The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-06

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ing surf The next wave swept them
away, and where the glare of the
searchlight played on the water we
could see the white terrified faces OF
the drowning people fash by with the
look of deathly fear such as is sell
dom seen. Il happened in an instant
All was over before we could even
move. Thirty persons had been swept
to their doom before our startled eyes
and we stood trembling and mutely
praying.
LAUNCH A SECOND BOAT.
1.-THE strong voice of the captain,
touched with tears, broke the spell
which bound US all. Get out the amid
ships boat he ordered and the sailors
stationed there swung her over the
side
Get those women down from the
rigging and put them in that boat. he
ordered again. and willing hands
sprang to do his bidding. With skill
born of practice this boat was swung
from the side and filed with the wo-
men, children and men. Watching
carefully every. move, the sailors at
last cast off their falls when the crest
of a great wave had raised them high
in the air.
1.-The searchlight was turned on then
and we could see every muscle in the
sailors great bodies stand out as they
laid to their oars and breasted the gale
and sea. 1t was a terrible struggle.
Wave after wave beat against their
boat. but the sailors, bending their
backs like bows, pulled not only for
their own lives, but for the lives of
the women and children.
'.At last they started to forge ahead.
They are saved! was the cry from
all on board and a cheer went uD from
the hundred souls lett Even the faces
of the terrified women in the little
boat took on a more hopeful express
sion, as they began to clear the wreck.
We all thought them saved, when sud-
denly a great breaker, larger by far
than any that ever l saw, aided by al
terrible gust of wind, struck the boat,
Slowed her around in spite of all that
the man at the steering oar and theI
sailors could do, and next minute she
was overturned. Godi What a sight!
The searchlight showed every detaif
of the terrible tragedy-the men and
women struggling in the water, the
faces CHASTITY in the glare; eyes which
gazed toward US unseeingly already
glazed with the touch of death, the
little bodies of children swept toward
the terrible rocks, all in a wild chaos
of boiling water. In an instant it all,
One man struggled desper-
ately to-cling TO the uptur1le1 Boat. aad
his set face was terrifying as he bat
tied against the hand OF deah which
had clutched him. Next minute he, |
too, was swept out of sight, and the +.
revealed only a tossing,
rolling. terrifying rush of water.
ONLY TWO BOATS LEFT
1--WE had still two boats left. The |
captain decided that il was unwise to !
attempt to launch any more that night, |
so we waited for the dawn. Such a !
night few men have lived through. I
clung part OF the time to the after
"a bins, which were crowded with peo-i
pie. The ship was under water up to |
he hurricane deck and it was all a
mans life was worth to loose his holdi
If a good solid support for a single in
slant. Hour after hour passed as We
clungo to the framework of the cabin
Ind waited for dawn. Purser O'Farrel
lad thoughtfully secured a supply of
blankets as soon as the ship struck.
These We're given out to the Women as
soon as it was possible. But they did
title good. We were up to our waists
n water almost all the time. and it
vas only by hard work that we sue
,eeded IN keeping hold of our sup
BORT. The night seemed year long.
AT last the morning dawned. 1t
vas cherries scene. The forward
)art of the ship was practically all un
Ter water. In the fore rigging about
orty or fifty people still chung, al
hough how they managed to survive
he night is a mystery to me. The shipl
vas washed By wave after wave.
About hundred yards from us loom
"a the cliffs. 1t was a precipitous wall
# rock which came sheer down to the
vater's edge. The waves went in with
| rush and roar and dashed them
elves against the wall in an impotentl
ury. The spray was driven fully 100
eet up the face of the cliff and was
swept back with a mighty rush. On!
he mainmast of the Valencia chung q
rowd of people. All ages and both
eXes We're represented. All We're shiv-
ring and barely able to hold out. After
night such as We had passed through
wonder that any one was alive.
THIRD BOAT LOAD LOST.
There was little food on deck A
ew hams had been saved and also a
little bareback. This was given to
verybody and all ate a little. Then
anne the attempt to launch anothert
oat. l don't want to dwell on this,
or it is too much. Suffice it to sayI
hat the boat was finally got out, fill
d with people and then smashed be-
ore our eyes. The bodies of the drown
d. which by that time, must havej
numbered fully sixty, were seen float
1g around the beach and dashing upI
gainst the iron-bound cliff. which
oomed so close to US. The bodies were