The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-11-21
THE STORY OF A WRECK
Survivors Tell of the Destruction Of
the British Ship Atlanta.
TWENTY THREE LIVES LOST,

Including All the Omcers or the ves-
sel-only Three Sailors Survive to
Tell of the Disaster-The ship struck
in the Breakers and Broke I'm Two.
Yaquina. Ore, Nov. 21.-Additional
particulars of the wreck of the British
ship Atlanta, Captain Charles Nc
Bride, from Tacoma to Cape Town, last
Thursday morning, five miles south of
Alssead, were brought here yesterday
by a press correspondent who went to
the scene. Twenty-three lives were
lost, including all the officers of the
ship, and only three sailors survived
to tell the terrible story of the wreck
The survivors are: Francis Mcmahon,
native of Belfast, Ireland aged IS;
John Webber, Tarrytown, N. Y; George
Frazier, Philadelphia.
The lost are: Captain Charles Nc
Bride John Hunter, first mate, and N.
c. Huston, second mate, all of ofGreenock,
Scotland; John Smith, seaman George
Hamilton, sailmaker; Aleck Beck, w.
e. Croger, M. o. Pilkington, Joe Casa,
George Williamson, T. Lewis Michael
Gallagher, David Green, Henry Jacob
son, Pedro Gregory, John Marks and
two cooks, a carpenter, a sailmaker,
second mate and one sailor whose
names are unknown.
Wednesday morning the ship stood
off on the starboard tack, the course
being southeast one-half east until
Wednesday night about IL o'clock.
She kept backing off, steering south
east by east, and running under full
sail, when suddenly the lookout sang
out, Breakers ahead"
Almost at the same time the ship
struck with a tremendous crash. She
arose again on the heavy ground swell
| lurched forward, struck again, was car
| ried further by the seas, struck a third
time and commenced settling at once.
| The seas by this time were washing
completely over the vessel and the
decks were quickly cleared of every
thing movable. The crew had taken
to the rigging, most of them to the
mizzenmast. The mainmast fell, and
this started the mizzenmast in which
nearly all the crew had taken refuge.
At this moment George Frazier, sail
or, plunged overheard, preferrlng to
take his chances by swimming to being
carried over by the tottering mizzen-
mast. He and two others succeeded
in catching hold of the main hatch and
| held on for a few minutes, when he
was told that the port lifeboat was near
him. Frazier swan to the boat after
a desperate struggle and succeeded in
climbing into it, his shipmates in the
rigging giving him three cheers. After
helping Mcmahon and Webber into the
boat they soon drifted on shore.
Frazier, in telling the story Of the
wreck, said: The first thing 1 knew
the first mate called me and said the
ship was on the beach. The other mer
came to the door and sang OUT AL
hands lay aft; we are going to veal
ship.
THE second mate shouted: 'Cleal
away the boats; that's our only chance.
The second mate and myself jumped
on the boat skids to clear away the
port boat. l shouted out for some on,
to give me a hand to the mizzenmas
rigging AS soon as l reached the pooI
1 was swept off my feet, but graspeC
a stanchion when the sea spent 1T
force. When the sea cleared off tn
poop 1 ran for the mlzzen rigging an,
climbed into it. 1 stayed there, sup
pose, ten minutes, when the ship right
ed and listed over to starboard
crawled across the cross jack yard ant
got into the port rigging, when tn
ship broke in two. Shortly after tina
the mainmast went by the board an
It started the mizzenmast. I then too
to the water and swan to the mai
hatch, which floated close to the shiI
1 stayed on the hatch about 20 min
utes. The sea was throwing wreckag
up, hitting me over the head, until
drifted clear of the ship. Another fel
low swan to the hatch, but l told hir
to get off the hatch and look for on
of his own. He would not do 1t, so
got off myself, as 1t would not hol
two up.
"There was another hatch nearby an
swan to It, but the breakers washe
me off The men in the rigging wer
watching me and told me the boat wa
coming. l swan to the boat and &C
one arm over the gunwale, the crew
the rigging cheering me all the tim'
e I crawled into the boat, which was fu
! of water. and looking around saw Wei
4. ber on the side Mcmahon YVES anon
is the wreckage, and we hauled him int
s the boat. We had no oars, but 500
=, drifted clear of the wreck, and tn
y, breakers started us ashore. 1 locke
toward the wreck to see If l could st
" anybody but only one man was visibl
We kept the boats head to sea and wei
D soon washed ashore"
g. Mcmahon said: "The only reason
can think for the disaster was that II
captain lost his reckoning on accour
of the weather for three days precet
ees ing, otherwise the accident is quite III
q, accountable. 1t was a pitiful sight
l., see the chief officers in the rigging or!
~ ing and praying for help. l consid'
o, the escape of myself and two shil
mates nothing short of a miracle"