The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-06-09
WRECK FOUND
OF A British WarshIp Missing
Eight Years in
The PACIFIC OCEAN

The Condor, With Crew Of One
Hundred and Forty Men, Sailed
From ESquimalt and Has Never
Been Heard From Since Sailing
Until Found Short Time Ago.
The wreck OF the British sloop Of
war Condor, whose fate and that OF
The 40 officers and men forming
her company have been one of the
mysteries OF the sea since Decem-
Der 5, 1901, has been located, SUB
merged IN comparatively shallow wa
..r. about one and half miles OFF
shore at Long Beach. midway be-
.ween the southern entrance TO Berk-
eley Sound and the settlement OF
CalvOoUot, on the west coast Of VAN
couver Island. The wTeckage is
about fourteen miles distant from
ne village OF Clayoquot and seeming
y rests upon an uncharted reef, OF
which there are many IN the viclnl-
" OF Long Beach and Wreck Bay,
which adjoins il.
The news Of the discovery Of the
ong missing sloop of war was
brought from the coast by Bonney-
castle Dale. an English naturalis:
and journalist, who has communi-
Gated his discovery TO the British
Admiralty He regards the evidence
OF identity as incontrovertible, and
it is ex pected that Immediate inves-
legations will be made by the adm!-
:ality upon his report. The principal
obstacle in the way OF salvage opec-
atoms is believed to be the prevail
ing heavy swell-met within this To-
cality in the calmest weather.
4 surface wave beyond the line Of
! he barrier reef that fronts the bay
marks the spot where the vessel is
supposed to lie A few weeks ago a
! spar stamped with the admiralty
| mark, with nitches patched with cop
per in naval style. after being Wis
| ible four days. floating attached to
the wreck beneath, drifted ashore.
! Upon the same beach some time ago
there drifted a jib boom spar stamp
ed Condor" life buoy similarly
| marked and several signal rocket
cases marked with the name OF the
ilI.starred vessel, mute testimony OF
| the whereabouts Of the long missing
s!oop.
About mile and half out from
Long Beach the surface ripples over
the ship that is supposed tc be the
| >epulchre Of one hundred and forty
| officers and men of His Majesty's
navy At high tide It is hardly visi-
DIE but at extreme low tide the sea
5oils about -he obstruction. Halt
4 dozen residents Of the west coast
! Sho have gone out to the spot in
smooth water and>at low tide declar-
ed that the hulk OF the submerged
ship is plainly visible
On the morning of December 3
1901. the sloop Of war Condor, in
company with H. NJ. S. Warship, lef,
Esquimalt, the former never to re-
turn. The Condor was bound for
Honolulu and Tahiti heavily laden
with coal for long cruise and carry
ing large consignment of mails for
| che British inhabitants in the isolat-
I'd South Sea Island.
| In the straits a strong southeas.
gale prevailed and the war ships
parted company, the Warspite con-
inuing on her way south and the
! Condor starting to carry out gun
practice at the entrance to the straits
prior to making for Honolulu.
Whether this gun practice was car
led ouc has never been aScertained.
| Outside the straits that fateful night
terrified storm was raging, which
compelled every vessel in the region
fight for life. and in this storm
! The Condor was seen for a brief
moment, laboring heavily and flying
signals of distress. by Captain James
Soyd. now of the Bank line steamer
Aymeric. and then in command Of
he south bound lumber ship Spring
bank.
Naturally the name Of the strug-
Cling waship was not made out, but
there was no doubt OF her identity
n the minds Of Captain Boyd and
lis officers. They did not so to
he supposedly disabled gun boats
assistance. Indeed, they gave her
scaat thought or attention at the
time, as they We're having all they
:ould do TO save their own ship and
heir lives. This was the last seen
II the Condor or any OF her COM
oany. The Condor never reached
Honolulu and gradually her name
passed into history as identified with
one more of the&rragic mysteries Of
fhe sea.
Toward the end Of that December
stern sqiT and lifebuoy with the
name H. NJ. Condor on were
picked up in the neighborhood of
Wreck Bay. Theories are numerous
IS TO the tate Of the vessel and the
i+o lives she carried.
The same night was responsible
or another mystery OF the North
Pacific. The collier Mattewan left
Nanaimo for San Francisco on De-
::ember , and never reached her
BORT. Some believe She foundered.
some say she crashed into the Con-
dor and both vessels were sunk.
The Condor vas If similar type to
he AlgeFine and the Shearwater,
now at Esquimalt Station. She had
4 very low free board, and the the