Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-10-18
WRECK OF THE B0KHARA
Only Twcnty-Three Saved Out
 of Two Hundred on Board.
SHE WAS STRUCK BY A TYPHooN.
Driven on a Lee Shore--PassengersS Swept Overheard and the Boats Smashed to Pteces--The Ship a Total Loss - Her Cargo Very Valuable.


 Pteces--The Ship a Total Loss - Her
 Cargo Very Valuable.
 LONDON, Oct. 18.-Later despatches concerning the wreck of the Peninsula & Oriental steamship Bokhara in tha channel of Fokien in the China Sea con- firm the first reports of the disaster and give additional details.
 The weather was terrific, and the rag ing waters quenched the fires on tho steamer. The steamer became unman- ageable and sank, and the commander and majority of the officers and crew were lost.
 There were 200 persons on board. Of these 177 were drowned. Twenty passengers, five officers and three ser geants of the Hong Kong garrison were among the lost. Among the saved are Dr. Lowson and Lieut.. Markham.
 Some time after the Bokhara left Shanghai the barometer began to fall, and the vessel was made snug allow and aloft to ride out the gale that was known to be approaching.
 In few more hours the wind was blowing a terrific gale. The steamer was to the westward of Formosa, where ty- phoons are of frequent occurrence, and in the comparatively narrow waterway she did not have safe sea room. The sea was running tremendously high and efforts were made to lay the steamer head on; but with the wind shifting about the compass, a peculiarity of typhoons, this was impossible.
 Soon terribly high cross sea was run ming and che steamer was pitched about like ah empty bottle. Her matches were closely battened down, but the seas that boarded her soon tore the tarpanlins of, aud shortly the matches themselves were lifted and carried overheard. Spare sails were then dashed over the openings, but | these were of little service in preventing | the seas from entering the hold, and soon | tons of water had entered the steamer. Water began to pour into the fire room, | and, though every effort was made to keep it out, it began to gain on the l pumps, which were working at their ut | most capacity.
 l Consternation prevailed among the pas 1 sengers. None of them was allowed on l deck.
 They were mostly Chinese, and had it l not been for the fact that they were | locked below many would undoubtedly | have jumped into the sea. | Soon the coal passers and firemen were | drowned out by the water rising in the | fire room, and few moments later the | fires were eXtinguished.
 The situation of the ship was now most l precarious. Hawsers were thrown out to keep the vessels head up to the wind, but she broached to, and she was soon l rolling and pitching fearfully in the cross seas that were pounding her, and very | often making clean breaches over her. Suddenly, above the bowling and shrieking of the wind, dull, booming sound was heard, and those on board knew they were drifting on a lee shore, and that the sound they heard was the zeA shore.
 Soon through the binding rain land was seen close at hand, and in a few I minutes the steamer struck. Everyone was ordered on deck. The passengers had put on life preservers, but these were of little use, as many of the people were swept overheard and drowned by the Seas breaking over them.
 It was impossible to lower tho boats Those on the windward side ef the steam CT were smashed to pieces soon after she stranded, while those on the lee side could not be approached because of the seas that Were sweeping the steamer s decks.
 All hands huddled under the lee of the deck houses for what little shelter they afforded, but every time a sea surged over the vessel their number grew less, some of them having been carried away | each time
 The twenty-three who were saved man. aged by almost superhuman efforts tc hold on until the storm subsided. Ther they were taken off in an exhausted con dition.
 It is probable that all the rescued will ,1 be brought to Hong Kong on Tuesday
 The steamer Ancona has been sent to the
 wreck.
 | The cargo of the Bokhara was very val
 uable. 1t comprised @ large amount c. specie and large consignment of silk.