The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-04

Special Dispatch to the Post-Intelligencer.
VICTORIA. B. c. Dec. 3.-The steamer
Queen City brought here. this afternoon,
from tho western coast Of Vancouver Is
land. the shipwrecked crews Of two vessels,
the Seattle schooner Hera and the Peru-
Wan bark La Libertad. On board the
former were Capt. J. J. Warren. J. w.
Shirl. owner and supcrcargo with his
daughter. Miss Mabel shirk, I. A. Mcintyre.
Mate J. Buchanan, Second oflcer d.
Thompson. 3, Grimm. J. N. Gray. M.
O'Brien, r. wilkens and q. eeabret.
The Hera sailed from Seattle on Novem-
ber is. with fun cargo of general mer-
chandise for Honolulu. including $500 BAR
rels Of lime. She was in charge Of Capt.
Warren. She sailed out past Flattery on
November rs and on the morning OF Sum-
day smoke was seen coming from the lower
hold.
She had sprung leak in the heavy storm
prevailing and the lime had expanded, set
ting FIRE to the cargo.
Capt. Warren put her about and ran for
the coast. They were twenty-five hours In
reaching the land and that time was ono
OF terrible suspense 1t was forty minutes
after they had left the vessel. mile from
the shore, that the flames shot out and. in
FIVE minutes. the vessel was sheet Of
fame, showing by what a narrow margin
they had escaped. The vessel burned to
the waters edge ana sank In fourteen faith
oms OF water
A JAe Pumps : Months
The mon Of the Libertad suffered most.
The eleven unfortunates. made up OF
Chileans, Peruvians. Portuguese Braxii-
ians, Greeks and Italians, left the bark
on the morning Of November 9. The ves-
sci was then rapidly filling and It was
feared that she would go down before
they were free of her vortex. The LIB
retad left Pisagua on August rs. under
charter Of w. r. Grace, of San Francisco,
with q cargo of nitrate for Victoria chem
ical works.
All went well until September n. when.
in latitude 10:40 north. longitude 120:lS.
she sprang a leak. and from that time
until she was abandoned there never
was less than foot of water in her hold.
The weather was very heavy. On Noven-
ber a hurricane blew from the south
east, many sails were carried away and
the water In the hold was increased to
four feet.
Water Rose ON Them.
The crew wers utterly exhausted by
constant pumping. At 8 o'clock on tho
9Th. the carpenter came running forward
and announced that the bark was fcun-
dering. A glance into the hold showed
that the water was rising rapidly, and
nj arts <n~ ala
and tossing bag of bread into the ships
boat they hurried to cut It from the da-
Wits and, scrambling into 1t. abandoned
the sinking bark. In tine hurry to get
away they forgot to put fresh water in
the boat.
When they left the vessel she was
about sixty miles OF Cape Cook. near
which place the shipwrecked men landed,
after an awful struggle, very heavy gale
blowing from the southeast
Parched with Thirst.
They were two days in the open boat,
during which time all they had to eat
was a few pieces of sour bread Their
tongues were almost split with thirst,
and one man was almost driven 10 mad
ness by driking from the sea. When they
ultimately got ashore they were three
days climbing over rocks. wading creeks
and cutting their way through the woods
without bite to eat before assistance
was found.
They came upon three prospectors on
the 18th and the miners shared their
provisions with them. Then the pros
pectors started out with them In their
boat for Quatsino. at which point the
steamer calls.
The Hera was owned by the La Conner
Trading & Transportation Company. which
purchased her but few weeks ago from
Bankers Herman Chaplin and Il. G. Neu-
fielder. The new purchasers expended 1850
in the way Of repairs to the vessel. and
dispatched her to Honolulu with cargo
OF 700 tons, including perhaps one-third lime
and 1000 barrels OF beer. The rest was
grain. feed and -four. Save the beer, the
property of the Seattle Brewing & Malt
ing Company. the cargo was owned by tho
La Conner Trading & Transportation Com
pany. Vessel and cargo, President Joshua
Green stated last night. were insured to
within about 1900 of their cash value. Mr..
Green received telegram early In the
day from Capt. Warren. dated Albini. d.
c., announcing that the vessel was total
loss, and that the crew was snfe.
Hera's Trip From Nome.
sta tad fhat he xuka art<