Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-12-18
A WHALER WRECKED.
Twenty-Five of Her Crew Drowned
The Officers and a Few sailors saved.
SAN Francisco, Cal. Dec. II.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, Dec. IL
Al 80 FRIDAY morning the whaling bark
Atlantic was driven ashore mile and half
below the Cliff House and went to pieces in a
few minutes, NOT spar remaining standing.
/. The wreck was strewn along the beach for
fthree or four miles. About twenty-five men
are believed to be lost. The captain and
mate with eight or ten men were saved. The
bark belonged 10 K W. R. Wing of New
| B. dford, Mass. She had discharged her
Arctic cargo. shipped new crew. and sailed
Yesterday for cruise in the North. she
Was commanded by Thomas P Warren of
Southampton, L. [. Zenas E. Dotv of Fall
mouth. was mate. She was valued at ab lut
| SO 100, and there is no insurance as far as
known.
! AT the time of the disaster there was a
dense fog and heavy sea running. The
| Atlantic lett here Yesterday for cruise in
/ the Southern Pacific, after which she was to
proceed to the North. The Atlantic was an
old vessel. having been built in 1851 and wa.
Of Psi tons register. It's not yet possible to
ascertain the names of the lost or saved.
! The following is Capt. Warren's state
ment of the wreck: 1--WE were towed out to
sea Yesterday. There was heavy head
swell and no wind and the currents were 40
strong we could not get out of the swell. We
decks and was so heavy the anchors could
nor hold, dragged ashore and struck at l 80
| Men were being washed off during all this
| time by the immense waves that dashed over
| US. The vessel went to pieces an hour and a
half after she struck. There was a very
heavy fog and it was pitch dark. We sue
ceeded in lowering two boats, but both were
capszed before getting two boat lsngths from
the snip. The first boat contained z Ii.
Dotv, first mate, Anton Perry, third mate
and four or five of the crew. That was the
last seen of them. In the second boat were
myself, second pate Ring and five men.
When We were swamped the sea carried us
in until we touched bottom when we dragged
ourselves ashore. We made no signals of
distress as 1t was too toggy for any to be
seen"
As soon as the captain reached shore he
made his way in an expausted condition to
the life saving station, few hundred yards
away and gave the alarm. The life saving ap-
paratus was Immediately cotton out but ow-
ing to the darkness and fog it was some time
| before the wrecked vessel could be located
| A line was then shot over to her, but it
| proved of no service as it became entangled
in some of the floating wreckage and the ves-
sels shortly went to pieces.
1t is rumored that a large portion of the
crew were intoxicated and 25 men were be-
low sleeping of the effects OF the liquor when
the vessel struck. There is some doubt as to
the number of persons on the illfsted bark.
When she left yesterday the custom house
records give the number as AZ, while the
captain states there were but 3S persons on
board. Ship captains and pilots express the
opinion that the tug that towed the vessel
out left her TOO soon. She should have take q
her al least four miles further out to sea
when she would have been beyond the in
shore sweep of the incoming tide.