The herald., 1895-12-27
THE STRATRNEWS IS SAFE
After Many Months of Drifting
on Stormy Seas
HER MACHINERY DISABLED
The Crew and Passengers Gave Up
All Hope
The Stsamer nineoIa Comes to Her Aid and
Tows Her Into Port-The Mic.
vera Missing
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
PORT TOWNSEND, WASH, Dec. 26.-The
steamship Strathnevis, which sailed from
Tacoma October IL for the Orient, and
was about given up for lost, arrived in
port at midnight in tow of the steamer
Mineola. The officers report remark
able voyage, one filed with dangers and
prvatons. On Mon,iay afternoon last all
hope of saving the vessel was abandoned
and life RATS and boats were manned in
preparation for leaving the vessel as she
was in imminent danger of drifting ashore
on Destruction island.
Grave fears are now entertained for the
safety of the Australian amship Mio-
vera, which had the Strathnevis in tow for
five days. The captain of the MiOwera
personally a sured the chief officer of the
disabled steamship that his vessel would
stand by at all hazards to render assist
ance.
Ten miles off Cape Flattery last Friday
afternoon, during violent gale, the two
steel haw.ers parted suddenly and the
Miowera disappeared in the storm. The
Miowera had had the Strathnevis in tow
for five days and had exhausted the larger
part of her fuel, and the master told Cap
tain Pattie that the Miowera would have to
return to Puget Sound for coal.
The log of the Straihnevis tells a story
tn at is seldom duplicated in the annals of
maritime history, and more especially in
the North Pacific ocean.
Leaving Victoria October 13 with 173
Chinese and Japanese passengers and
forty-one officers and crew with a
moderate weather, running at speed
of ten knots was made until October
20 at 7:4O in the morning, in latitude
nd
when the ship experienced terrific shock,
the crash sounding like an explosion of a
cannon. The big steamer trembled fore
and aft and lay quivering. The shaft had
snapped short off close to the propeller,
and which dropped clear of the vessel and
gale was coming on and all sail was crowd
ed on, which consisted of two small masts
without yards. schooner rigged.
The accident occurred about $50 miles
south of Unalaska. Slowly the gale car
ried the Strathnevis to the uIhwest, and
it was two days later before she could
make any progress to the east From that
time on, after temporary yards of frail
nature had been rugged. under a zigzag
course she sailed slowly toward Cape Flat
terry until November l, when she fell in
with the bark John Gamble, which was in
latitude 49.3 north aud longitude Ids west,
which was the most northern point rea ached.
met and many setbacks were encountered
which lasted several days at time. On
December Is she was sighted by the royal
mail steamer Miowera, bound from Van
couver to Hawaii. and al noon was taken
in tow for Esquimaut. Every day brought
a heavy gale or tremendous ocean sweils
and the Strathnevis would get into the
trough of the seas and roll frightfully. IN
fortunately the 4-inch steel hawsers parted
at l o'clock the next morning, after cover
ing 1O6 miles. This serious mishap was
not successfully overcome, owing to the
cember 20, all of which time the Miowera
hovered close by, and then another steel
hawser and 12-inch MANILA rope was
gotten aboard and the Strathnevis was
again taken in tow. Mat ers prog
ressed favorably until last Monday even
ing when Tatoosh light was a dozen
miles distant and then the steamer ran
into a terrific southwest gale, accompanied
by rain and thick weather.
In the midst of this storm both hawsers
snapped and the rescuing steamer disap-
peared in squat, leaving the Sir ,thnevis
helpless before the wind and sea, drifting
toward shore in the vicinity of DGstruc-
ton island. A few hours before observa-
taions had been taken and it was then
reckoned the steamer hal about TWEEN y
miles to drift in an easterly direction be-
fore striking the coast. The situation ap-
peared desperate. The sails were not
large enough to afford steering power and
the machinery was powerless to render
assistance. Both the passengers and crew
realized the awful situation and loudly did
the Strathnevis whistle blow in vain for
help. A consultation was held by Captain
Patio and his officers, and preparations
were made to abandon the ship. Life RATS
and boats were provisioned and all hands
were preparing for the worst. The gale
continued and rain fell in torrents. Through
the uproar preparations were made for the
last resort when there came the dreadful
roar of breakers bursting over destruction
island. The roar sounded like artillery and
struck the mems heart with a chill and the
steamers whistle blew great blasts in vain.
Captain Pattie ordered the anchors placed
over the bows ready to let go. The task
was difficult indeed in such a sea. At an
opportune time the gale commenced to
moderate and the seas slowly subsided.
The shore was only q few miles distant and
the lead noted thirty-eight fathoms of
water. AT 2 o'clock Tuesday morning the
port anchor was dropped. but failed to stop
the progress of the ship, and she steadily
urifted brosdside onto shore.
Slowly the chain swung her head out to
sea. though the strain was SO intense that
tho windlass could not check it and the
anchor and chain ran out and went to the
bottom. C1iicky all hands turned to and
got the stafboard anchor down, which held,
and the big steamship swung her bow out
to sea, chat ig away as though anxious to
break away and drift onto the rocks and
certain destruction.
Moraing dawnei and not sail or ves-
tige of smoke obscured the horizon. At
10 o'clock. though the dangerous sea was
running high, Purser Mcdonald, Second
Officer Balm and three Japanese sailors
volunteered to make the attempt to reach
d structon Island in small boat, in
hopes of telegraphing to Port Townsend
for assistance.
AT noon Tuesday the steamship Mineola,
Captain Pillsbury. from Tacoma for San
francisco, came in sight and offered its
services. She was closely followed by the
Nicarsguan steamer Costa Rca. After
agreeing to leave the question of compen.
sation to the courts, the Mineola took the
Strathnevis at o'clock, intending to go to
Victoria, but the weather was not such as
to warrant vessels going there. Just after
taking her in tow the hawser parted, and
the ship began TO drift ashore. However,
another hawser WAS gotten on hoard, and
| the vessel was brought to Port Townsend
| For the last two weeks the principal diet
aboard has been salmon, flour and con-
| densed food.
4 c. = :.