Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-18
THE LOST ALASKAN"
Loss of Life Almost Certain to be Large
The Survivors Story.

PORTLAND, Ore, May 17.-Captain r. E.
Howes, of the foundered steamer Alaskan,
and First Officer Wood have arrived here
on the steamship Columbia.
The Alaskan sailed for San Francisco
from Astoria last Saturday and crossed the
Columbia river bar safely, headed down
the coast. Sunday forenoon a very heavy
gale sprung up, which soon increased to a
terrible storm, and the sea ran very high
and the vessel began laboring heavily. In
the afternoon the steamer strained and
began taking water The pumps We're
kept going constantly and the officers and
crew vainly endeavored to stop the leak by
shifting in blankets and bedding. The
storm continued with undated fury, and
early Sunday evening the works OF the
steamer began going to pieces. The water
poured In on all sides, putting out
the fires in the furnaces and literally
flooded the upper works. The engines
were stopped and the huge vessel pitched
and tossed completely at the mercy of che
elements. The pumps could not be worked
and the vessel began filling. However,
Captain Howes gave orders To all to stay
by the vessel, hoping that the storm would
soon abate.
About o'clock Monday night it was
evident that the steamer would soon
founder. Captain HOwes then gave or
ders to launch the life boats andirafts. All
the boats were launched but one or two,
which crushed against the side of the
steamer. The men behaved with GOODNESS
and obeyed orders promptly. There were
fOrty-four men on board the vessel ana
three stowa ~ avs. About o'clock all put
on life preservers and got in boats and
RATS and drifted away: Some refused to
leave the steamer at all. preferrlng to take
their chances on board rather than COM
NIT themselves to the hungry waters.
At 2:15 a. N. Monday the steamer took
plunge and went down stem first. Cap
tain Howes gallantly stayed with the YES
sci until she sunk and clingiDg to por-
ton of the wreckage fiOated away. he
was afterwards picked up by those on
board RATS. After thirty-Jhree hours he
and others were picked by the tug Nigi-
lante. The same vessel also picked the
first officer, q. ". Woods, L. Wallace, W.
Collins, b. Bernhard J. Monaghan, J. W.
Brown. Alfred Bronson, John Welsh and
George Childrup, the latter having leg
broken by the heavlng Of timbers before
leaving the steamer and died soon after
being picked up. John Welsh was found
dead on piece of wreckage. Chief En-
eineer Swaine was washed OF one of the
RATS soon after leaving the sinking vessel
and is known to be lost.
Among those who refused to leave the
Alaskan and certainly are lost were Albert
Rabies, Steward 5. L. Week, Second Of
1icer w. Jenney. A. S. Leman.
Out of total of forty-seyen officers and
crew thirty remain unaccounted for, whose
fate is unknown at present. The tug Wig
ilante after picking up those mentioned,
CruiSed about the scene of disaster for over
twelve hours but saw no signs OF others.
At the time the vessel foundered fear
ful storm prevailed and rain descended in
torrents. There is scarcely any hope that
the other part of the crew escaped. Efforts
are being made to find them or ascertain
their fate. United States Lighthouse
Tender Manzattai now on the southern
coast is cruising about looking for the sur
vivorS if any.
Cape Blanco is about 200 miles south of
the mouth of the Columbia river on the
coast OF Oregon and is only a short dis
lance from Cape Oxford. AS near as can
be ascertained the disaster occurred about
$50 miles off the cape. The tug Nigilante
saw numbers of rockets from the Alaskan a
short time before the vessel founuered.
Captain ,Howes says he saw the tugs
lights quite plainly, but the vessel was
some distance away and could render no
assistance amidst the bowling storm. The
Nigilante brought the survivors up TO the
mouth of the Columbia and waited until
the ocean steamer Columbia came along
and rheO IA SnryivprS