The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-09-21
MANY FATHOMS DEEP

Lies the China steamer Catterthun on
Seal Rock, with Fifty-Fivs Human Vic
tims-The Disaster Due to Some Myste-
rious Current Which Carried the Vessel
on the Eocks-StOryo of u Survivor who
Had IL FrenionitIon.
New YORK. Sept. 15.-The Herald
this morning prints the following:
VANCOUVER, i. c., Sept. 1.-THE
%o,0O0-ton China steamer Catterthun,
bound from Sydney to China with
eighty-one human beings on board, is
lying MANY fathoms deep off Seal
rock, near Port Stephens lighthouse.
Only twenty-six lives were saved.
The terrible details of the catastrophe
fill many pages of the Australian pa
pers.
The following are the names of the
drowned:
L. Fraser. T. Smith, Mrs. Matthias,
Mrs. Loring. Miss Loring, Neil ShaD
non, Liverpool.
Master W. 7. Pinney, chief officer.
Harold Letter, third officer.
r. IL. Anderson, engineer.
J. W. Adams, third engineer.
A. WolstendhOlm, fourth engineer.
r. Manning, chief steward, and
Forty-one Chinese.
The accident was due to currents
drifting the steamer on the rocks in
the fury and darkness of the storm.
Mrs. and Miss Loring were the wife
and daughter OF the secretary of the
Imperial Federation league of Aus
tralia and were well known in san
Francisco, having been on their way
there, via China.
At the coroner's inquest it was en-
phatically proved that the steamer
was being steered all right, and that
the only way to account for the vessel
striking was that some mysterious
current carried her on the rocks.
Following is an account of the dis
aster by a survivor, DIR. Copeman,
which most accurately and briefly de-
tails the circumstances of the disaster:
Il was returning to England by way
of China via Vancouver, L. C.. l had a
p~remonition that the Catterthun was
going to be wrecked and took passage
with another steamer. but a friend
persuaded me to go by the Catterthun.
AT . o'clock on the morning after
the steamer had sailed a violent storm
arose and the sea swept over the vessel
and at 2:30 | was shot out of the bunk
by a terrible shock. which was fol-
lowed by a second one. brushed on
deck and found the steamer listed and
rapidly settling. An officer told me
r-a hoI rtr,o1-a -0ol- Ill., NJ
screaming. The skipper was as cool
as possible, and told the passengers
not to get excited. In the meantime
the steamer was being washed away
in pieces.
Capt. Shannon gave orders follower
the boats, and Immediately afterwards
he was washed overheard and drowned.
As the boats were lowered they were
dashed to pieces or swept away. At
last only the starboard boat was left
There were thirteen people in it. 1t
was torn from the davits and washed
away. Isprang into the sea, and was
picked up by Chinaman. We rescued
twelve more, the Chinaman working
heroically.
THE last one we pulled in was a
European. He dropped limp in the
stern. / asked: who are you?'
He said: It's Fawkes, old chap; thank
God
1--WE tossed about. standing to all
night, with seas washing over us, and
were picked up by a fishing boat in the
morning"
The cargo of the vessel was very
valuable. Among the cargo were TO-
600 svereigns. Divers will be IN
ployed to all the cargo posi-
BILE.