The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-20

Nagnthcent American Vessel Burned in
the Harbor Of Juan Fernandez


PORT TOWNSEND, Nav ls.-TSpecial. /
The particulars of the loss of the ship
happahannock were received here TODAY.
James Carrow. chief officer of the Ameri-
can ship William A. Campbell, Captain
Lavender, which arrived Yesterday. forty
.lree DAYS from Cailao. was first officer of
the happahannock. He gave to the Posi-
iNfELLlGENcER correspondent a vivid de-
scriptlon of the loss of that vessel on Rob.
lIlson Crusoe's island of Juan Fernandez.
The Rappahannock sailed from Liverpool
July 3, 1891, with 1900 tons of coal for
San Francisco, in command of CAPTAIN
W. II. Dickinson. The first fifty-two
days of the VOYAGE were pleasat.
uhtii latitude 50 degrees south in
the Atlantic ocean, when a succession
Oh heasy west northwest 10 west south
west gales were encountered while doubt
ing cape Horn for the next forty days,
until latitude Sd degrees, Pacific ocean,
was passed. From that time until the
ia'ai DAY the ship had pleasant weather
and ialr wind. Concerning the loss of the
vessel Mr.. Carrow said:
On the afternoon of November Q. when we
were lUo DAYS out from Liverpool, some of the
crew thought they detected "A strong odor of gas
Prehenslon was felt until Il O'Clock that night,
"heh the ominous cry of ''Ship afre' startled
All haads- smoke was observed issuing from
the lore and aft matches. Captain Dickinson
ordered the ship around ana to be steered for
Juan feInandez STAND. The matches were bat
,ehed down The captains family was aboard
inc vessel On account of the strong odor of
gas arising from the cargo the officers and crew
oecame alarmed lie { explosion OF the gas
would occur. Every man aboard worked with a
Will, ana not al effort was spared to save the
magnificent ship from utter destruction.
Every moment IL was expected that the ship
would be blown to atoms A gentle
wind, which at times gave signs of dying out,
slowly carried the Rsppahanuock 10 Robinson
Crusoe's famous land. Huge volumes OF vapor-
ous smoke would break forth, sitting the crew
on the yards, but not man offered to leave the
snip as long as there was hope of saving the
beautiful craft. 1t required eight hours Of anx-
iety before the vessel reached Cumberland har-
Dor There are no whHrves there, and it be-
came necessary to bring the ship close in to
shore and iasten her with large iron cables to
some Old cannon covered with earth in an old
abandoned fort. All of the ships provisions
were taken ashore, and the captains family
safely lodged in a miserable hut called the
white house." and used as the governors res
idehce. SIX hours after arriving in the harbor
the ship Was FAST sails furled and all of the NOV
able furniture and ships instruments taken
ashore. AT midnight the first explosion &C.
CURED, aud from that TIM until 4 o'clock
the following morning three others took place
The ship iurched forward, quivsred. and with a
hnal plunge went down in twenty feet of water
AZ she was sinking the water came in contact
with the fire and gas aud IA terrible loud ex-
p!osion took place. The flame shot upward,
wrapping the rigging and upper decks in sheet
OF seethlng fire. The masts burned like pitch,
ana the topgallnnt yards abiaze illumned the
early morning twilight in most spectacular
manner. AT 10 O'Clock the masts went over the
side, and the vessel burned to the waters edge
The captain and his family remained on the
island twelve days, the guests OF the governor,
furnishing their own provisions, until Chilean
cruiser came along and took the shi pwrecked
crew to Valparaiso Captain Dickinson and his
wife secured passage from Chile to San Fran
cisco on the American war.hip Baltimore
The island of Juan Fernandez bears abundant
evidence OF Notifications used by the Spaniards
acentury ago. The island was utilized as a
convict colony in those days. and the prison
caves where the poor wretches were confined
are still visible Luxuriant growth of vegeta-
ton hides the entrance OF many caves. Inside
old rusty chains and irons, bayonets and pillars
are found in the dirt. The old ruins are in a
fairly good state of preservation. The romantic
illusions OF Crusoe's island are dspellcd when
the miserable, begging, thieving and poverty
stricken Inhabitants come proving around
An abundance of tropical fruit and the milk
and meat of wild goats sustain the people in
idleuess.
Mr.. Carrow got over to Valparaiso a
week after the wreck and there he spent
several months in Chile endeavoring to
return to the United States. He was on
the Sound twenty-five months ago as mate
of the ship Occidental.
The Rappahannock was next to the
Shenandoah, the largest wooden sailing
vessel in the world. She was TWENTY-FIVE
months old and was making her third
voyage at the time of her loss. She was
built at Bath, Me-, by Arthur Sewall, the
great American ship-owner, at q cost of
$685. 900. The vessel was of 1904 tons
register. and took cargo of 400 tons of
wheat, worth Sill, 900, from San Francisco,
and landed it in good condition at Liver
pool last year. In the construction of the
Rappahannock 700 tons of Virginia oak
were used, together with l. 200, 000 feet of
pine timber. Captain Dickinson is well
known on Puget sound, having been here
in command of the ships McNear and
Yorktown.
Mr.. Carlow furnished an additional list
of vessels lost near Cape Horn last winter
10 the Posr-ISTELLIGENCER correspondent.
The wrecks occurred between November
and March:
The British bark Carpathisn, laden with nitre
for Europe. was burned of Cape Massa-a-fewers,
near Cape Horn. and one boat, containing the
lrst mate and sixteen men, was lost
The British bark Kai>o loaded with guano
for Europe, when two dsys out from Valparaiso,
touuderei a. sea The crew were saved.
The British bark Garlock, when rounding
Cape Hora, sprung leak during gale aud was
dsmasted. The vessel was bound from RIO de
Janeiro for IQuique; no lives lost.
The American ship Charles Dennis, from San
Francisco for Europe, wrecked off Cape
Horn. The crew were saved.
The British bark Wamperry, new four
mas:ed vessel. with general cargo from Antwerp
for san Francisco, WAS wrecked off Cape Horn.
All hands were saved.
Y. l.. s. &. T.. Convention.
WALLA WALLA, May 1S-[epecial. THE
third annual state convention OF the
Young Peoples Society of Chris