The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-08-15
MIDOCEAN
The Prince Oscar and an I'm.
known Vessel Sunk.
"a ONE FROM THE LATTER SAVED
prnisb steamer Catterhun Was
wrecked OF Cape Hawk, and
sixty Persons Drowned.

wrecked OF Cape Hawk, and
sixty Persons Drowned.
Philadelphia, August 1O.-The Brit
;,b shin Prince Oscar, from Liverpool,
/ r1,t.in Henderson, collided in mid
'.dsn July ID, with an unknown sail
~, vessel Both ships sank in less
han t4p minutes. Six members of the
.r..,r # the Prince Oscar and all ON
I,,.rd tbe unknown vessel were lost.
rbe survivors, seventeen in number,
were rescued by the ship Dharwar,
sfter being i'll an open boat with
neither food nor water for three days.
They were transferred to the steamer
ranac. from Pisaqua, and brought to
hi. mort tonight. The names of the
lost are:
william Knight, cook; Oscar Mel
son seaman; f. Peterson. seaman; Au-
gost Carton, l. Relap, J. Anderson,
seward; the entire crew of the I'M
Known vessel.
The disaster occurred soon after
midnight III latitude $3.50 south, lon
gitnde 2S.20 west.
The Prince Oscar was bound from
Shields. where she left May 8, for
Iouiaue, laden with coal, and was
going at a clipping gait, on the port
nck. before a brisk wind, and all cam
/ vas was set. 1t is estimated by the
crew that she was making about 6 12
knots an hour, when suddenly there
doomed up directly under her bow
four-masted vessel. The mate asserts
that the stranger had no lights burn
mg. and after she was sighted, it was
impossible to alter the course of the
Prince Oscar. The iron hull of the
latter struck the unknown ship full
amidships, knocking her almost Oh her
beamends, and crashing through the
woodwork until her Prov was half
buried. The stranger went over at
once on her beamends, as the Prince
Oscar backed away from the rebound.
Afterward the Prince Oscar stood
by. Through the darkness, her Off
GERS saw the stranger right herself, and
then she rapidly sank. They listened
in vain for some sign of life, but not a
cry for help nor word of command
came from the stricken vessel. In less
than four minutes from the time she
was struck, the stranger keeled over
and plunged stern first into the depths
below.
Captain Henderson, of the Prince
Oscar, who was below i'll his berth,
rushed On deck just in time to discover
that his ship was also sinking. The
pumps were manned, but in less time
than it takes to tell, it was discovered
that there was no hope from that
source, Lifeboats were ordered cut
adrift and the men told to jump and
swim for their lives They all went
overheard, and with the exception of
two unfortunates, reached the small
boat
Captain Henderson, who was the
last to leave the ship, went over in his
night garments and swan fully two
miles before being picked up.
Both boats cruised about the scene
until daylight in an effort to rescue the
two missing members of the Prince
Oscars crew and any members OF the
crew Of the stranger, who might have
been fortunate enough to have kept
ahoat They found no one, however,
and nothing to indicate the name,
home or destination of the strange
ship. Finally they left the scene and
headed they knew not exactly where.
-Four hours later heavy sea struck
the boat commanded by Mate Lynch
and capsized it. The occupants, eight
III number, were thrown into the sea,
and the already overcrowded craft,
which Captain Henderson commanded,
put quickly to the rescue. They were
successful in taking four men on
board, the rest drowning.
There We're now seventeen men In
The small lifeboat, with nothing to eat,
nothing to drink and barely room to
Nretch their limbs. Toward evening
u the second day one of the crew dis
covered small case of fishoil slowed
away III the lifeboat. This was dealt
out to the survivors in small doses, and
uey used ii to moisten their parched
Ups and tongues. Most of the men
were partially naked, having had no
TIME to secure clothes.
FOR three days they fioated, and just
"> lleN were about TO abandon hope
|ey sighted the ship Dharwar, from
London, bound to Melbourne. They
succeeded in attracting the attention
VI 'hoSe on board, and were soon Oh
nef deck -Four days later they were
put aboard the Capac for this port. AL
/ VI lhe survivors still bear evidence OF
ut Sufferlngs which they endured.