The morning call., 1890-08-20
STRUCK ON A ROCK.
The Sealer Mary Ellen Sunk Off
Unga Island, Alaska.
She Was Sold for Small Sum and Afterward
Got Of and Rspaired-The Captain and
Mate Arrive on the Hancock.

The old historic schooner John Hancock ar.
rived In port last evening from Lynde and
HOughs Station at Sand Point. Alaska, and pro-
ceeded direct to her anchorage of the firms sta
lion off California City. AS she was expected to
bring the latest news from the sealing vessels up
north the reporters were on tile Gui vve TO get
the catch OF fish she brought down and the
catches Of the different sealers that make Sand
Point their rendezvous. When the last ferry boat
arrived from Tiburon neither Captain Chapman Of
the Hancock nor any OF his crew put In an ap-
pearance, aud II was thought that their report
would have To be waited for until the first boat
came over from there this morning.
About 8 O'clock last evening steam launch
arrived at the north end OF the sea-wall and four
passengers disembarke ed from her. One OF them
was tall man with a full sandy beard. A CALL
reporter WHO happened 10 be on the dock nosing
after news at once recognized him as Captain
Dan Mclean, master of the British sealing
schooner Mary Ellen, which had left here last
December on a sealing use.
SHE STRUCK ROCK AND SANK,
Captain Mclean was approached and asked:
What are you doing down here, eaptain?" lie
made no answer. Then he was asked, Where
is the Mary Ellen?" He hesitated awhile and
then said: "She struck on rock up north and
sank" He would answer no more questions,
but said the news would all appear In the papers
in few days. He called the men who accom-.
panied him III the steam-launch aud cleared
away uptown IN The darkness.
A CALL reporter took Il cruise around Barbary
Coast late last evening 10 Try and lind the men
who had arrived on the launch. AT midnight he
found two OF the men III a resort on keatny
street where most Of the hunters and sealers ship
from. The men had come down on the Hancock,
for Lynde g. Hough The Hancock left Sand
Point, Alaska, August Sd. and 80 made the trip
IL sixteen days. The Car, they said, had ar
rived at sand Point three days before the Ham
cpck hIIt had Slnak. and probably
would he down here In about three weeks.
Only one seaer was at sand Point while the
Hancock was there and that was the Maggie Me-
NOT TOTALLY LOST.
Tie men stated that The schooner Mary Ellen
was not total wreck by any means. She had
run on The rocks on Unga Island few miles
was large hole IN her cardboard streak. Cap
tain Mclean could not do anything with her.
There was no vessel at Sand Point whose crew
could help him, and he sold the vessel as she lay
on the rocks to Captain OBren, Lynde &
Hough's agent at Sand Point. Ii Is understood
that tie price paid was little over $500.
UBrleu, with litile difficulty, got the vessel oil
the rocks, got her round TO Sand Point and made
her seaworthy. and three days before lie Han
cock sailed she left for a sealing cruise TO the
north. All the old crew went In her except the
captain. Mclean, and the mate, PendletOn, who
came down here on the John Hancock.
Captain Wilson went captain Of the Mary Ellen
and Mr.. North went as mate. The vessel now Is
presumably the property OF OBrien or Lynde q
Hou.h.
FINE VESSEL.
The Mary Ellen is a splendid vessel OF 63 tons,
burden aad was owned by two brothers, Alex
ander Mclean and Dan Mclean, The captain
She sailed from here on December 27th for ic-
tora, intending to hunt seals on the coast in
their migration UP north to the PTybilOf Islands.
and then land their catch al The Canadian port.
Liebes, the fur man. II Is understood, put up the
money to tit her out, aud Ross s. Hewlett sup
piled her with stores.
The latest reports received from up north
stated that she had captured over 1000 Skins,
m W
Sand Point is not stated.
Captain Mclean registered at the American
Exchange late last evening and then went out TO
get shaved Up to the hour of going TO press he
had not returned, SO that his version oil The acc-
dent TO his vessel could not be learned.
Among the passengers by tho hancock was
Thomas A. Brown, an Australian, vino has been
hunting bearing animals in Alaska during
the past three years.