The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-08-16

The Fate of the whaIer vigilant
- Learned.
The Wreck Drifts Ashore and is
Boarded by Natives.
Relics of the Ill Fated Vessel Re-
covered.
Fears That Still Another Whaler is
Lost.
Bad Lookout for the Arctic Steamer
Jeanette.

Paul arrived this morning. She brings
the following intelligence: Capt. Hoop
er, of the revenue cutter Courier, has
received intelligence of the discovery of
the wrecked whalers, by Indians, on
May goth, and at once sent out sledge
party under Lieut.. Herring, to investi-
gate. 1t landed on Kalutchin islands
June I'd, and made its way over the ice
westward to the mouth of Waukeeren
river, about 100 miles from Serbia,
where it 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 natives
who had boarded the wreck. They ex-
hibited two piles of articles which they
said they had taken from her. They
consisted principally of carpenters
tools, etc. The following articles were
recovered and have been brought to San
Francisco to be forwarded to the United
States treasury department: One whal-
ing iron marked "B. K.," possibly the
initials of the owner of theVigilant, with
five dots supposed to.mean boat No. 81;
one pair of silver-bowed spectacles and
case; one pair of marine glasses and one
knife marked "V." on handle. The
natives said the wrecked vessel carried
a pair of reindeer horns on the end of
her jibboom. The Vigilant is known
to have carried such an ornament, and
is said to be the only one in the whaling
feet having such, which leads to the
conclusion that the wreck was that YES
sci. Her cabin was full of water, her
masts gore and four dead bodies were
found in her, one of them in berth
and the others on the floor. The ma
tives said the dead men looked as if
they had been dead many moons; that
the skin of their faces was withered
and drawn tight.
From this description it was surmised
that the vessel was wrecked as far back
as the winter of 1880. the first win
ter out. The wreck subsequently drift
ed out to sea and was lost sight of.
The sledge party being unable to go
further westward, on account of the
melting of the snow, proceeded to Cape
Serdge and was picked up by the Cor
win on June 30. They travelled in all
139 or 140 miles. The cutter had her
rudder carried away by ice on June 1st,
but repaired in st. Lawrence bay with
materials obtained of old whisky snug
gled vessels as hore there.
Later she made a second landing on
this island and sent parties ashore to
visit the scene of the destructive famine
of 1889 in the Indian villages. Few
changes were discovered. Dead bodies
were still lying about in great numbers.
The surviving natives appeared to be
in no want; they were abundantly sup
piled with arms and ammunition, and
also with goods plundered from the
wreck of the schooner Lolita.
The last intelligence of the cutters
movements is up to July 9, when she
sailed from Norton sound to go on to
DIN Bay; thence she was to proceed to
the northward of Kotzebue sound and
Point Barrow to look after revenue
matters; then westward to Wrangel-
land before the ice closed in search OF
the Jeanette. The mildness of the
previous winter and the lightness Of
the ice encountered by the Corwin gave
Capt. Hooper strong hopes of being able
to reach and explore that land. Whalers
who were interviewed considered the
prospect favorable. Fears are enter
tanned that some whaler has been lost,
as early in July large quantity of
whale oil was reported seen by native
otter hunters on the sea about Sanak
island. Four casks of whale oil drifted
ashore there about the same time.
These signs give riseto the apprehen-
sion that some returning whaler was
wrecked in the fog of outlying reefs or
rocks about that island. The fact that
the packages of oil found were unbroken
Is thought to indicate that possibly one
entire side of the unfortunate vessel
was broken in, letting the cargo out.
No further details Of the supposed wreck
had reached Onalaska up to August a,
when the st. Paul left.
Poor Mrs. Garfield.
New York, Aug. 15.-A Washing
ton special to an evening paper says;