Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-06
ARER THAN DUTY.
LIE
Captain Alien of the Steamer Viz caya Does
Not Behave in Brave Manner.

New YORK, Nov. Up to last even
ing the list of rescued from the steamer
Vizcaya foots up to AZ, leaving 67 persons
missing. Second Mate Walker, of the
schooner Hargrave, who was picked up by
a pilot boat this morning gives a most
lucid account of the steamer VlZcaya about
FIVE miles off The schooner's lights were
burning and must have been plainly visi-
bic on board the steamer. The schooner
was moving at the rate of eight knots an
hour and the vessels rapidly nearing each
other, Walker turned on the flare light
to show that the Spaniard sailing vessel
was near out he held his way and Walker
called Captain Allen. When the daller
came on deck he looked at the Spaniard
closely and said that he thought the
schooner would clear him and held on
his way, as Walker watched the two YES
sells drawing nearer. Nearer he become
convinced that there would be a collision
and finally ventured to say so to the cap
tain. Yes we will hard apart" be
shouted but it was too late and In an in
slant the vessels struck. 81 saw our bow
spirit sweep along the Spaniards deck, . con-
Ginued Walker, and the men whom [ took
to be the captain was knocked off the
bridge Then the vessels swung slowly
about until almost side by side, and then
steamer, while the men and women dart
ed about her deck. A moment after the
crash, as panic stricken people began
jumping ON to our deck, in hope of find
ing safety, Captain Allen shouted to me.
Walker, keep them back. Let's save
our own crew first. To the boats, men.
He himself with an axe cut
away a long boat and jumped in, the first
mate and three Of Our crew following. |
was fighting the gang of Spaniards who
were bent on getting to our boats. Sud
denly on looking around [ saw that Allen
had showed off with his four companions.
The boat would easily have carried six
teen, jumped into the rigging and
shouted to him for Gods sake to come
back and not desert us. The coward however
made off leaving most Of the crew to per-
ISL. There were ten of Us on the Bragraves
all told. My runaway comrades, with a
lot Of Spaniards, were climbing the rig
ging, but | grabbed a big gane-plank and
jumped overheard with it. When | came
to the surface again thirteen Of the Span
1ard's men were ciinging to the plank
with me. There was a heavy swell on and
frequently our frail raft was turned bottom
side up Each time it was righted some
one was gone, until, within two hours, |
was left alone. On all sides of me the
most intense quiet reigned, when at
first there was an endless chorus Ct
screams and prayer for aid there was moth
ing now but silence and think would
have gone crazy had not seen barngate
light flashing and began to paddle in
that direction but finally realized that |
was drifting out to sea and not making
one inch toward shore. | saw several yes
sells but my feeble cries were not heard.
About o'clock in the morning ! heard g
feeble cry to my right and | saw a
Spaniard on a raft Of spar8 bette
than mine and swan over to him. He
could speak no English and | could speak
70 Spanish, but we shook han Is silently
there and felt that W would die together.
He was so weak that he had been washed
off his raft. helped him ON if again and
then climbed on it myself, and not very
long after we were picked up by pilot
boat