SHIP EMILY REED WRECKED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 77, 30 March 1908, Page 5

SHIP EMILY REED WRECKED.

NINE LIVES "LOST. : SURVIVORS' THRILLING EXPERIENCES. ; (By Mail.); . LOS ANGELES (Cal.), Feb. 25. Nine members of the crew of the American ship Emily Reed. 103 days out from Newcastle, New South Wales, ■with a cargo of coal for Portland, Oregon, -were lost when the vessel went ashore half-a-mile south of the Nehalem River, on. the Oregon coast, at 1.30 o'clock in the morning of February 14. The dead are:— '■'■■ • Ship's carpenter Westlund, Seaman Sortzeit, Johnson, Dickson, Darling, Cohenstad, and Gilbert, the cabin boy (Hirsehield), and the cook, name unknown. Captain. Kessel, his wife. First-mate Fred Zube (or Dubie), Second-mate Charles Thompson, Seamen Ewald Abildstedt, Arthur Jahunke, Sullivan, Bartell, and Franchez -were saved. The captain, his wife, and rive of the survivors man: aged to make their way ashore when the ship struck, but the first mate, two seamen, and the cook were not rescued till they had voyaged 200 miles in an open boat. The cook died from the hardships he endured, and through drinking salt water, while the others were all delirious. The ship has broken up, and:, together -with its cargo of 2,110 tons of coal, is a total loss. Owing to the long passage of the ship, 25 per cent, re-in-surance had been offered on her. For several days preceding the wreck heavy weather had prevailed off the coast of Oregon. The main cause of the disaster, ■ however, was the fact that the captain's chronometers were, wrong-

Captain Kessell was endeavouring to make Tillamook Rock. He was correct in his latitude, but too far to the eastward. When he discovered his position, the vessel was among the breakers. It was too late to wear ship, and she struck on one of the most dangerous places on the Oregon coast. . When, she hit the beach bow on, there was a heavy sea running, and a strong flood tide. Her back broke, and the forward end took a list to port. A lifeboat was launched, in which were the first mate, Fred Zube (or Dubie), he being given both names, Seaman Ewald Abildstedt, Arthur Jahunke, ard' the cook. It seemed to the captain and" the rest of those on the' wreck that as soon as this boat hit water it- was swamped, and they so reported when they reached shore. Three days later this lifeboat turned up 200 miles to the north.

After having seen, as he thought, four of his men drowned before.his eyes, the captain advised the remainder to stay by- the -wreck till daylight broke. He himself remained on the poop, but forced his "wife to keep below. The second mate and three men in his watcb. were on the main deck. When the forward portion of the ship listed they succeeded in making their way aft, clung to the ship till daylight, which brought dead low water, and then they, ■with the captain and bis wife, managed to get ashore. The captain reported the death of : twelve, of the crew, but on February. 17 came the report from Neah Bay, Washington State, that three more men had survived.. Just about midnight the watch of the little six-ton sloop lying at anchor at Keah Bay, was startled by a feeble hail. Those on deck saw a. steel lifeboat . drawing up slowly. The boat carried four, men, three living and one dead, from the Emily Reed, whose timbers were being pounded on the shore of Oregon, 200 miles away. The cook had been dead over a day, while the first mate and the two seamen with him' were in a pitiable condition.. Their, tongues were so swollen from thirst .that they could scarcely articulate. Later in the day the first mate was sufficiently recovered to be able to tell their story. ... . -\ i " Almost the instant the Emily Heed struck the beach," he said, "she began to break nip. As she "struck the spars went cut of ber. We had scarcely a minute's warning of breakers before shock came. I was forward, calling- all hands on deck, when she struck. In a twinkling one of the lifeboats was smashed by a big wave, and the decks were so.deep in the boiling water that there was no time to get ait, where Captain Ke=sel and his wife ana some of the rest of the crew were. " We had to act quickly. Abildstedt, Jahunke, and the cook came tumbling but of the forecastle, with scarcely any clothing on their backs. We jumped into the remaining lifeboat and cut at the lashings. A big sea broke over the wreck, and carried, us clear.; A second wave carried away part of the galley deck roof, and it was hard work clearing the boat of the wreckage. One of my arms was broken when the wreckage of the galley dropped on to us. Moreover, there was only one good oar in the boat. We i did our best to get back to the wreck, but failed, and believing all hands save ourselves were lost, we got up sail and stood out to sea. As I knew the coast to be a desolate one, I thought it best to keep the boat well out, hoping to fall into the path of steamships., With ■ this idea 1 set the course northward. , "Water came in fast, as the metal boat had been punctured in several places by the wreckage which fell upon her. There was nothing to bail-with, so we tried to cut off part of the airtight compartments with our knives, it was tedious work sawing at the tough metal, and we had worn all our blades oil before we could wrench- half of it oil. "This box we used as a bailer.. It took about half an hour to get the boat j empty, and in about half an; hour we would have to do it again. The second night out we saw lights ashore, but it was too dark for us to venture in. There was neither food nor water, and we suffered terribly from thirst: Toward evening the cook declared he could not star.d it any longer, and took a drink of sea water. He soon became 'delirious, and lay down in the pool of water in the bottom of the boat. About two o'clock on Sunday morning we .saw a big steamer. She stopped near us,.and we all believed we should be saved at once. One of the men shook the cook awake, and pointing to the steamer, asked him if he didn't want to be saved. He got on his feet and seemed rational as he watched the steamer. Just then the vessel got under ' way again, and left us. Then the cook gave up the fight. He lay down to die. i Half an hour later we found his body cold; his heart had stopped beating. " All' Sunday we kept seeing all sorts of vessels, but none would answer our hails. I suppose we were too far off to be made out plainly. When we sighted Tatoosh lighthouse at night -\ve gathered what little strength we had left ana steered the boat to Xeah Bay." The little craft was at sea 78 hours, and must have drifted at the rate cf two miles and a fraction per hour to get 200 miles north. There was a bjt'mowind most of the time, and the men sut fered terribly, fro.ni exposure as well as

from want of food and drink. rThe Emily Reed was built in 1880, belonged to Hind, Rolph and Co., of San Francisco, and left Newcastle, N.S.W., for Portland on November 3 J 1907. ,