LOSS OF THE STEAMER PACIFIC AND NEARLY 200 LIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 327, 8 December 1875, Page 2

LOSS OF THE STEAMER PACIFIC AND NEARLY 200 LIVES.

i THE ONLY SURVIYOtt's STATEMENT. 1 My name is Henry Frederick Jelley. I am a native of Ireland, but have lived for the last nine years m the Dominion of Canada, and am of the age of 22 years. I took a cabin passage on board the steamship Pacific, of which J. DHowell was master, on the morning of Thursday, the 4th instant, for a voyage to Sao, Francisco, California, and on the same morning, at about 915, the steamer left the harbor of Victoria,: B.C. There were about 200 people on board, more or less, and we steamed all that day against^ a head wind blowing from the S.E. fresh. During the day the crew were constantly pumping water into the boats to keep the steamship on an even keel, first on one side and then on, the other, and she would list to either side alternately. As I noticed, the boats abaft the paddle-boxes had no oars in them on either side, but the forward boats had oars in them. Between eigbfc and nine o'clock that evening, and while I was in the cabin in bed, I heard a crash, and felt a shock as if we had struck a rock or somtjfcfemg of the kind, and heard something fall, as if a lot of rocks had broken into us, and had fallen in by her starboard bow; and immediately I heard the bell strike to stop her, and then to back her, and then strike to go ahead. I went on deck, and there I heard voices say, " It is all right ; we have struck a vessel ;" and looking round I saw severaj lights some distance off, on our starboaAf beam, I think there were three lights. I do not think they were colored lights* but did not pay much attention to* them. I went back into the cabin, and was about to turn in, when I noticed her taking a heavy list to port, and then thought she was going down, and went on deck. I heard some on<e say, " She is making water very fast forward !" Went forward to the pilot house, and there heard the purser ask the captain what boat he would take charge of? Did not bear the acswer. I asked the captain if there were no blue lights or a gun. He told me I would find bluelights in the pilot house. The captain was at that time coming out of his own room; I did nofc see him after that. I then, with another man, whom I did not know, went into the pilot house/ found sis blue lights, and set five & them off, and lost the other one. I then noticed that the engines were still working, but no one was at the wheel. I then went on deck to the starboard side, forward of the paddlebox, where a number of men were trying to get; the long boat out, but they could not doit. I then went to see about the port boat forward, and helped/ five or six ladies into it, and tried ty get the boat off, but we could not budge the boat. There were about twenty ladies in the boat. I then heard it said thai; the two boats abaft the wheels/ had gotten off, but did not see thejriu The boat I was near was partly fulKof water, and we could not get her off at.

all. I think ifc was about an hour from the time the steamer struck up to the time she listed to port so much that the port boat was let info the water and cut loose from the davits/ I was in the boat which, when /it touched the -water, began to fill and turned over. I crawled upon the bottom of the boat and helped several others up with me. Immediately after the steamer seemed to break in two, fore and aft, and one half of the smokestack fell to port, aridtfo^stack struck our boat and pushe<Ti!f away, and the steamship Pacific sank. I think about all the ladies were in our boat, and/ when she upset they all fell into th 6 water and I^&ar they were drowned. This was about 10 o'clock In the evening. The night was ribTdark, nor was the sea very rough, but there was a fresh breeze. I afterwards left the bottom of our boat, and with another man climbed on the top of the pilothouse, which was floating near, and we held on to the upper wire that Skxne out of the top. Next morning I got some life-preservers floating near the house; and with their ropes lashed myself and my companion to the house. I saw three rafts. The first had one man on, the next had three men and a woman, and the other I could not make out, oiling to the distance,/ except that there were human beings on it. 1 think we were thirty or forty miles south of the Cape when the vessel sunk. "We passed the light on Tattoosh . Island between four and five o'clock on the evening of the 4th. I and my comrade were on the top of the pilot-house all of the sth, until four o'clock, when he died. I then cut him loose. The sea was running very high all day, and I think my comrade was drowned by the waves washing over him, he not being strong enough^ to hold his head up, and the wavj&s constantly washing over us. Si/om after he died. I sighted a vesteel, and called, and also heard the people dithe other rafts calling. I did not seeSije other rafta after thafcj and thafe vessel

did not come near me. I spent Friday night on my raft. There was little wind until morning, when it came on to blow again, aad the sea became very rough. I was then within a mile from the Vancouver shore. I* sighted, two vessels on the Washington shore, that passed on, and about 10 o'clock a.m. on the 6th I saw a vessel bearing down upon me. I was very weak by that time, but waved my ha<, and the vessel sent a boat and picked me up. The vessel's name, I learn, is the Messenger, and the captain, whose name is j. F. Ghlkey, gave me every attention and kindness possible, and did everything m his power to relieve my wants.— (Signed) Henry F. Jelley." The Pacific was an old vessel, but considered staunch. She was built at New York in 1851 by W. H. Brown, lor service on this coast, and until a year ago was owned by the Pacific Mad Company.