The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-04-07
AN AWFUL ShIPWRECK.

AN AWFUL ShIPWRECK.
The Steamship Ouetta Lost Near Cook
town-Appal1ng Loss Of Life-Har-
rowing Scenes.
By the R. Nj. S. Mariposa full particu-
lars of the wreck of the steamship Quetta
at Cooktown have been received. The |
vessel on the homeward voyage struck
on rock which, it is said, is not marked
on the chart, near Cooktown, with terri
BILE force, splitting her completely
through. There was fearful confusion
among the passengers who rushed about
the deck wildly in despair, and crying
for help. The vessel sank in three min
utes after striking A large number OF
those on board went down with the YES
sci. The location of the disaster is in
the vicinity of Mount Adolphus, and the
Two Brothers. Island. The awfulness
with which the steamer sank made it
impossible for anyone below to reach the
deck, and all the engineers were drowned.
The vessel passed over the rock at the
rate of twelve knots an hour. The re-
vlsed list of passengers and others on
board of the Inflated steamer show that
1877 persons were saved, while 145 were
drowned. The cargo was insured for
$3.50, 900, and the steamer for $4,000,
, principally in English and American
, Offices.
The captain states that he was on the
bridge with the pilot when the vessel
J struck. He at once rushed to the end of
the saloon deck, and instructed the chief
officer to get the boats out. He then
rushed forward, and as he found the ship
settling by the head, he endeavored to
j., get the women into the boats, but she
sank rapidly and he had only time to
clutch the rigging and throw himself in
to the water, when the stern of the
. steamer rose completely out of the water.
The vessel then heeled over and went
down. The captain undressed himself
in the water and swan about for half an
hour before he was picked up by the
life boat, which was already full of peo-
pie, and the water, which was rather
: broken, washing over the gunwale. All
hands but four jumped out of the boat
with the view of having her baled out,
but the state of the water prevented this
being done, and all got into the boat
: again This boat reached the land at
I l in the morning, one of the other life
: boats searching the shore before it. The
+ captain at once gave orders for it to 60
J.. out and search for the survivors. She
q returned full, having picked up all Wis.,
ible After the vessel struck the men
rushed to the boat stations and cleared
| A. A. g 40 .:I .kol ~
D launching of the two boats, otherwise the
: loss OF life would have been far greater
Not vestige OF the vessel remains.
One of the passengers states that he
was sitting in the front of the hatch with
q his wife and children when the vessel
struck. The captain called all hands
aft, but the second steward said " All
+ right" that the vessel had only stopped
to anchor Terrible confusion ensued, es-
> pecially among the women. The colored
l portion of the crew were particularly
noisy and unmanageable. The forward
l hatch was blown several feet into the
5 air by pressure from below. One lifeboat
: was lowered to the waters edge as the
t vessel was sinking, but, being rushed by
the Javanese, was swamped. His wife
jumped off the ship into the sea, and he
. followed shortly after with child in his
arms. He never saw his wife afterwards.
r When in the water he was held up by a
l colored man, and in the struggle lost the
: child, which was drowned. He next got
of persons were clinging, and assisted to
. ! get her upright, when water was baled
, , out, and all hands, numbering about sew
enty, got in. The land was over three
5 miles away from the scene of the wreck.
3 The officers on the bridge threw life
. buoys overheard, and all the officers and
, men did their best The survivors suf-
fered very much from cold during the
, night.
sad case in connection with the
y wreck was that of Mrs Jackson and her
two children. Her husband was drowned
3 few weeks before in the Brisbane river,
and she and her family were lett PENN.
less. She expressed wish to return to
England, and the public subscribed
: sufficient funds to defray the cost of hel
passage. 1t is feared three of them are
lost.
A saloon passenger named Cape, who
!. was lost, was on his way home to in
: herit fortune of 955 900. He had pre-
:, viously been working as a laborer al
Beenleigh for some months for Ell pei
q week. He was refused passage as the
i vessel was full, but induced the shipping
q company to give him a berth on pay
ment of EGO over the ordinary fare,
Mr.. J. 7. Arundel, we'll known il
e Honolulu, was to have taken passage on
n the steamer from Thursday Island, bu
y as there is no mention of his name in the
:. paper from which the above account il
taken, it is evident that the steamer hac
s not reached Thursday Island.
?.