The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-20

| stanchion when the sea spent its force.
When the sea cleared off the poop 1
ran for the mizzen rigging and climbed
| into it. l stayed there, 1 suppose, ten
minutes when the ship righted and
listed over to starboard. / crawled
| across the cross jack yard and got into
the port rigging when the ship broke
in two.
Shortly after the mainmast went
by the board. and it started the miz-
zenmast. 1 then took to the water and
swan to the main hatch, which f1oated
close by the ship. I stayed on the
hatch about twenty minutes. The sea
was throwing wreckage up, hitting me
over the head until I drifted clear of
the ship.
Another fellow swan to the hatch,
but told him to get off the hatch and
look for one of his own. He would not
do it, so I got off myself, as 1t would
not hold up two. There was another
hatch near by, and l swan to 1t, but
the breakers washed me off. The men
in the rigging were watching me and
told me the boat was coming. l swan
to the boat and got one arm over the
gunwale, the crew in the ri~~ino cheer
ing me all the time.
Il got into the boat, which was full
of water, and looking around 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. I look
ed toward the wreck to see If I could
see anybody, but only one man was
visible upon the port affidavit. We
kept the boats head to sea and were
soon washed ashore"
Mcmahon was on the port watch at
the time the ship grounded. He says
Captain Mcbride ran to him sobbfng:
MY boy. we are lost. I want you to
promise me to stand by me. l can't
swim two strokes"
McMahon supported the captain for
some time after they were thrown into
the water. When he felt that he could
not stand the strain longer he bade the
captain hold to a broken spar. Then
he swan about, lodging drifts, until
he climbed into the lifeboat. The dis
heartened commander of the ship soon
surrendered to the inevitable.
Mate Hunter and the other men dis
appeared when the rigging to which
they were clinging went over the side
Of the vessel. A few cries for help
were heard as the crash came and then
all was over except the battle which
the survivors waged against the waves
and surf to keep their places in the
lifeboat.
The only body that has been picked
up is that of S. A. Jacobson Of Stock
holm. The wreckage that has come
from the stranded ship to-day has been
ground up fine. Nothing Of value has
been found except some of the ships
papers, which are in the hands of Cap
tain Clarke of the life-saving crew.
Sailor Mcmahon says that he advised
Mate Hunter of light on the star
board side, sighted at II o'clock on
Wednesday night. He suggested that
it must be a land light, as it was
steady. The mate secuted the idea that
the shore was so near. saying: I'VE
are passing a vessel" All that night
the ATLANTA had been on the starboard
tack, laying to her course south by east.
one-half east
During Wednesday she sailed south
erly by westerly, but made little
progress; ON Tuesday night, south by
west, speed twelve and thirteen knots.
On Monday sails were being shifted
constantly, and the weather amounted
to almost calm. The tug Tyee left the
ATLANTA off the Straits of Fuca on
Sunday at 8 a. m.
ANY fool of a sailor should knew
that our officers should have been three
degrees west as soon as the tug left
US" says Weber But the lads all
knew that Captain Mcbride was sail
ing under a bet to beat two vessels into
Delagoa Bay, South Africa He wanted
to pass over no unnecessary waste of
waters. The wager was between him
self and the officers of the crafts Earl
of Dalhousie and Imberhorn The Dali |
housie had two weeks the start. the |
Imberhorn one week the start. Nc |
Bride believed by taking crosscuts he |
could even then beat his rivals. The |
race was responsible for the wreck.
Recklessness in steering and failure |
to conform to marine usages brought |
the Atalanta into trouble early in the |
year. She collided with another vessel |
in the river Mersey off Liverpool, when |
her mizzen mast was taken out"
When the scene of the wreck was left |
by the life-saving crew no part of the
hulk of the ATLANTA was In sight. There |
can be no survivors further than the
ones who have already been reported |
The life-saving crew did not find it nee
essary to proceed further with it's ap-
paratus than Alseya Bay
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Alleged Illegal Voting.
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