The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-15
Story Told by Members of the
Unfortunate Crew.
DRIFTED ASHORE IN A FOG
Rocky Coast of Vancouver Island Mis-
taken for Cape Flattery.
Hudd1ed for Two Days on the Stranded
Vessel, the Icy Waves Dashing Over
Them-Terrible Experience of the
Captains Wife-Deliverance a. Last.

VICTORIA, NOV. H.-lSpeclal. "A tale OF
shipwreck and disaster was brought here
tonight by the crew of the ill-fated vessel
Sarah. She left New South Wales with coal
for Manila and left Manila on September 20
with cargo of sugar for Vancouver, B. G.
Heavy winds and bad weather prevailed
the whole way across, but the ship, guided
by good hands and being staunch and
strong, weathered everything splendidly,
and at last, on Sunday. sighted Cape Beale
lighthouse
She drifted in the Straits, all wind hav-
ing fallen off, until reaching what Captain
Greenhalgh took to be Flattery light, but
what really was Carminihi point. Drifting
still through the thick mist enveloping
them suddenly came the cry: "Breakers
ahead, and the fog lifting slightly revealed
the shore with enormous breakers DASH
ing into it. One anchor was at once let
go. 1t held for thirty minutes, then
began to drag fast on the uneven pebbly
bottom. Then the other anchor was let
go. 1t held for an hour, but soon this
hold proved futile against the great force
of the breakers, and at 8 o'clock Sunday
night struck bow on with dreadful crash
into the rocks about eighty yards from
! shore.
Orders were given quickly to get the
boats in readiness for launching the vessel
at the time having heeled considerably.
The second mate with nine men
attended to the long boat
while the captain, first officer and
four of the crew tried to get the whale
boat clear man standing on the davits
of the whaleboat was knocked senseless on
deck by wave that swept over the ship
and then rolled off before anyone could
save him into the hold half full of water,
and he drowned like rat.
The captain went to starboard to see
how the others Jared, and was Mortified to
see them putting off from the vessel at-full
speed. He cried out frantically to them to
come back and save his wife and child, but
the wretches, paying no heed to his call.
rowed away, leaving the few people on
board to their fate.
Then followed for two days fearful ex-
periences, during which those on board
the vessel were half frozen and nearly
drowned. On Monday morning and dur
ing that day repeated attempts were made
to launch the whaleboat, but there were
not enough hands, and their efforts proved
futile.
Monday night was spent in the pilot
house, all huddled together like sheep,
half drowned by every wave that swept
over them. They were in fearful plight.
All the time the vessel was tearing and
ripping on the rocks in an awful manner.
AT daybreak of Tuesday the men came
out from their miserable shelter and at
tempted again to launch the boat, but it
was beyond their efforts, and it was
decided to build raft out of
any material available, and at
tempt to reach the shore on it.
SO, as result, at 10 O'Clock on Tuesday
morning they had constructed raft of
boat spars and pieces of doors-a frail and
unsafe craft with which to attempt to go
through the enormous breakers.
The captains wife was lashed securely
to the boards, and then the captain and
steward attempted to reach the shore
with her, the mate having strong
rope attached from the ship in
case of accident. When half way to the
shore a great wave caught the raft and
overturned it, pinning Mrs. Greenhalgh
underneath and throwing two men into
the boiling surf. They managed to
clutch the raft, which was slowly
hauled back to the ship, and on getting
alongside, it was discovered that the
woman was not dead. having been able to
get her head up between two boards out of
the water.
A few hours after the return of the raft
to the vessel it was decided to make one
more attempt to reach shore, after
! strengthening the raft, as it was becom-
| ing more apparent every minute that
the ship was going to pieces and filling
/ fast big wave swept a man named
! Thornton eff from the deck, and he was
| drowned before the eyes of his friends
| who were powerless to save him. The
| same wave, however, did for the ship
| wrecked party what their combined
| strength was not able to do. 1t shifted
| the whaleboat so that they could launch
! it. Not a moment too soon.
| They seized the opportunity thus provi-
| dentally given them, and all
! huddled into the boat as the ship began
| to sink. They showed off Just in time to
| see the whole of the decks and masts ex-
/ plode with the force of the air underneath,
| and with a terrific crash the fragments of
| the bark Sarah fell in the waves about
| them.
| They got near the shore, when the break
| ers caught the boat, throwing the occu-
/ pants out and casting the boat up on top
! of the woman and child. They were res
cued from their perilous position with
| great difficulty. and rough tent was
/ rigged up TO shelter her and her child for
/ that night.
! On Wednesday morning all were res
/ cued by parties of Indians in canoes, who
! took them twenty-six miles. up to white
| mans house on the coast. A tug
/ boat from this city was sent
/ out and brought the shipwrecked
| people back, where they were landed at
! 1880 tonight. All are very much emaci-
| ated and weather-beaten, but grateful to
! Providence for their merciful escape
/ from death. The ten deserters and
/ mutineers whose conduct has caused
| much bitterness and indignation here,
/ were picked up some distance from the
/ wreck by the same steamer and brought
/ here also. Their names are Murphy,
/ O'Connor Carpenter, Smith, HasIett,
/ Purdy. Richards and Nevis. with Second
/ Mate McCurdy.