Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-08-16
a. :. CUTTER "CORwIN.-
Inflammation Received From Her
Arctic Cruise.

Sax Francisco, August Is. The Alaska
steamer. 81. Paul. arrived bringing the fol-
lowing intelligence:
Captain Hooper the revenue cutter ''Cor-
win received the intelligence of the dis
covery Of wrecked whaler by Indians on
MAY Goth, and at once sent out sledge
party under Lieut.. Herring, To investigate.
lie landed On koluchinino Island June 3,
and made his way over the ice westward to
the mouth Of Waukeran river. about one
hundred miles from Cape Serdz, where he
fell in with the natives, IN whose possession
were found articles taken from wreck
The "Corwin' party also saw and talked
with the natives who had boarded the wreck
and exhibited two piles Of articles which they
said they had taken from her. They con-
sisted principally of carpenters tools, etc
The following articles were secured, and will
be forwarded to the Treasury Dept. One
whaling iron marked 'B. n" the initials
Of the Vigilant with five balls supposed to
mean BOAT o. one pair of silver bowed
spectaclcs and case. one pair of marine glass
es, and one knife marked " on the handle
Natives said the wrecked vessel carried pair
of reindeer horns on the end of her jib boom.
The Vigilant is known to have carried such
ornaments, and is said to be the only one in
the fleet having such, which leads to the con-
cluslDn tI1t Tue WTtCk WAS tiltt besstl. IleT
cabin was full of water, the masts gone and
four dead bodies found in her: one of them
in a berth and others on the floor. The ma
tves 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 70. the first winter out. The wreck sub
sequently dritted out to sea and was lost sight
of. The sledge party being unable to 90
farther on account of the melting snow, pro-
ceeded to Cape Serdze, and were picked up
by the Corwin June 10Th. They travelled in
all 1870 miles. The cutter had her rudder car
ried away by the ice June LIST. and repaired in
ST. Lawrence Bay with materials obtained
from the wreck of an old whiskey smuggler
ashore there. The last intelligence of the
cutters movements is up to July 9th, when
when she sailed from Norton Sound to Goul-
void Bay; thence she was TO proceed north
ward to Raatzhue Sound and Point Barrow.
to look after revenue matters; then
westward to Wrangel Land before the
ice closed in to search for the Jeanette.
The mildness of the previous winter and
the thinness of the ice encountered by the
''Corwin gave Capt. Hooper strong hopes
of being able to reach and explore that lard.
The whalers interviewed, considered
the prospect favorable. Fears are enter
tanned that some whaler had been lost as
early as in July. Large quantities Of whale
oil was reported seen by the native otter
hunters on the sea about Suak Island. Four
casks of whale oil drifted ashore thereabout
the same time. These signs give rise to the
apprehension that same returning whaler was
wrecked in the fog on an outlaving reef or
rocks about that island The fact that the
packages of oil found were unbroken, is
thought to indicate that possibility. One
entire side of the unfortunate vessel was
broken out, this letting out the cargo. No
further details of the supposed wreck had
reached Ounalaska up to August 4th, when
the st. Paul left