The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-09
The Prince Oscar Sunk in Col
lision i'm Mid-0eean.
A CRASH SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT.
suddenly There Loomed Under Her
Bows a Four -Masted Vessel.
The stranger Had No Lights Burning,
When she struck There. Was No
Cry, and When She sank She Left
No Trace-Another Wreck on the
Australian Coast.

Philadelphia, Aug. s.-The British ship
Prince Oscar, from Liverpool. Capt Hem
derson, collided in midoceen July IS with
an unknown sailing vessel. Both ships
sank in less than ten minutes Six men,
bers of the crew of the Prince os ar and
all on board the unknown vessel We're
lost. The survivors. seventeen in num-
ber. Were rescued by the ship pnarwar.
after being in an open boat with neither
food nor water for three days. They
were transferred 10 the steamer Capac
and brought TO this port tonight. The
names of the lost are: William night,
cook Oscar Nelson, seaman. l.. Peter
son. seaman; August Carter. 1. Relap. J
Anderson. steward, and the crew of the
unknown vessel.
The disaster occurred shortly after mid
night, in latitude a:S0 south, longitude
2s:2o west. The Prince Oscar was bound
from Shields. where she left May for
Iquique, laden with coal, but was going
at clipping gait on the port ;ack before
a brisk wind. with all the canvas set.
II is estima ted by the crew that she was
making about 6ie knots an hour, when
suddenly there loomed directly under her
bows a four-masted vessel The mate
asserts that the stranger had no lights
burning, and that after she was sighted
ii was impossible To alter the course of
the Prince Oscar. The iron hull of the
latter struck the unknown ship full amid
ships, knocking her almost on her beam
ends and crashing through the woodwork
until she was more than half buried. The
stranger went over almost on her beam
ends as the Prince Oscar backed away
from the rebound.
AS the crew of the Prince Oscar stood
peering through the darkness they saw
the stranger partly right herself and then
she rapidly began TO sink. They listened
in vain fer some signs of life. but not a
cry for help or a 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
Capt. Henderson. of the Prince Oscar.
who was below in his berth, rushed on
deck just in time TO discover that his ship
was also sinking. The pumps were man
ned. but in less time than 1t takes TO tell
II. IL was discovered that there was no
hope. I.ifeboats We're ordered adrift, and
the men told TO Jump and swim for their
lives They all went overheard. and. with
the exception of two unfortunates. reach
ed the small boats. Capt. Henderson.
who was the last man to leave the ship.
went over in his night garments and
swan fully two miles before he was pick
ed up. Both boats hovered about the
scene until daylight. in an effort to rescue
the two missing members of the Prince os-
cars crew and any members of the crew
of the stranger who might have been for
tunate enough to have kept adoat 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 a heavy sea struck the boat com
manded by Mate Lynch and cspsized II.
The occupants eight In number. were
thrown into the sea. and the already over
crowded craft which the captain com
manded. went to the rescue. They got
four of the men On board. and the rest
were drowned. There were now seventeen
men in the small boat, with nothing TO
eat. nothing TO drink, and barely room 10
stretch their limbs
Toward evening Of the second day one
OF the crew discovered a sPlali case of
fish oil slowed away in the boat. Yhis was
dealt out 20 the survivors in small doses
and they used IL to mosfen their parched
lips and tongues. Most of the men were
partially naked. having no time TO secure
clothes. For three days and nights they
abandon hone they sighted the ship Dhar-
war, from London, bound 10 Melbourne.
They succeeded in attracting the atten-
tion OF those on board, and were soon on
her decks -Four days later they were pat
aboard the Capac for this port All OF
the survivors still bear evidences OF the
sufferings which they endured Capt
Henderson was reticent, preferring not 10
give the full details of the disaster until
he had reported TO the British consul.
which official viii be asked to Invite
naval court OF inquiry and hear the fun
details OF the disaster.