The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-10

MAIL NEWS
Wreck of the Steamer
Hupeh.
TALE OF OCEAN TRAGEDY
Summary Vengeance Wreaked on
West River Pirates--yiIIagers
Capture and Execute Them.

HONGKONG, Dec. 25.-The Press
says: On Wednesday we announced that
the previous afternoon Messrs. But
terfield and Swire had received a tele-
gram from Manila to the effect that the |
Hupeh was lost together with forty-six |
Chinese. but that all the Europeans |
aboard were saved and were coming to
Hongkong in the Yuensang. The HUI
| peh left Passarouan, Java, on Novem-
Der 9Th, and should have reached
| IHongkong on November 18th. She was
thus nineteen days overdue before any
Itidings were received concerning her.
and consequently the gravest fears
were entertained as TO her safety. Yes
terday the Yuensang arrived in the
harbor with those who had been
saved. These were fifteen in numbers
land consisted of eight Europea' andl
seven Chinese. The Europeans,SwereS
Captain Pennefather, three officers,
three engineers, and Mr.. Reveiell,
agent for the Columbia cycles, who
was the only passenger. The Chinese
saved were the boatswain, three Chi
nese quarteTmasters, the lamp-tTim-
mer and two sailors. The Europeans
: saved i'm addition to the captain and
| Mr. Reveille were Chief officer w.
= Hunter. Second officer J. Jackson,
Third Officer A. Durant. Chief Engi-
neer S. Farrell, Second Engineer W.
r Pugh and Third Engineer A. Blake.
When the Hupeh left PassarOuan on
i / ,T,s,r. CHI haI ri M
? of sixty and one passenger and carried
as cargo 1000 tons of sugar. On the
= 18th the Island of Cabra was passed.
d, All had gone on well up to then, but
i on the 15th-that was Thursday Sc
q q we're gale came on from the north with
a heavy sea, and at o'clock on the
, Friday morning the vessel began to
list to port, and things began to look
50 serious that Captain Pennefather at
s o'clock in the morning ordered her
II head to be turned towards Manila.
g Though the vessel was almost straight
at $3.50 in the morning she was twen-
- ty-seven degrees to starbOaTd by $50
The list kept becoming greater and
= greater. and with a view to improving
> matters Captain Pennefather ordered
: some Of the cargo to be thrown over
- board.
The list. however, continued to IN
crease, and by Saturday, November
18th, the vessel was sixty degrees tC
,r starboard, and the crew began to talH
p of leaving the ship. All the boats had
e. gone, with the exception of one on the
- port side which could not be got at. sc
q eight RATS were prepared and all go
ID aboard except the captain and the pas
n senger. The captain announced thai
L. ii
endeavored to dissuade the crew from
going on to the RATS, saying that thel
3 would be safer in the ship. They, how
D. ever. said they did not believe in dyins
e, like rats in a hole and intended Il
make fight for it. With that the!
- pushed off and were lost sight of De
L. fore dark
g The following day-Sunday-tw o
3. the RATS returned to the ship. Tn,
. first to arrive was the one in charge o
the Chinese boatswain. 1t reached TIL
Hupeh at about o'clock in the morn
E. ing. coming from leeward. The boat
ID swain reported that they had beef
o. sOrely beset by sharks, the water lit
orally swarming with them, and tina
{. during the night a raft which the,
VI were towing had gone under and tha
,! the eight men on It were devoured b,
le these monsters of the deep. At abOu
{ o'clock in the afternoon the raft wit
u, the officers and engineers came along
Ut side from windward. They also sal
they had been much troubled by tn
d sharks, which had actually leaped ou
nc of the water and take ntins of biscuit
which were on the raft. Under thes
er circumstances they deemed It NOR
l. prudent 10 endeavor 10 find their wa
ne back 10 the ship, which they did. b
'd this time provisions had got yer
scarce on the Hupeh, and consequent
ly everybody had to be put on shOT
ratiOns
-, Captain Peunefather saw that hi
N only chance Of safety lay in gettin
u hold OF the remaining boat. and wit
on considerable difficulty he managed {
ia DO this on Monday morning. Novem
OF ber goth. and the fifteen men who re
i'll mained got into her The Hupeh wa
en- then about 1i1O degrees north an
tie 1873 degrees east. and was about 10
miles from the Island OF Cabra. Tn