The herald., 1898-11-19
Fuller Details

PORTLAND, Ore, Nov. ia special to
the Oregonian from Yaquina, Ore, says the
British ship Atalanta, Captain Charles Nc
Bride, from Tacoma to South Africa with
wheat, was wrecked off Alsea bay, l6 miles
south of Iaquina bay, yesterdaymorning.
She carried crew OF 27 men, and all were
drowned but three.
The Atalanta sailed from Tacoma last Sat-
urday with cargo of 1853 tons of wheat tor
Cape Town, and her skipper had made a
wager with the masters of the ships Earl of
Dalhousie and 1nberhorne in u race to the
Cape of Good Hope. The log book at the
life saving station shows that Thursday
morning, between midnight and 9 o'clock,
the Cape Foulweather lighthouse was con
cealed by fog and heavy sheets of rain. The
Atalanta was sailing at high speed Thurs
day morning when she went on the bar. A
few rocks in the trough of the waves, at
tended by heavy settling on the bottom,
caused her timbers TO give before the men
could reach the hatchway. The jar of run
ming on snapped the masts off as though
they had been matches. The masts and rig
ring went over the side in tangled mass
like forest before gale. The breakers
swept the after decks and poured into the
cabins. Those who escaped were on deck at
the moment Of the crash and began to launch
a lifcboat While they were working with
the davits wave passed over the ship, tore
the lfeboat loose and set it ahoat. 1t was
full Of water and the oars were gone. Sever
al persons were in the boat at the time of it's
sudden release. All but two were washed
overheard from their struggling and dying
companions. These two picked up third,
then in the surf. For three hours or more
they were buifeted about until the storm
cast them upon dry land. One OF the sur
vivors stated that the captain steercd close
in to Cape Foulwcather, and, not seeing the
lighthouse, supposed the vessel to be some
distance from shore This caused him to
continue his southeast tack too long.
At o'clock today the Atalanta lay about
O mile off shore, in field of furious break
ers Each hour a section OF the vessel was
seen to fall away and the timbers float to-
ward the shore.
The life-saving crew. although notified of
the wreck soon after it occurred yesterday,
was unable to reach the scene until this
morning.
One of the survivors claims that the wreck
was due to the carelessness of the captain,
who paid for his folly with his life They
were racinng with another vessel and were
keeping close in shore in order to get the
advantage of the wind in tacking and to
make a short cut to head the other vessel
Off They were close in shore and not seeing
the light at Cape Foulweather steered until
they struck the reef about four miles below
Alzea bay and about one mile and half
from shore with such terrific force as to
snap the masts off like toothpicks, carrying
the rigging and everything with them Two
OF the survivors made their way to u cabin
and awakening the occupants started them
in all directions for help. The farmers
were very slow in notifying the life-saving
station at South Beach, twenty miles away,
and they did not reach the wreck for ten
hours after it occurred Capt. Clark and
his life crew endeavored to reach the wreck
and rescue any that might yet be on the
wreck or penned up in the forecastle rs
supposed by the survivors, but having no
horses it was very difficult to get the surf
boat wagon and the cannon down the beach
toward the wreck twenty miles away, and
they were compelled to draw them by hand.
They arrived at Alzea early in the morning
and hurryng to the wreck they found they
were unable to do anything, as the ship was
beyond the reach of their lines and their
cannon was useless. The ship was broken in
two and the waves were dashing over her.