Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-21
Officers and % Men Drowned
But Three Saved.
Survivors Washed Ashore in a Boat
Which They Luckily Reached.
Others Swept to Death from the Rigging b,
Hugh Breakers.

the scene. IWSIty-lHTec lives NcIC
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,
a native of Belfast, Ireland, aged IS;
John Webber, Tarry'town, N. Y, and
George Frazer, Philadelphia.
The lost are: Capt. Charles Mcbride,
Hunter, first mate; N. c. Hus-
ton, second mate, all of Greenock,
Scotland; David Steward of Liverpool,
Aleck Beck, w. e. GROCER, NJ. o. Pill
Eington, Joe Casa, Williamson,
r. Lewis, Michael Gallagher, David
Green, jacobson, Pedro Gregory.
John Marks, John Smith, seamen;
Hamilton, sail maker. The UNI
known. two cooks, carpenter, sail max
or, second mate and one sailor. The
body of jacobson was recovered and
buried, yesterday.
Wednesday morning. the ship stood
off on the starboard tack, the course
being S. f. " E., until Wednesday
night, about II o'clock. She kept back
ing off, stealing southeast by east and
running under full sail. when suddenly
he lookout sang out Breakers ahead
Almost at the same time the ship
struck with tremendous crash She
arose again on the heavy ground swell.
iurched forward, struck again, was car
ried further by the seas, struck a third
time and at once commenced settling.
The seas by this time We're washing
completely over the vessel and the
decks were quickly cleared of every
thing movable. The crew had taken
10 the rigging, most of them to the
nizzenmast. Within half an hour af-
ter striking the hull broke in two. The
mainmast fell and this started the miz-
zenmast. in which nearly all the crew
had taken refuge.
At this moment George Frazer, a
sailor. plunged overheard. preferring to
lake 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 few minutes when he was
told that the port life boat was near
MIN. Frazer swan to the boat and af-
ter a desperate struggle 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. Fra
GER 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. The other men came to the
door and sang out All hands lay aft,
We are going to wear ship
The second mate shouted. Clear
49, 40 &c, only oh a
The second mate and myself jumped on
the boat skids to clear away the port
boat. / shouted out for someone to
give me hand to the mizzen rigging.
AS soon as l reached the poop l was
swept off my feet but grasped STAN
chion when the sea spent its force.
When the sea cleared off the poop ran
for the mizzen rigging and climbed into
it. / stayed there, l suppose, 10 min
utes, when the ship righted and listed
over TO starboard. / crawled across
the crossjack yard and got into the
port rigging when the ship broke in
two Shortly after that the mainmast
went by the board and it started the
mizZenmast.
II then took to the water and sat on
iue HALL IldtCIl WI lodtSQ SiooC "
the ship. l stayed on the hatch about
20 minutes. The sea was throwing
wreckage up, hitting me over the head
until l drifted clear of the ship.
Another fellow swan to the hatch but
told him to get off that hatch and
look for one of his own. He would not
do it, so I got off myself as it would
not hold two up. There was another
hatch near by and l swan to it, but
the breakers washed me off.
1.-THE men in the rigging told me the
boat was coming. l swan to the boat
and got one arm over the gunwhale,
the crew in the rigging cheering me all
the time. l crawled into the boat
which was full of water and saw Web
Der on the other side. Mcmahon was
among the wreckage and we hauled
him into the boat. We had no oars
but soon drifted clear of the wreck
and the breakers started us ashore. l
looked toward the wreck to see if l
could see anybody but only one man
was visible on the port aft davit. We
kept the boat headed to sea and were
soon washed ashore
Mcmahon said: THE only reason
can give for the disaster is that the
captain lost his reckoning on account
of the bad weather for three days pre-
vious otherwise the accident is quite
unaccountable. 1t was pitiful sight
to see the chief officers in the rigging
crying and praying for help. I con-
slider the escape of myself and two
shipmates nothing short of a mira
cle."
The ATLANTA sailed from Tacoma.
last Saturday, with cargo of 1853 tons
of wheat for Capetown, and her skip
per had made a wager with the mas
ters of the ships Earl of Dalhousie and
Inborhorne in a race to the cape of
Good Hope.
The log book of the life-saving sta
ton shows that, Thursday morning,
between midnight and 6 O'Clock, the
cape Foulweather lighthouse was con-
cealed by a fog and heavy sheets of
rain.