THRILLING INCIDENTS.

Southland Times, Issue 1126, 19 March 1869, Page 3

THRILLING INCIDENTS.

TACCABO AND WILLIAMS. We the following episode of the destruction of Arica from the " Valparaiso Mail." Don Juan Vaccaro was confined to his bed With an injured leg when the houses in all directions commenced to crumble to pieces, and was then carried out and placed in &. launch that was lying aground near the mole, aB the most secure place of reiuge from the danger of being buried beneath the ruins. Many persons, terified at the awful - shock that had taken place, and fearing its repetition, ran to the mole for the Eurpose of embarking, among whom maj c mentioned Mr John Williams, wit! hit wife and five children, and a dog anc parrot that followed them, all of whoa entered into a boat that was lying at band Scarcely* bowtoyer*. hada rniautt

or two passed by — a time quite insufficient for the boats to reach the ships towards which they bent their course — when the frightful move'nent of th© sea took place which caused the inundation of the port. The spa commenced to retire, shrinking into its narrowest limits, and violently coinpr;-s?qng its waters in order to make the i"j!huukl more terrible; the vessels lying nearest the land stranded at their anchoi;ige, and not being able to maintain an upright position, rolled over on their sides ; an universal shriek of " Mercy !" thundered through the air, and the ter-ror-stricken people fled in the direction of the Morro to escape the threatened inundation. The sea was converted into a huge mountain of water, which, losing its equilibrium, dashed forward, over- ' flowed and reckless of its bounds, and not meeting with anything capable of with- ' i standing its fury, inundated the chief part of the town ! These were supreme moments for all who were then inqthe bay. l'he vessels were dragging their ancl ors, at the wih of the tempestuous waves, and wen flung hither and thither by the furiou*currents. Where was the boat in which John Williams aud his family b.nl embarked? Carried away with tinrapidity of a lightning flash, it was borne out to the verge of the horizon, only t. be again whirled back with equal velocity towards tbe beach and over the ruins o! the Custom-house and the rest of tin town, and then following the re treating waters even beneat h the roofs of some of the shattered buildings Williams, who is a man of athletic sta ture and herculean strength, did not attempt to save his own life at the risk of losing all he held dear on carth — his wife and five children ; it was necessary to struggle for their safety or to perish together, while struggling to his last breath. Death's grim visage could uot intimidate him, and with indomitable energy he labored — now at the head, now at the stern of his frail skiff— to save it from being dashed to pieces, and receiving on his herculean frame the most violent blows from the walls, palisade**, and other obstructions against which the boat was carried ; though his face was bathed in blood, and his body covered with contusions, be wrestled and continued to wrestle with still greater determination. We will leave him in this desperate struggle, and see what had become of the launch in which was deposited Don Juan Vaccaro. This square wooden hulk, that, as we have said, had also been lying aground near the mole when Don Juan Vaccaro was deposited in it, was likewise carried ofi" by the furious wave, hurried away to the horison with terrible velocity, and thence hurled with still greater" force upon the town. The sea at this moment presented an aspect quite phantasrna gorical ; .the sun, almost setting, critn soned the agitated waters, giving them an appearance of being streams of latent fire ; and all the ships and b~ats were drifting upon this fierce sea, hurled hither and thither by the rapid and opposing currents. The corvette America had already lost her commander, the intrepid Captain Mariano Reyes, two other officers and some sailors ; already the lifts and shrouds had been torn away, and the yards and masts fallen upon the helpless crew, who, gathered upon the deck, were seeing their companions perish one by one, now carried away by the sea, now killed by the terrible blows of the falling rigging; the second officer, Sever Terreyros, had assumed the command, and all were hanging on his voice in order to save them from the utter wreck that no human effort could avert. In these terrible moment appears upon the waters an almost naked woman clinging to a floating spar, who with supplicating voice im plores " Help ! help ! save me !" What youth could resist such a call? Ferreyros was young, and immediately resolved oa rescuing the woman ; there was no time to lose, and raising his arm he pointed towards her and cried out " Four brave men !" Honor to the officers and crew of the covette America ! her commander asked for four men to save a victim, aud all with one voice answered the c.ill from the highest to the lowest ! They were rigbt ; which of them is not a brave man ? The commander, with the Bpeed ot lightning "ordered a boat to be lowered, the four men nearest the gangway sprang into her, and two seconds afterwards the boat and the drowning woman disappeared from the view of those on board tbe America. The rapid movement of the currents made itself more terrible every moment, during which, what had become of John Williams ? Ten times had he been carried out to sea, and ten times he had been thrown back in various directions upon the ruins ot Arica ; the end was approaching — the frail bark which had resisted so long had become an insup portable incubus to the furious waves, which had resolved upon annihilating it. An inevitable blow against the roof of a house causes the boat's sides to gape in all directions ; it commences to sink — the death of all within is inevitable : whom shall the husband and father attempt tc save ? can he save himself, when he has just received a blow on his left eye which . has almost caused ifc to start from its: > socket ? what of the mother who sees her five children perish by her side, with • the certainty of herself soon sharin/j i their fate ? What an agonising reflec. j tion. I In this terrible moment, when the 1 door of eternity appears to receive Wil--3 liams and his family, shines forth tht 1 light of hope. He gathers new courage and with eager eyes looks out to sea 1 and beholds the launch in which is lying y Don Juan Vaccaro flying with incred b ible rapidity towards his sinking bark j they slightly strike, and Williams i grasping the launch with his nervoui i arm, maintains it alongside his boat ant a all his family spring on board.' It i t time : ■ the boat sinks, broken to pieces a j andthe launch ia again carried oat tt) $a

■ washed hither and thither at the mercy i of the rapid currents : it is converted * into an arK of salvation! The war b steamer Wateree is already aground i more than a mile from the beach — the . corvette America is also stranded a little f distance from the former — all the minor r vessels have disappeared— conquered by J the fury and tenacity of the seas ; only i the launch does not yield, but continues * to float, though driven about by the i currents ! She is borne hither on this * mountain of liquid fire — she approaches, ' arrives, is c;ist ashore, and Williams and ■ his family leap to the ground — even the i dog and bird being saved ! Vaccaro lies I extended, helpless, in the launch ; there ) is no one to lift him out; Williams is * exhausted, and is moreover charged with ■ his wife and family, and no one dares to : approach to aid him. The hungry sea * again returns and once more bears him | outwards !