, 1889-05-23
NO TIDINGS CANE.
The AlaskaD'S Boats are
Probably Lost,
Not Likely to be Picked Jp.
Thirty-Three Men Swallowed by the
Billows OF Dashed OF 0regOn's
Mountainous Coast.

Alaskan. who, II l9 SUI posed nave
are this reached land or have gone t
the bottom Of the sea. The Oregon
Railway & Navigation Company has
wired to all points along the coast tC
be on the lookout, and if the men are
found if will not be long before the
eompany's officials hero are notified
An effort was also made to get word
to the lighthouse tender Manzanita,
which is cruising along the Oregon
coast. The steamer Columbia sight
ed the Manzanita Wednesday, and
the lighthouse tender is supposed to
be at this time somewhere off Cape
Blanco.
When the boats containing the
men put cut from the sinking ship
they headed for land. They may
have escaped the raging pillows only
to be dashed to pieces against the
rocky cliffs. As they We're eighteen
miles off shore and as the storm had
not abated up to the time the rescued
enes were picked up, the chances are
rather against them, but all hope is
not abandoned.
1t is not known to Il certainty just
how many men were on the ship.
The crew number forty-four. and
after the vessel had put to sea three
stowaways were found. Two stow
axays are among the rescued. One
Of them, James Foley. said to-day
that he knew there We're five stow
svays, which makes the total num-
Der of men aboard forty-nine. OF
this number ten have been saved, six
have died, and thirty-three are miss
ing.
THE MANZANITA DIDN'T SEE THEM.
Astoria, May 1.-THE Manzanita
arrived in at three this afternoon,
and reports leaving the Coquille
river at 4:30 yesterday afternoon.
When eleven miles off shore she
passed large quantities of wreckage
and picked up life-preserver mark
ed alaskan" She saw no sign of
any of the boats. Captain Richard
son reports terrific weather all
through the trip. which was made to
supply the Southern Oregan coast
lighthouses with supplies and put
down buoys.
The schooner j. B. Miller and
brig Tanner went to sea from Coos
bay for San Francisco Sunday, and
they may have picked the boats up.
THE PUEBLA BROUGHT NO NEWS.
SAN Francisco, May 17-The Pacific
Coast Steamship Company's steamer
City of Puebla arrived in port this
morning from Victoria and the Puget
Sound, but brought no news of the
missing boats of the Alaskan,
although she was nearly off Cape
Blanco when the disaster to the
Alaskan occurred. Captain Debney
heard nothing of the wreck until he
reached here.
on RAFT IN THE GALE-CAPT. HowE's
LONG SUSPENSE AND FINAL RESCUE.
PORTLAND, May 17.-As many are
anxious to know how Captain Howes
managed to stick to piece of float
ing deck for thirty-three hours, the
Post Intelligencer correspondent
hunted hin. up today and obtained
che following history of his doings
after the Alaskan sank:
at was about 2:15 Monday morn
ing when the steamer went down
under me, stern first, and broke in
two amidships. was standing for
ward on the hurricane deck by the
pilot-house when she went down. L
was carried down some distance, and
when / came to the surface found
piece of the roof of the house, about
thirty feet square, floating upside
down. and 1 got on it,
"What everyone wants to kHow,
Captain, is how you managed to stick
to It in such gale?"
1T WAS upside down, and the ribs
or beams gave me something to hold
to. There was a small hatch in the
middle, and when l saw a big sea
coming / put my arm through this
hole till it went over me-"
DEATH OF ENGINEER SWAIN.
"As soon as l got on the raft ]
looked around ard saw Chief Engi-
neer Swain on small raft about
twenty yards away As the moon
shone out between the squalls l saw
who he was, and saw several others
on pieces of wreckage and on life
RATS and called to them, but could
not tell who they we're. l asked
Swain how he was fixed, and tolc
him he nad better come to me, as
had good piece to float on. We
padded and drifted until we were
close together, and 1 got a long
board and reached it out to him anC
hauled him on the raft. There wa
lots of wreckage all around os. WheI
daylight came We saw the pilothoust
with three men on it, and We tried t.
paddle to it, but found it imp ossible
About eight o'clock Swain said bi
would take two planks and try TO ge
to the pilothouse. l tried to per
suade him to stay, but he said h'
would try, anyway, and if he conl'
not make out would come back Th'
last | saw of him he was about hall
way 10 the pilothouse. The men ol
the pilothouse, who were picked VI
Monday evening, told me when l go
aboard the Vigllant that they saw
him float past about 100 yards from
them, and they shouted to him anC
he looked around but made no reply
and that was the last they saw o
him.
DRIFTING ALL DAY AND NIGHT.
After this l drfted away from tn
pllothouse. [ drifted much taste
than the rest of the wreckage, NOV
ing off shore, as the wind was north
east. l drifted all that day an,
night. l was afraid 1 would go t
sleep IN the night and get washe,
on: l hauled some planks on TO tn
ratt for a sort of seat to keep me on
OF the water little. l did not sutfe
much from cold, but was gettIn
very stff and sore, and when the sc
would move my plauks and woul
~, up to haul them back. | Woul
IaIi down and be rolled over in Tia
water
Inesdsy morning the sea wei
uoSh aud ] could -lt more comfort
aniy About 3.u I saw tho smoke ,
sbs sisi.lant asaF fa tIe south
ual Hfffls-t r.FfH "a .E. "a 90.