The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-24
a wHALER WRECKED.


| A Rotten Ship Goes Ashore ut San Franz
cisco ana Falls to Pieces-Twenty-fiv Q
Lives Reported Lost.
SAN FRANCISCO, ec.1S.-At ESQ O'Clock
yesterday morning the whaling bark Allan
| tic was driven ashore mile and half be-
low the Cliff House and went to pieces in a
few minutes, not spar remaining stand
! ing. The wreck was strewn along the beach
for three or four miles. About twenty-five
men were lost while the captain ami mate
| with eight or ten men were saved.
Captain Warren told the following story
| of the wreck: 1--WE were lowed out to sea
yesterday. There was heavy head swell
| and no wind. The current was SO strong
| we could not get out of the swell. We let
| 90 both anchors, but the sea swept
/, the decks and the heavy anchors
could not hold. We dragged ashore
and struck at 1:3O a. IN. Men were
! being washed off during all this time by the
| immense waves which dashed over us.
| The vessel went to pieces an hour and a
half after she struck. There was a very
! heavy fog and it was pitch dark. We
! succeeded i'm lowering two boats but
they capsized before two lengths from the
DOpy, first mate: Anton Perry, third mate,
and four or five of the crew. That was
the last we saw of them. In the second
boat were myself, the second mate. Ring,
and five men. When we were swamped
the sea carried us in till we touched bot
tom, when We dragged ourselves ashore.
We made no signals of distress as it WAS
too fOggy for any to be SEEN"
AS soon as the captain reached the shore
he made his way in an exhausted condition
TO the lfe-saving station. a few hundred
Yards away, and gave the alarm. Appa-
ratus was Immediately got out, but owing
to the darkness and fog it was some time
before the wreck could be located. A line
was then shot over her. but proved of no
service, as it became entangled in floating
wreckage and the vessel shortly went Ia
pieces The vessel was valued at $4,000
and her outfit at $4,000. The insurance
was $1,000. The captain and crew num-
bered fOrty-twO persons, and up 10 now
only eleven are known TO be saved. Only
one body has thus far been recovered.
1t is rumOred that large portion of The
crew were intoxicated and that twenty-five
were below sleeping off the liquor when
the vessel struck and thus met their deaths.
The keeper of the life saving station says
that the first knowledge he had of the dis
aster was when Captain Warner made his
appearance there at two a. m. Two men
who patrol the beach were at the further end
in their boats and knew nothing of the
wreck until an hour after the vessel struck.
Major Blakpy inspected what was left of
the wrecked vessel and called attention TO
the vessels timbers. He said: "rhey are
SO rotten that slight blow would break
them. The same state of things exists In
every part. 1t seems to me that rigid
examination should be ordered and those
responsible be made an example of.
In my opinion, this is little short
of a cold-bIooded murder" The state
ments of number of survivors cOrrOb0rated
Major Blakey's assertion.
The steam whaler Mary Helen caught fire
yesterday morning while lying Of the works
of the Pacific Oil Transportation Company
in the southern part of the city. The fire
communicated with the magazine of the
vessel and an explosion followed, killings
son of Captain Miller and deck hand. The
vessel was badly damaged, one whole side
being blown out.
THE TWO VESSELS.
NEW BEDFORD. Mass, Dec. 1S.-The
whaling bark Atlantic reported lost at San
Francisco yesterday morning belonged TO J.
and K Wing, Of this city. She had dis
charged her Arctic catch and shipped a
new crew and sailed north t. cruise. She
was commanded by Thomas +. Warren, of
Southampton. L. l., and Zenas EdOty, of
Falmouth, was the mate. Size was valued
at $4,000 and, as far as known, WIS rot
insured.
The whaling steamer Mary and Helen, at
San Francisco, which was badly damaged
by fire and an explosion yesterday, was
built ut Bath, Me-, in 1882, for Cap
tain William Lewis, Of this city. She
saile; for San Francisco on August Is Of
that year under Captain Smith. The next
season she sahed for the Arctic ocean UNI
der command of, Captain Willard. While
In the north she was sold to the Pacific
Steam Whaling Company, to which she
was turned over on her arrival at San Fran
ciscO. She has made four voyages to the
Arctic ocean, the last one under command
Of Captain Baker, when she took GOO bar
rels of oil ami IL 800 pounds of whaleb0ne.
She was of 3D. tons burden. 1t Is not
known whether she was insured.
.