Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1895 — TWO SHIPS GO DOWN. [ARTICLE]

TWO SHIPS GO DOWN.

AT LEAST TWENTY-SIX LIVES ARE LOST. British Vessel Prince Oscar Strikes Both Go to the Bottom—One Entire Crew and Six of Another Lett, Horror in Mid-Ocean, The British steamer Capac, from Val« paraLso, brought to Philadelphia Thursday night seventeen shipwrecked mariners and the news of a terrible disaster that occurred on July 13 a short distance south-of the equator. The mariners are the survivors of the crew of the British ship Prince Oscar, which waa sunk after collision with an unknown vessel, which also went down, but with all hands on JbonriL Six of the Prince Or- ’ car’s crew were drowned soon after they left the sinking ship by the capsizing of the small boat into which they scrambled. From the size of the unknown vesleast twenty men. The seventeen survivors were huddled into one small boar, with neither food nor water, but were fortunately picked up by the British ship Dharwar, from Melbourne, Australia, for London. Froni that ship they were transferred to the.steamer Capac and, without money or clothing, they were landed. Captain Clipperton, the English consul, will care for them until they can be sent to their homes. Midnight Disaster. The disaster occurred shortly after midnight in latitude 9:30 south, longitude 28:20 west. The Prince Oscar, which wasbound from Shields, which port she left May 27 for Iquique, laden with coal, was. going at a clipping gait on the port tack before a brisk wind and with all canvas set. It is estimated by the crew that she was making about six and a half knots an hour when suddenly there loomed up directly under her bows a font-masted vessel. The mate asserts that thq stranger had no lights burning, and aftershe was sighted it was impossible to alter the course of the Prince Oscar. The iron hull of the latter struck theunknown full amidships, knocking ter almost on her beam end and crashing; through the woodwork until her prow was more than half buried. The stranger went over almost on her beam ends asthe Prince Oscar backed away'from therebound. As the crew of the PrinceOscar stood peering through the darkness they saw the stranger partly right herself and then she rapidly began to sink. They listened in vain for some signs of life,, but not a cry for help nor a word of command came from the stricken vessel. Three Days of Hardship. Both boats hovered about the scene of the wreck until daylight came, when they headed they knew not where. Twentyfour hours later a heavy sea .struck tlfe boat comma-nded by the mate and capsized’it. The occupants, eight in number, were thrown into the sea, and the already overcrowded craft which Captain Henderson commanded put quickly to the rescue. They were successful in getting four of them aboard. The rest were drowned. There were now seventeen men in tjie small lifeboat, with nothing to eat, nothdrink ami barely room to stretch their weary limbs. The sun was broiling hot, and their hunger and thirst were almost unbearable. Toward evening of the" second day one of the crew discovered a small cask of fish oil stowed away in the boat. This was dealt out to the survivors In small doses, and they used it to moisten their parched lips and tongues.