The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-11

to know the fate of the forty or more Eng
lish souls that sailed with the sugar packet
The news has leaked out that it was not
the waves that claimed all of them as
prey. 1t is believed that as each half.
drowned sailor dragged himself from the
surf upon the beach he was murdered in
cold blood by the natives of the island.
Advices to the effect were brought by the
steamer China, and came to hand SatuT-
day afternoon.
The story of the Morayshire and the
Blair Athole is one OfthOse strange dramas
of the sea that has had no closing act.
There are many strange condolences
connected with It's various phases.
These ships, the fate of which is now
known almost to q certainty, were bot b
sugar laden, of nearly the same age, built
at the same place and engaged in the same
traffic. Both were bound for Vancouver,
British Columbia. and have each been
gone nearly two years.
1t is supposed nearly 100 lives were sac
riiced by the loss of the two vessels, yet
the press refrsined from commenting too
freely upon their probable demise because
nothing was known positively. All was
conjecture, wild suppositioD,T that Or
Iginated no one knows where and went
the way of all rumors.
Some little light was shed upon the
whereabouts of the Moravshire when on
February s, 1894. the British General,
which arrived on that date at Vancouver
from Java, brought news of the wreck of
large ship on the reef of Warren Hast
ings Island. The General passed there on
December 4. 1893 The natives told the
captain that the crew of the vessel was
drowned in the surf, not a man escaping
This wreck sighted by the General has
proven TO be that OF the Morayshire.
A ships bell, compass and several
trinketS that have been identified as the
OroDertv nf (lanfain Manatf haua hnan
covered and are either in the possession
Of the officers Of thes Pallas or the Admir-
atty officials.
The news is now that the English Gov
eminent does not believe the story told by
the natives declaring that all of the
Morayshire's crew were drowned. 1t
thinks that it is more than likely that a
number of the men were murdered and
the ship subsequently looted. Then again
ii is thought possible that some of the sur
viVors may have got safely ashore or put
out 10 sea in boats, landing at some of the
neighboring islands, where they are per-
haps at the present day W aiting the ar
rival of a relief expedition.
Soon after the British General reported
the finding OF the hull of the MorayshiTe
the story was told that the Blair Athole
had foundered at sea when $50 DAYS out
from her port OF clearance This story ia
now verified, inasmuch as 1t is said that
THE English Government has learned posi-
lively the fate of the Blair AthoIe. AS
reported TO the Admiralty and 10 the
owners, the vessel shifted her cargo while
in hurricane in the Pacific Ocean. and
being very cranky ship she went over on
her beam end and foundered in a few min
utes, all hands being lost" No partition.
lars are given as TO how this news was re-
ceived.
Regarding the Morayshire, information
is more definite. a British bark visited
Warren Hastings Island several months
after the British General made her report.
which was as follows, and is now printed
for the first time:
While off the northeast coast of Java
we touched at Hastings Island. A large
four-masted bark was sighted ashore on
an outlying reef. She was pretty badly
wrecked, her fore, main and mlZzen NJ asts
being broken off close to the deck, Her
stern was battered in and lay in an almost
submerged position.
I'VE passed the Island on December
1893, and sent boat ashore toSlearn what
ship Ii was. The natives did not know.
but said that the craft had been driven
ashore about ten months previously and
that all OF her crew had persisted in the
breakers"
The British bark that followed tbe Gen.
eral In visiting the island secured some
very conclusive evidence. The commander
OF the Pallas Will be guided by the follow
ing Information brought by it:
The wreckage secured is that of the
missing ship Morayshire. A cutters stern
board marked with the name of the shin
was secured. The natives say that onlv
one bOatload of men put off from the shin
when she struck. The boat was capsizad
and all were drowned in the surf. The
balance OF tnel crew must have deserted