The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-23
STORM ON THE ALASKA COAST.
The steamer Bertha Has an Awful Ex-
perience at Unga Island.

Pogr TOWNSEND, Dec. 22.-TSpecial. T.
When Captain Anderson, of the Alaska
Commercial Company's steamer Bertha,
stepped ashore here this morning his
friends noticed that he looked two years
Older than when he left here less than a
month ago. At Ungcr island he passed
through the most terrific hurricane ever
experienced in that locality. The Bertha
arrived here from Unga and Kodiak, being
six days and three hours from the latter
place. She looks very weather-beaten. and
IS in ballast. After passing through the
customs house the Bertha proceeded 10
Nanaimo 10 load coal for San Francisco.
This Is the last trip of the Bertha this
winter. She left San Francisco November
Fl, and was eight days and seven hours to
Unga island from Port Townsend.
Captain Anderson says he never before
experienced such a violent storm in his
life. 1t was the most thrilling experience
he ever had. He arrived at Unga Noven-
Der IS, and after discharging there went to-
Portage bay, arriving there December ..
Ii was here that he encountered the hurri-
cane, which came within an ace of driving
his vessel on the rocks. The weather was
very cold, but the wind veered suddenly TO
the southeast aud the thermometer went
up to - degrees above the freezing point.
1t rained heavily. This lasted two DAYS.
On December 4 the wind backed into the
northwest and the weather becameIhitterly
cold. ON the night of December 5
more snow fell in two hours than during
the whole previous part of the season.
Tho thermometer fell 10 Is degrees above
zero and the barometer began 10 jump
alarmingly, but finally fell rapidly. The
gale increased To frightful violence. Al
though the Bertha had two anchors down,
and was steaming to them, she found il
necessary to let 60 another anchor made
fast TO six-inch hawser. The engines
were turned TO full speed ahead, and with
all these precautions the Bertha driftcd 10
within 100 yards of the rocks. The cap
tain and seamen were as blind men, and
required all their strength to hold on.
The storm increased TO more than a
hurricane, its strength reaching its climax
at IL o'clock at night 1t blew so hard
from that 10 / o'clock in the morning that
the men had TO lie fiat on the deck to
avoid being blown away. The ship all the
time was drifting toward the rocks. The
barometer fell TO $50 and the thcrmome-
ter to 10 degrees below zero. Everything
was frozen and the men covered with ice.
After o'clock the storm began TO abate.
When day broke the captain saw the peril
Gus position of the Bertha and hove mp.
The vessel had drifted with three anchors
down and stcaming full speed to the cables
over half a mile.
Nothing could be seen of the hamlet on
shore. The tents had disappeared. the
huts were wrecked, and piles of lumber
had been scattered like chips pieces meas
: n 49, {na -,
inches square being blown half mile.
One of the old Idaho's largest whale boats,
which was lying bottom up on the beach.
had been lifted up bodily and blown half a
mile away from the original resting place
On weighing anchor on the Bertha "a
most singular discovery was made. The
anchors and cables for several fathoms
were polished by friction as bright rs a
new steel knife. The rigging of the steamer
was bleached quite white, and the wood
work and bows forward were utterly de
nuded of paint. Neither Captain Ander-
son or his men had gone below during the
gale and had had no sleep for fifty hours.
Captain Lawrence, of Oakland, and
Frederick VehEng, of San Francisco, came
down from Portage bay on the Bertha as
passengers. They are wealthy miners.
with interests all over the territory. These
gentlemen pay tribute to the seaman
ship of Captain Anderson. and say they
never experienced hurricane of such vio-
fence before in Alaska. The storm must
have extended over the entire territory.
They were ashore during the gale, and had
TO leave their houses, which threatened
evyry minute to blow away. All the men
in the place remained all night fat on
their faces on the ground with heads from
the wind. They could not even sit up.
Had there been any shipping IN the
harbor or on the coast terrible disasters
would have been inevitable, said Vehling.
I'VE lost sight of the Bertha lights early
in the storm and thought she was lost.
We were greatly relieved 10 see her next
morning. After leaving Portage hay we
were five days to Kodiak. The usual ::nas-
sage is two days. There was another blow
of there, but We had fair wind all the way
down.