Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-08-16
THE WRECKED CORWIN.
A Trace of the Missing Steamer
Struck-Other Whalers Sup
posed to Have Been Lost.

SAN Francisco, August 10. - The
Alaska commercial company's steamer
st. Paul, which arrived this morning,
brings the following intelligence: Capt.
Hooper, of the revenue cutter CorwiD,
received intelligence OF the discovery of
the wrecked wbalers by Indians on
party, under Lieut.. Henning, to inves-
tigate. They landed on Koluchma IS
land on June ,, and made their way
over the ice westward to the
mouth of the Waukerom river, about
one hundred miles from Cape Serdso,
where they fell in with party Of Ratiyesss
,ak"n from the wreck of the Corwin
party, who 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 consisted principally OF
carpenters tools, &c. The following
articles were recovered and have been
forwarded to the United States Treasury
Department:
Ore whaling iron marked B. K, pos
sibly the initials Of the owners OF the
Vigilant, with Five dots, supposed to
meen the boat; one pair OF silver bowed
spectacles and case; one pair OF marine
glasses and one knife marked on
the handle. The natives said the
wrecked vessel carried pair OF reiA-
deer horns on the end OF her Jlbboom.
The Tigilant was known TO have carried
such an ornament, and is said to be the
only one in the whaling fleet having
such, which tend to the conclusion that
the wreck was OF that vessel. Her cabin
Was full of water, the masts gone andi
Four Dead Bodies Were Found in Her,
one of them in 9 berth. The natives
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 sur
missed that the vessel was wrecked as
far back as the winter OF 1880, the first
winter out. The wreck subsequently
drifted out to sea and was lost sight OF.
The 81, DE party being unable TO go
farther westward on account OF the
melting OF the snow, proceeded to Cape
Ssarize and were
Picked Up BY the Corwin,
June 29th. They travelled in all 100 or
lao miles. The cutter had her rudder
carried away by the ice on June lst, but
repaired il in the st. Lawrence Bay with
materials obtained from the wreck OF
the old whisky smuggler ashore there.
Later, she made round landing on this
island sent parties ashore to visit the
scene of that destructive famine OF 1878,
and the village was discovered. The
dead bodies were still lying about. The
surviving natives appeared to be
In no want. They were abund-
antly saoplied with arms
and ammuI,IriOn and also goods plum
dered from the wreck OF the schooner
Letta. The last intelligence OF the
cutters movements is up to July 9,
when she sailed from Norton sound to
Goulzoil bay, thence she was to pro-
ceed northward to Kortzebe sound and
Point Barrow to look after revenue
matters. thence westward to Wrangle
Land, before the ice closed IN to
Scar for the Jeannette.
The mildness OF the previous winter
and the lightness OF the ice encountered
by the Corwin gave Captain Hooper
strong hopes of being able to reach and
explore that land. All who were inter
viewed consider d the prospects fayora-
BILE. Fears are entertained that some
wbaler has been lost, as early in July
large quantities of whale oil was report.
al seen by a native otter hun
ter on the sea about Shook
Island. Four casks OF whale oil drifted
asIore there about the same time.
Tnese signs give rise to the apprehen'
sion that some returning whaier was
wrecked in the fog on the outlying reefs
or rscks shout that Island. The fact
that the packages OF oil found were un-
broken is thought to indicate that pos
Shfy 6ns entire side OF the unfortunate
vessel was broken in, letting the cargo
ont No further details OF the supposed
wreck have reached 0unataska mp to
August 4th, when the St. Paul lett. AT
Seal Island the sealing season closed
successfully on July S0th.