The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-25
EIGHT DROWNED
The Steamer Left e
icksen Burned.
A Terrible Disaster off Alki
Point.
Yjye Men and Three Women
Meet Watery Graves.
The Accident Caused by a Bzrsting
pemijchn Of spirits - Splendid
work Of Rescue by the Steamers
usuntaineer and sk.git Chief-Li.t
AZ the Lost and the Saved


last before dark last evening the steamer
f.ss erickson. bound from seattle To sid
,sY rhen about midway between AIxi
,olu, and Beans point, was utterly de
s,oyed by fire. with the loss OF eight
lives.
The Erickson left this city on her
u.asi nun over TO sidney and
w.v.polnts with about twenty seven
,.x,eugers and a cargo OF miscellaneous
freight. consisting Of honr. furniture and
,rerehandfse About 5 O'Clock. In the
.ro.inE dusE, Capt. sibbe ordered the
urht 20 be stationed and Mate Poui came
m tie pilot house, III the head and side
,.rus. aad took the latter 10 their stations.
asyersi demIjohns Of whisky or alcohol
vere in the cabin, and one of these about
The ime the mate came IN, toppied
aver into the wheel, and was broken at the
mack. and large portion of Its contents
we're spilled. From the cabin floor the
,p,fits flowed through the tilier chain
hojes upon the boiler beios and there
ienited. The flames passed Ia fash DIP
20 the cabin and drove the captain and his
aYear-old niece. Annie To.lnsr. outside.
The alarm was quickly sounded aud the
Messengers we're instantly Ia a panic and
those Who were inside the cabin rushed
for the deck and Joined with those already
outside In an endeavor to secure life pre-
servers and In throwing the life RATS over.
board Captain sibbe, who had started for
awater bucket, stoutly resisted attempts TO
thus abandon the steamer. aud grasped
ono end Of life.raft tsat was aboat to be
thrown overheard. and attempted TO In
face the frightened passengers to help him
aueneh the flames. In the struggle he " IA
showed against one OF the smokestaek
braces which gave way and threw aim over
board hesdfrst
MsanwhiIc the flames had spread With
great rapidify. aud the forward end OF the
boat was, In very short time mass OF
flames.
The crew and all the passengers
crowded on the hurricane deck, aud many,
seeing how helpless was an endeayor 10
save the steamer, Invested themselves OF
their surplus clothing aud jumped over
board With liie-preeeryers, pieces Of wood,
and whatever articles of buoy
ant nature they could lay hands
on. oae man seized two bed stats, and
another the two loose handles OF wheel
barrow aud struck oct for shore Another
found comparative safety In the water by
taking along with him n mattress. which
was sufficient 10 hold up three men. 9th
ers CHING 20 the RATS. and III Others who
stayed with the boat TIL the LAST minute.
swan about without auy artificial support.
when Captain Nlbbe left his wheel AM
fell heAdlene into the sound, the Lett
Erickson steamed on under full bead Of
hale -ftfs
swunr around 70 siatboard, making a com
pete circle, and then started
straight for Bakelcy. A heavy
explosion shortly followed the
hrst outbreak Of the tre. snppos 4 to haye
been caused by aquantiiy oi powder which
was GA board, The vessel, however, pro.
ceedcd on her cfrnfie course. and did mol
stop until her sln0k cstsek bad islien aud
her e" sas rendered useless by the
are, sue travelled probably five miles after
she lost her pilot.
10 riTs RFscuE
When the passengers aud crew ~ The
Lelf Eficksen lsaped into the water, thcrs
was no other steamer Ia sight. aud spuar
entity not very good show for rescuc
But when the Gre broke out, Capi Ellos q
the steamer MonutaineeF wfx iJurneyius
along in thc direction Of sc
attic. about four miles soushWes d
OF the Erickson lseinw Beams roint Can't
Elles noted bright spot on the horizon
aud e0njeeturing that il was the KFickset
on fire, he directed full hrsd Of steam q
be placed on and started for the poinl
whore he first saw the vessel, wisely con
GLIDING that he would there DE- able 20 piel
up a number OF people who had Jumped
overheard. Arriving Ia about - minute,
he lowered his boats aud sei about the worl
OF rescuing the chilled and exhausted pas
sengeu from their trying Positions
Twelve were picked up bv ths
Mouniaineer The steamer skarit Chief
bound Tor Tarorna, had sighted Ia,
Erickson after rounding the point ans
being but short distance from her
arrived before the Mountainser She stock
by the burning vessel. thinking SONS
assistance might be rendered there. Fever
OF The hoatlug passengers were tRkou IA
by tie chief
IN The WATER
when Captain Nihbo struck the NsaicF
he was fortunate enough to he IN ncs
proximity 80 life fsf' weighted wi
heavy clothing aud hts fumboot- he could
not have remained IN the surface lour
and hC remained az The raft with man
named Greene, untH picked up by TIE
hOnuiaiucer shortly sftcr the captain
had reached the raft be saw his niece IN
the ws'cr ahnu, 10 feet distant ArauiHcd
by The sight he asa ic strenuous efforts ~
reaca her by padding the raft but she
her Scattered along tire wake 81
the steamer were persons boating
along ou fAiis. pTescrvers. and other aFti.
eies, calling % one another for heip en-
eonra-inE ana assisting the poorer
swimmers and the more exhausted 80 arm
CT positions a the side III the RATS IN
unknown man AND a woman, Supposed 90
BE- his wife, were struggling iogcthcT iu ths'
wa'es, aud she shortly bo-
eanc exhausted aud sank r. Comhs
ms q / I'd .s..N Hsas asst
enc after she fist panic un board, aud
coebicss iuwf#3 Overheard aud was
ereaBed. J n Norous formerly a resi-
den,ei seattle and for the rssi seven ~
sixhi months mauBger 81 n brit kNafc AZ
fGf, Orchard, JACK simmons. q baii breed.
saith, % Sniit4 Tay ior IS Co. Coihy aud
two others, man sad r woman. SHARED a
Hmuaf iste The raiiLofsky which CaRGe
en- FROM Port Nskefcy. picked ppone per
~, Wlo NAV haVs tces enc o. these, aud
fe'srssd % Sax ey.
szEs ta7N srtrLE.
Ateui - peFsog, is North seattle, which
"a tapsc ~ Jhe site Of she DIS
A'ri saw The beu5nr vessel aud
els telephone MESSAGE vss
sht 10 NE PeSrtNgF LltarNtEE from the
ssheSne ho',l .; a vessel was in Games
Aikl fe.nt. 4 wporfvg hasfcucd
Sow 70 the 1rstr wharf and ne.
saea TOE oHioc 81 tEa Washington
ssSaaeFai Ccwps4y, aad the stsaln-r
taia, VITA crew au1 isIaTttr. started
nshtat7iisieiy t3r fh. se-Be The HONEY
maze, aso 50 thR vharf CLOSELY
RRta TIE tVn srrved t.ra 'a.v 20 90
~ - Saol' het 'hcy made oafs ~ assist
49, ana rcfUgar5 calls ut-a they vcre
'>' '-s. t1lf nrrt aai gcof,a.
ErlgsN rF vEr rAssrvGErS.
Waea an who r.a,f as DONNA t-f 1....l
assea tay Skas Ch.F transferred h.r
ANhat4 seven tH fhl N.tr.fst.r.sr sr.4