Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-10-20
ONLY 20 ESCAPE DEATH.

All the Others, Including the Conn
mander and Crew, Drowned or Dashed
to Death by the Tremendous Breakers
1.-The Exact Number of Victims Not
Yet Known.
HONG KONG, CHINA, Oct 17.-lntelli-
gence has been received here confirming
the worst fears regarding the Peninsular
and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's
steamer Bokhara, reported i'll these dis
patches Saturday rs being several days
overdue ut this port from Shanghai. The
Bokhara sailed from Shanghai October
Sth for Hong Kong, and should have ar
rived here October 18th ut the latest. II
was known that typhoon had swept over
the China sea, and the agents of the steamer
thought that her machinery might have
become disabled in the gale and that she
was proceeding under sail.
The two vessels sent after her reports
that the Bokhara was found u total wreck
on sand Island. lying in the channel of
Fokin, between the Island of Formosa and
the Chinese mainland. Only 20 persons
on board the Bokhara were saved, the lost
including the commander of the steamer
and the greater part of her officers and
crew. The number of passengers she had
on board is not yet known. She carried
the mails and these without doubt are
lost.
1t has been learned that sometime after
the Bokhara left Shanghai the barometer
began to fall and the vessel was made snug
and left to ride out the gale that was
known to be approaching. In few hours
the wind was
BLOWING A TERRIFIC GALE.
The steamer was to the westward of
Formosa where typhoons are of frequent
occurrence and i'll the comparatively mar
row waterway she did not have safe sea
room. The sea was running tremendously
high and efforts We're made to lay the
steamer head on, but with the wind shift
ing ABOUT the compass, popularity of the
typhoon, this was impossible. Soon
TERRIBLY HIGH CROSS SEA
was running and the steamer was pitched
about like an open boat. Her matches were
closed down but the sea that boarded her
soon tore the larpins off and soon the
matches themselves were lifted and carried
overheard. Spare sails were then dashed
over the openings, but these We're of little
service i'll preventing the seas from enter
ing the hold and soon tons of water had
entered the steamer. Water began pour
ing into the fire room, and though every
effort was made to keep il out it began to
gain on the pumps, which were working
at their utmost capacity.
coNsTERNATtoN PREVAILED
among those in the cabin and though they
fully realized their danger they were far
more calm than the Storage passengers.
Among the latter pandemoniun reigned.
They We're mostly Chinese. and had il not
been for the fact that they were locked
below many of them would undoubtedly
have thrown themselves into the sea.
soon the cabin passers and iremen
WERE DROWNED OUT,
the water rising in the iireroom, and few
minutes later the fires were extinguiShcd
The donkey boiler on the main deck was
kept going, however, and the pumps con
tinued to work, keeping the water from
gaming as rapidly as II otherwise would
have done. Once the fires were ouI, the
vessel was unmanagable. 1t was i'm
possible to set any canvass. Storm stay
sails had been set to steady the steamer at
the beginning Of the gale, but they had
been blown from the bolt ropes and
carried off Even some OF the furled sails
were blown from their gaskets and lost.
The situation of the ship
WAS NOW MOST rREcARrous.
Hawsers were thrown out to keep the
vessels head up to the wind, but She
broached to and was soon rolling and
pitching fearfully in the cross sea that was
pounding her and very often making clean
breaches over her. Suddenly, above the
bowling and shrieking Of the wind
DULL BOOMING WAS HEARD
and those on board knew they were drift
ing on lee shore, and that the noise they
heard was the sound of the gigantic rollers
crashing up on land. soon through the
binding rain those aboard saw shore, and
in few minutes the steamer struck.
| Everybody was ordered on deck The
passengers had put on life prcservers, but
these were Of little use as many of the
people were
SWEET OVERLOOKED AND DROWNED.
| by the seas breaking over them. 1t was
| impossible to lower the boats. Those on
starboard side of the steamer were smashed
to pieces soon after she stranded, while
| these ON the lee side could not be ap.
| preached because of the seas that were
sweeping the steamers decks. All hands
huddied under the Ice of the deck for what
little shelter they afforded but every time
a sea serged over the vessel
| HER NUMBER GREW LESS,
some Of them having been carried away
| The % who were saved managed by almost
| superhuman efforts to hold on until the
storm subsidized. Then they were taken off in
On exhausted condition. 1t is probable that
all the rescued were brought to Hong Kong
| Tuesday. The steamer Ancona has been
l Al.