
afternoon and night. The next morning all
the pumps were closed, and we bailed from
the hatch in the forecastle. The water gained
| rapidly and at 6 o'clock the mate knocked
all hands off for tea and concluded to get the
boats ready. We put the life-boat in the
davits and went to bailing. TIE mate said
we had better work hard and stay with her
that night, as 100 miles in her before the
4 WlDu was DcLttE all uiSuL III al Opeu
boat. In half an hour we found it useless, as
the water covered The ballast. The mate
ordered the boats made ready at half past 7, but
delayed SO long in making arrangements that
the ship became unmanageable. We found
that the long boat had slackened tackle, and was
| in danger of being stove. The mate asked for
men to volunteer 10 go in the boat, and
O'Neal, Lawson and l volunteered. He gave
orders to cut loose and drop astern. We had
thirty fathoms of tow.line. The life.boat
was then lowered, but having no tow-line the
first sea swept her away. with Daniel Nc
| Dermott and George Williams. As the boat
passed US Charles lawson, who was steering
our boat, passed the men an oar, but the sea
was running so high that they couldn't hold
on, and we soon lest sight of them. The
crew attempted to haul the boat in
BY the tow-.ine, in order to get
into her, but squall striking US they were
obliged to pay out again. The ship was
rolling, SO that every time she showed her
keel and caused a great suction under her
stern The man who was paying out the
line, instead Of paying it out as he should,
threw the entire coil over her stern, and it
was instantly sucked underneath, and in
some manner became entangled in the rud-
der. Every time the ship rolled we were
drawn nearer by the rope winding up under
| the ships keel. When we bad been drawn
within twenty feet of the ship. we sung out
to the mate that we were being
DRAWN UNDER THE STERN.
He told us to hold on a minute and he would
throw out another line, so we could cut the
one we had. He then hove US the deep-sea
lead lire, which we made fast and cat TIE
former. We h2uled the boat up as close ss
we dared, and told the men to slide
down the lire into the water along.
side the boat, and We could get them
| in. After dancing up and down for
half an hour, we attempted to get the boat
nearer. One man slipped down the line 50 as
to touch the bow Of the boat with his feet.
but got scared and climbed back again. The
line then got fast in the rudder, and the next
sea that came parted the line, and We were
adrift. This was about 10 o'clock at night.
We followed tie ship until we saw it was
useless and then managed the boat as best
we could. One man fell in the bottom of the
boat from fatigue, and lay there in the water
till morning. The other laid down in the
stern in the same condition, and | took the
oar and kept her before the sea until morn.
ing. When we parted the line from the ship
we sung out, but received no answer, and
soon
EVERY ONE WAS OUT OF SIGHT.
The next morning we Strengthened the boa.
up and rugged up sail For provisions we
had eight tins of preserved mutton, two tins Of
preserved beet, six tins of salmon, three bot.
ties of brandy, one pound of butter, and
about twenty-five pounds of bread We had
a compass and the mates sextant, and di
rected our course from northeast to east, as
the wind would allow, knowing that we
would make land in that direction. We
finally made land. and, seeing 10 place to
enter, we followed the coast up. Toward
night we saw vessel standing off and on,
which proved to be the Annie Gee, which we
followed in over the bar. There were two
boats on the ship after we got adrift-a large
whale-boat and yawl-and were both good
sea boats. do not think the ship could have
foated longer than morning.
The Collector here has taken charge of the
effects not belonging to those who came in the
boat, among which is the mates log. II con
firms this statement as to the state of tht
weather, and the last entry, made at O'CLOCK
A. on the 9th, says: Strong head
squalls ship tearing herself to pieces every
where pumps constantly going"