Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-25
FEW RESCUED
FROM WAVES
20 Survivors of Valencia Wreck
Picked Up at Sea
IN A PlTIABLE CONDITION
Sight of Poor Creatures Brought Tears
to Sailors Eyes.
11s FEARED TO HAVE BEEN LOST
Fifteen Put Off From Wreck in Two
Boats-Reported Landed on
Vancouver Island.

VICTORIA, B. c., January 25-
Though there is faint hope that in
coming vessels today may bring
few survivors of the steamer Va
lencia, which went ashore late
Monday night and which broke up
on the rocks yesterday, there are
only IS survivors of the I54 per-
sons who were on board the Va
lenCia when she struck near klan-
ava Rocks, five miles from Cape
Beale. The known saved are 20
persons who were picked up from
life raft by the steamer Topeka
at I o'clock yesterday afternoon
and the IS survivors who put off
from the wreck in two boats and
succeeded in reaching Vancouver
Island.
SEATTLE, Wash, January pa special
representative of the Post-Inteligencer
wires from Port Angeles at $50 a m that
the rescue ship City of Topeka picked up a
life craft at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon,
six miles off Cape Beale, with twenty sur
vivors of the Valencia board The men
were in a pitiable condition and almost
dead from exposure.
The rescued are: q. ID. Harden, passen-
GER M. Tarpey. quartermaster; p. o Brien,
waiter; W. Raymond, messman; w. D. John
son, coal passer; w. Doherty and J. Ce-
gales, fireEen; e. F1eeme, baker; Frank
Lehn, first freight clerk; Joseph McCaffery
passenger; j. Welch, waiter; A. Hawkins,
passenger; p. Peterson second officer; j.
Poddenl, waiter John johnson, third cook;
c. L. Allison, passenger, from St Paul;
John Cigodas. fireman; Thomas Garrick,
first assistant engineer; g, Wills, paSsen-
ger; Z. Primer, fireman.
The condition OF the survivors was pit
liable. They were half frozen and practi-
cally unconscious from the exposure. The
raft was sighted about u o'clock, but,
owing to the thick weather, 1t was supposed
to be nothing but a log. At last, by the aid
of Il powerful glass, its true nature was de-
termined.
the raft was poised on top of q wave and
the next ii would be lost from view in the
gully formed by the mountainous breakers
A Terrible Struggle.
The twenty men together on their frail
support battled bravely with a pair of oars
to reach the City of Topeka. which, owing
to the dangerous coast. could not run in
any closer TO them. Within half a mile
from the raft boat was lowered from the
deck. with which much difficulty was made
fast with line to the raft. The spectators
on the Topeka watched the struggling of
the gallant seamen breathlessly. One min
ute they were high IN the air, and the next
lost to sight At last they succeeded In
bringing the raft to the side of the steamer
Inc sight Uf the no
raft brought tears to the eyes of the sail
ors on the vessel. In the stern of the raft
sat an old man. His snow-white hair and
paliid features were creased and torn by
the flying spray, but the instinct OF life
was strong in him, and he held on bravely
TO his place. Three others were lying In
senseless heap in the rear, washed by
every swell, and retained solely by the
bodies of the other men. who were closely
packed.
Time and time again great seas swept
over them, sending a shudder through the
away.
The work of rescuing them was danger
Gus. Ihe men were too exhausted to even
tie a rope about themselves.
The raft put out from the wreck yester-
day morning on sighting the steamer Queen
and attempted to reach her. but before they
could get within sighting distance the YES
sci put about and headed to the strait
Tales by Survivors.
when the topeka move IN sight the raft
was at once manned and again put forth.
The survivors told terrible tales of the
wreck of the vessel. When they left the
ship there We're about ninety people on
board, most OF them clinging TO the rig
ging
Men. women and children were being
swept by every sea. AS soon as the men
got aboard DR.. b. r. Whiting assisted by
two negroes and members of the crew has
uiy administered stimulants and put them
10 bed.
The following is the story of G. Willis.
one OF the passengers and one OF the men
rescued from the raft:
The ship struck at 1907 on the morn
Ing OF Tuesday. January %. was on deck
at the time. smoking a cigar. and was look
ing at my watch when the first crash came
In an instant all was excitement. There
were the shrleks OF the frightened men and
hoarse orders Of the officers of the ship.
The vessel reeled like a drunken man, slid
over the reef and struck again
EVERY one was precipitated into the sea
and swept away IN an instant. For a sec
ond or two / caught q glimpse OF an agon-
iged face, then another. and yet another.
they were washed by me. II was awful.
The waves dashing the ship started
breaking up. They swept the deck loose
and every swell lifted It. We chung to the
rigging and deckhouse. Then attempt was
made 10 get line ashore. A fireman
named Cigales agreed to swim ashore. He
was in the water fully half an hour, but
WIS uildDlt 70 fnhhS lIS DcdCf Inc snip
struck in bad spot. She is directly at tha
foot OF a precipitous blum that comes sheer
to the water edge. One man was swept
ashore and succeeded In landing on a small
rock We shot a line to him and then tried
TO climb the cliff. but he fell and was
killed before our eyes.
A Pitiable Incident.
zone of the most pitiabie incidents was
that OF little boy. about five years old.
His father, mother and two little sisters
put OF in one of the boats, The boat was
capsized and all were drowned. The little
fellow waded around the deck crying for