The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-09

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. S.-1ne 6TluSu
ship Prince Oscar from Liverpool, Cap
tain Henderson, collided in midocean July
10 with an unknown sailing vessel. Both
ships sank in less than tn minutes. SIX
members of the crew of the Prince Oscar
and all on board the unknown vessel
were lost. The survivors, seventeen IN
number, were rescued by the ship Dhar-
war, after being confined in an open boat
with neither food nor water for three
days. They were transferred to the Brit
ish steamship Capac, from Pisaqua, and
brought to this port tonight.
The names of the lost are:
William knight, cook, of South Shields.
Oscar Nelson, seaman, of Christiana.
L. Peterson, seaman, of Denmark.
August Carton, deck boy, of Ostend.
l. Relap, OF Douglas, Isle of Man.
j. Anderson, steward, of Liverpool.
The entire crew of the unknown vessel.
The Crash.
The disaster occurred shortly after
midnight in latitude $50 south, longitude
rs 20 west. The Prince oscar was bound
from Shields, where she left May 9Th for
Iqueque, laden with coal, and was going
at a clipper gait on the port tack before
a brisk wind and all canvas set. 1t is es-
timated by the crew that she was making
about 81 knots an hour when suddenly
there doomed up directly under their bow
a four master vessel. The mate asserts
that the stranger had no lights burning
and after she was sighted it was impos-
Sible to alter the course of the Prince OS-
car The iron hull of the latter struck
the unknown full amidSh pS, knocking hSr
almost on her beam ENDS and crashing
through the woodwork until her Prov
was more than half buried. The stranger
went over almost on her beam ends rs
the Prince Oscar backed away from the
rebound. AS the crew of the Prince Os
car stood peering through the darkness
they saw the stranger partly right her
self and then she rapidly began to sink.
They listened in vain for some signs of
life, but not a cry for help nor a word
OF command came from the stricken yes
sci In less than four minutes from the
time she was struck, the stranger keeled
over and plunged stern first into the
depths Selow. Captain Henderson, of
BERTH rushed on deck just in time to dis
cover that his ship was also sinking.
No Hope.
The pumps We're manned, but in less
time than it takes to tell it was discover
ed that there was no hope from that
source Life boats were ordered cut
adrift and the men We're told TO Jump
and swim for their lives. They all went
overheard and with exception of two I'M
fortuna ties, reached the small boats
Captain Henderson, who was the last
man TO leave the ship, went over in his
night garments and swain fully two miles
before he was picked up. Both boats
lowered about the scene of the wreck I'M
til 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 afioat. They found
no one, however, and nothing TO indicate
the name, home or destination of their
companion in misfortune. Finally they
left the scene and headed they knew not
exactly where. Twenty-four hours later
Ii heavy sea struck the bote-Commanded
by Mate Lynch and capsiZed it. The oc-
cupants, eight in number, were thrown
into the sea and the already oVercrowded
craft which Captain Henderson COM
manded put quickly to the rescue. They
were successful in getting four of the
men on board; the rest wer.e drowned.
There were now seventeen men in the
small lifeboat with nothing 10 eat, moth
ing to drink and barely room to stretch
their limbs. Towards evening of the sec
ond day one of the crew discovered a
small cask of fish oil slowed away in the
boat. This was dealt out to the survivors
in small doses. and they used it to moiS
ten their parched lips and tongues.
Most of the men were partially naked,
having no time 10 secure clothes.
In the Nick OF Time.
For three DAYS and nights they foated
and just as they were about to abandon
hope they sighted a ship near Dharwar
from London bound to Melbourne. They
succeeded i'll attracting the attention of
decks. Four DAYS later, in latitude 1873
south, longitude 37:3 west, they We're put
aboard the Capac, bound for this port.
All of the survivors still bear evidences
of the sufferngS which they endured.
Captain Henderson was reticent. prefer
ring not to give the full dccails of the dis
aster until ne had reported to the British
consul which official will &c asked to in
stitute a naval court of inquiry and hear
the full details of the disaster.
After some persuasion, however, Cap
tain Henderson said: ION the night of
July Is, when the collision occurred, L had
lust turned in leaving the deck in charge
of the chief officer. The wind was south
west and squally aud there was consid-
cradle sea. We were going along posi-
bly, 61s knots an hour, with everything
set The mate saw nothing of the ap-
preaching vessel until she was almost on
top of us and he positively asserts she
was without side lights. She had every
stitch of canvas set and was jumping
through the water at a lively rate. Con-
sequently when both vessels came togeth-
er the crash was terrific and the damage
was sufficient 10 cause both to so to the
bottom within ten minutes. Not a sound
came from those on board the unknown
ship and at the expiration of five minutes
the tops of her masts were seen sinking
beneath the surface of the water"
Captain Henderson is we'll advanced in
years and has followed the sea since a
r11ere how this being his FIRST accident