Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-17
THE ALASKAN LOST.
One of the O. R. and Ms
Co.'S Steamers Sunk.
FIVE OF HER CREW DROWNED.
Sixteen Of Them Still at Sea in the
Vessels B0ats-Thirteen Saved
by Tug.

Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD
PORTLAND, Or, May 16.-The steam
chip Columbia, from San Francisco, re
ports the loss Of the side-wheel, irol
steamer Alaskan, belonging to the Ore
gon Railway and Navigation Company
1t is reported that she foundered at SCI
off Cape Blanco, May 18th, while on tn,
way from Portland to San Francisco. L
is supposed that the Alaskan encountere,
a severe gale on her way down the coast
Cape Blanco is 400 miles south of the
Columbia River. The Columbia, com
ing up the coast, picked up the cap
tain, mate and eleven of the crew, bring
ing them to Astoria. Five men are re-
ported drowned. Two boats, containing
the remainder of the crew, have not vel
been heard from.
PORTLAND, Or, May 16.-Five of the
crew are known to be lost. Sixteen
more are either drowned or drifting
about in the ocean in two of the ships
boats, while thirteen were picked up by
the tug Vigilance and turned over to the
steamer Columbus. She was insured for
100000. Her crew numbered forty.
five men. No freight or passengers were
on board. Captain Howes, of Astoria,
was in command, and Pilot Woods, OF
Astoria, was her first officer. When the
Alaskan left Astoria on Saturday, the
weather was warm, though the
indications were for foul weather
On Sunday the storm began, and since
then the weather has been boisterous all
along the coast. On Sunday night the
steamer behaved fairly we'll. Before
sailing for Sap Francisco she was thor
oughly rebraced and had her rear guards
taken off. To allow the water plenty of
play forward the guards were not re-
moved, and it is supposed that on &C.
count of this the guards caught the water
under them, which ran into her hold.
Three hours after midnight it was found
that she was sinking, and all
hands took to the boats. Captain
Howes, Captain Woods and eleven of
crew were all in one boat and the re-
mainder of the crew in the others. The
wind was blowing in a southwesterly
direction at the time and the men we're
drifted toward land. The tug Vigilance,
in tow of dredger, on her way from San
Diego to Tacoma, ran across Captain
Howes and his party, and picked them
up last Tuesday. When a short distance
from CAPE Blanco, the steamer Columbia
ran across the tug and took the passen-
gers aboard, bringing them to this city.
1t is positively known that all got into
the boats and escaped from the sinking
steamer. The Alaskan had four life
boats, four life-rafts, four metal life boats
and her life-preservers. She was fur
nished with Gates steering appliance.
The steamer Columbia, having aboard
the survivors of the wreck, locked at
S:15 p. NJ. Captain Bolles said be found
the tug Vigilant off the Columbia river
bar at o'clock this morning and took
the survivors aboard his vessel. The
Vgilant had been lying'of the Der for
ten hours waiting for some vessel to
show up.
The following official record OF the loss
of the vessel is from the log book: Sun
dav the Alaskan was eighteen miles off
shore; the wind was increasing, the sea
getting rough, ship laboring heavily, and
beginning to make water. She was &C.
cordingly slowed down and main try
sail set to keep the vessels head to the
wind and sea. An hour later the port
guard began TO break up, and after that
the house began to work. The water began
to come in freely. All hands were then
nut to work to stop the leaks with bed
ding. At 6 O'Clock the port guard went
lust forward of the wheel, carrying away
the covering board and bursting one of
the upper plates. The wind and
sea increased and the ships upper
works gradually went to pieces,
the water pouring in on all sides.
the pumps were working to their fullest
capacity, but the water kept increasing
rapidly. At II p. NJ. the ship was put
before the wind and sea, and prepare
tons we're made to save life. All four
boats we're launched successfully, but
one cot stove before it could put
off. The fires were out before we under
took TO launch the boats, and before
the last boat was lowered the ship had
stopped, The boats were astern and the
men were ordered to put on life preser-
yers and 90 in line to them, but some pre-
ferred to stay by the ship, rather than
take chances of being picked up by the
boats.
At i o'clock Monday morning we saw
a vessels light to the northward, and
sent up rockets and burned torches, and
at :l5 the ship went down, stern first,
and broke in two. The Captain and en-
gineer and about ten others were on
board.
CAPTAIN Howes, when he saw that the
steamer must SO, ordered his officers to
get out the boats and all hands to gel
into them. They were afraid to go, but,
finally, about twenty-five got intv the
boats and cut loose, and that is all thai
ia known of them. Chief Engineer Swain
would not get into the boat, 30 the
fret officer slid down the rope and
dropped into the only boat that was left
Several men followed, and George
Shieldernys, whose leg had been broker
while he was at the wheel, fell into the
sea and was hauled aboard. This made
six men in the boat. AT O'Clock, Oh
Monday morning, they pushed OF anc
aoated to leeward, leaving Capt. Howes
and Officer Weeks, Chief Engineer, VIM
Swain, Steward Albert Ahles, and sea
man VIM. Denny on board. AT 10 thu
ship went down, and Captain howe
foated off on a piece OF the deck. "A
this time the wind was blowing gaze
and a pelting rain falling. Alter I'M
Captain had been floating awhile, N
saw First Engineer Swain on anothe
piece of wreck short distance away
and they managed, by padding VIII
pieces of board, to bring their rats to
gether, and Swain got on with Captain
Howes. After they had been togethe
awhile, they saw three men floating O
Al l.., Al