Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-16
THE CRUISE OF THE CORWIN.
Matters In AIaska-Traces OF
Wrecked WhaIers-The scene OF
the Famine-Of for wrangIe Land.

SAN Francisco, August 15.-The Alaska
Commercial Company's steamer st. Paul,
which arrived here this morning, brings
the following advices from Alaska: Capt.
Hooper, of the revenue cutter Corwin, re-
ceived intelligence of the discovery of some
wrecked whalers by Indians on May Goth,
and he at once sent out a sledge
party under Lieutenant Herring to
investigate. The party landed at Koluchi-
rim Island on June I'd, and made their way
over ice westward to the mouth of she
WaEkeem river, about 100 miles from Cape
serdze, where they fell in with a party of
natives, In whose possession were found
articles taken from the wreck.
The Corwin's party also saw
and talked with the natives
who had boarded the wreck and exhibited
two piles of articles which, they said, thev
had taken from her. They consisted prin-
cipally of carpenters tools, etc. The fol-
lowing articles were recovered and have
been brought to San Francisco to be for
warded to the United States Treasury De-
partment: One whaling iron marked, possi-
bly, with the initials of the owners
OF the Vigilant with five dots, supposed to
mean boat No. 5, one pair of silver bowed
spectacles and case, one pair of marine
glasses and one knife marked 'tV'' on the
handle. The natives said that the wrecked
vessel carried a pair of reindeer horns on
the end Of her jibboom. The Vigilant
is known to have carried such
ornaments, and is said to have been the
only vessel in the sailing feet having such,
which leads to the conclusion that It was
she that was wrecked. Her cabin was fun
Of water. Her masts were gone and four
dead bodies were found In her, one
OF them In berth, the others
Hhe bodies looked as ss il they had been
dead ''msny moons, u that the skin of their
faces was withered and drawn tight. From
this description 1t Is surmised that the YES
sci was wrecked as far back as the
winter of 1879, her first winter out,
aud that the wreck subsequently
drifted out to sea and was lost
sight OF. The sledge party being un-
able to go further withdrew on account OF
the melting snow and proceeded to Cape
Serdze, and were picked up by the Cor
win on June 29th. They travelled in all
130 or 140 miles. The cutter had
on June 1st, but the damage
wss repaired in 81. Lawrence
Bay, with material obtained from the wreck
OF an old whisky smuggler ashore there.
Later she made a round, landing on that
island, and sent parties ashore to visit the
scene of the destructive famine of 1S7S.'79
in the Indian villages. But few changes
were discovered. The dead bodies
were still lying about in
numbers The surviving natives appeared to
be in no want. They were sbundantly sup
piled with arms and ammunition, and also
with goods plundered from the wreck OF
the schooner Loleta. The last intelligence
OF the cutters movements is up
to July 8, when she sailed
from Norton Sound to Gooulovil
Bay, thence to proceed northward to Kotz-
bue Sound and Point Barrow to look after
revenue matters. and then westward to
Wrangel Land before the Ice closed in search
of the Jeanette. The mildness OF the pre-
vious winter, and the thinness of the ice en-
countered by the Corwin, gave Captain
Hooper strong hopes of being able
to reach and explore that
land. Whalers who were interviewed con-
sidered the prospects favorable. Fears are
entertained that some whaler has been lost,
as early in July large quantities of whale
oil were reported seen by the natives and
other hunters on the sea about
oil driftod ashore there about
the same time. These signs gave rise 10 the
apprehension that some remaining whaler
was wrecked in a fog on the outlying reef
or rocks about that island. The fact that
the packages of oil found were unbroken is
thought to indicate that, possibly, one side
OF the unfortunate vessel was broken IN let
ting the cargo out
No further details OF the supposed wreck
had reached Ounsiaska up to August 4th,
when the st. Paul left.