The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-09-05

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vailed among the passengers even from
the very first. The fact that we knew
we were so near the shore and that the
ship appeared to be firmly settled
though groaning and cracking with ev.
cry surf that struck her, gave us hope
and assurance that the ship would not
90 to pieces before help would reach us
l heard some on in the dark about
half an hour after she struck, give an
order to lower the boats to the rail
This appeared to act as a signal for q
general scramble, men assisting their
wives and children, rushing to the boats
without any discipline of the crew to
manage the lowering or manning of the
boats. I was standing on the starboard
side abaft of the point where two boats
were being lowered, looking over the
side. Into the boat nearest they clam
bered until it was filled, then orders in
discriminatory were heard to lower first
one end and then another. noticed
the bow being lowered away below the
stern. All of a sudden when the bow
seemed to be near the water a surf
struck the boat and partially tipped it
over spilling most of them into the sea,
part clinging to the boat as the surf
swung it away from the ship and
smashed it back again against the ships
side. At this time the tackles were cut
and l could see the forms of people
clinging to the now shattered boat, drop
off and disappear in the surf. Two or
three of them grabbed ropes that were
hanging over the sides of the ship and
called for help. I assisted in pulling
up one of them.
The forward boat on the starboard
side was successfully lowered at about
the same time, but was swung around
by the surf after it left the ship and
was capsized, drowning all the women,
children and men, except nine men that
chung to the boat and were washed
ashore about 200 feet to the west of
the wreck. The two boats were lowered
on the port side at the same time as
those on the starboard, and everyone
was Immediately lost by the swapping
and smashing of the boats, except one
man, as we learned in the morning, who
was washed ashore and thrown upon
the cliff astern of the ship.
All of these laundering, disastrous at
tempts occurred within an hour of the
time she first struck the rock. There
still remained on the ship but one boat
and two life RATS, but no one seemed to
care to take the risk of lowering them,
after witnessing the fate of the others.
The captain and matron did heroic work
among the passengers, comforting them
and assuring them that he ship would
likely hold together for three or four
days. Thus the weary Monday night
dragged slowly on, and surf breaking
over the boat and rolling back towards
the stern.
The long looked for Tuesday morn
ing dawned, slight mist settling at
spells, but the wind showing no in
crease. Then it was we could see up
the cliff, clear Of the surf, the man who
had succeeded in climbing to place of
safety when washed ashore during the
night. The officers at once tried to
shoot line to him but failed. They
then elevated their gun and shot the
line over the cliff, which, to reach the
man would have to cross a crevice or
gulch ak feet wide, into which the surf
would rush about every minute. Caut-
iously he worked along the bench of the
cliff until the crevice was reached, then,
apparently timing the surf, he made the
heroic effort to cross the gulch to the
opposite cliff where the line was shot,
but before he got through a huge surf
swept him from view, giving up his life
to try to save others. Then it was that
the captain, about $500 a. m, called for
volunteers to man the only remaining
boat and try to make landing and 60
for help. 1t met with prompt response,
seven men taking the boat and getting
safely away. They succeeded in effect
ing landing about three miles west
but they never came back along the cliff
our way to offer relief. I afterwards
learned that they lost three of their oars
shortly after leaving the wreck, crack.
ing one, thus leaving only two good oars
to man the boat.
About 10 o'clock a Greek, one of the
fremen, made heroic attempt to swim
ashore with a line, but after half
hours futile effort he was pulled aboard
in an exhausted condition, and l took
him to my state room and gave him a
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