The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-20
ESCAPE WAS A MIRACLE
Survivors Tell the Story Of the
Atalanta Wreck.
ONLY THREE WERE SAVED
The Captain Lost His Reckoning IN the
Heavy Weather of the Three Prs-
cedine Days - Tho vessol
Broke In Two.

Yaquins. Nov. 19-Additional partic-
ulars OF the wreck OF the British ship
Atalanta. Captain Charles NcBr3da.
from Tacoma to Capetown. Thursday
morning. five miles south Of Alssa bay.
were brought here to-day by . cosge-
spondent OF the associated pres who
went to the scene. Twenty-thres HIVES
were lost. including all the o0cers Of
the ship. and only three sailors survive
TO tell the terrible story OF The wreck.
The survivors are: Francis HcAa1Dn,
a native Of Belfast. Ireland. aged n
James webber. Tarrytown. N. Z. and
George Frazer. PHILADELPHIA Pa
The lost are: Captain Char1eo Nc
Bride; Hunter first mate: d. c. Hus-
ton. second mate, all OF Greenock. Sect
land; Evic, steyard, OF Liverpool: Al1ck !
Beck, w. +. Gregory. George P1lk1nooA
Joe Cass, Williamson. +. LAVA
Michael Gala gher. David Green. JACOB
son. Pedro Gregory. John Maria Jsnn
The unknown are two cooks. . coEpn-
ter. sailmaker. second mate md one
sailor The body Of Jacobson wn1 re-
covered and buried yesterday. =,
Wednesday morning the ship stood
of on the starboard tack. the cousoe
De1nk ldlu soutiroS&s noAA 49, ssSas
wednesday night about II o'clock.
when the wind shifted ahead The ship
kept steering southeast by east ana
running full sail when suddenly the
lookout sang out. Breakers ahead
Almost at the same moment the snip
struck with a tremendous crash She
rose again on the heavy ground swell.
lurched forward. struck again, was car
ried further by the seas. struck . third
time and commenced settling At once
The seas by this time were waning
completely over the vessel and the
decks were quickly swept Of everything
movable. The crew had taken to the
rigging, most OF them in the mtxzen
mast. Within half an hour after strlk-
ing. the hull broke In two. The main
mast fell and this started the mi1.en-
| mast, In which nearly all the crew had
taken refuge. At this moment George
| Frazer q sailor. plunged overheard.
preferring to take his chances by swim
ming to being carried over by the tot
tering mizzenmast. He succeeded IN
held on for a few minutes. when he
| was called to that the port lheboet
| was near him. Frazer swan to IL AZ
\ ter a desperate struggle. and succee4-
ed In climbing into II. his shipmates
| In the rigging giving him three cheers
After helping Mcmahon and Webber
| into the boat they drifted on to shore
Frazer. In telling the story OF the
wreck, said: THE first thing knew
the first mate called me and said the
ship was on the beach Two other men
came to the door and sang out: 'An
hands lay aft: we are going to wear
ship.' The second mate shouted: Clear
away the boats; that's our only chance.
The second mate and myself Jumped
upon the boat skids to clear away the
| port boat. / shouted out for some one
TO give me a hand and. turning around.
Ill 10 h.
rigging. I also ran to the mtxzen r1g-
ging. As soon as I reached the poopl
was swept on my feet. but grasped ~
stanchion until the sea spene II rorcA
When the sea cleared on the pop
ran to the mizzen rigging ana clnoe0
into Il. I stayed there ! suppose. ~
minutes. when the ship rtghtsd 80
listed over to starboard- I craWls0
across the cross backyard ana got meo>
| the port rigging when the ship orokD m
| two. Shortly after that the m011m0oe
went by the board and Il started tho
mizzenmast I then took TO tho voeon
and swan to the main hatch wnsco
| fioated close by the ship. Seayeo e0
the hatch about 20 minuteA The -
was throwing wreckage 10 unfu
| drifted clear Of the ship.
Another fellow swan 20 n 0n1c&
but I told him to get on the AA1cA -
look for one OF his own He wou1d noe
do II, SO i GOT on myveiks - u w.
not hold up two There was anoeher
hatch near by and I swan to Il aD8
the breakers washed me on. The Dsu
| In the rigging were watching M on0
| told me the boat was coming. ! oUom
| to the boat and got one arm over tho
| gunwale. the crew In the ri9gne
| cheering me all the time. I cr9wled
| into the boat. which was fun of vat
| er. and looking around saw Weber On
/ the other side. Mcmahon was among
| the wreckage and We hauled him into
/ the boat. We had no oarA but soon
| drifted clear OF the wreck and the
| breakers started US ashore. looked to-
| wards to the wreck to see II could
see anybody. but only one man was
visible upon the port afterdavit. We
| kept the boats head to sea ana were
| soon washed ashore"
| Mcmahon said: The only reason I
| can think of for the disaster was that
| the captain had lost his reckoning on
| account OF the thick weather for the
| three preceding days. otherwise the ac-
cident Is quite unaccountable. 1t was
n pitiful sight TO see the chief ON
GERS in the rigging. crying and praying
| for help. I consider the escape OF my
self and two shipmates nothing short
/ OF a miracle"