The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-31

BAY. b O.. and the steamer Pacific. cant.fa rss
no"eiA nom Victoria for San FRANCISCO vith
passenger list and heavy cargo of freight.
,a 1e s.esmef ioundered and all on board were
.oss Win me exception of two who were picked
up N the Straits of Fuea near Creseent nav Nv
sae United States revenue cutter woIcctf. The
sAip Ofpneus, being badly damaged. coufd rem
ees 70 assistance. but kept on her course and
misssking tae nash light of Cape Beale for the
nxed light Of Cape Flattery. ran into Barclay
souna, ana striking reef of rocks was also To-
taiiy wrecked and lost, fortunately without fur.
tner loss Of life.
This calamity which carried gloom into the
hearts OF % many residents of the Pacific coast
stu remembered with horror in this commu.
My. Thss remembrance is 30 vivid that We
cannot view with indifference the psrsimonious
splla. q me government which creates not only
ne pomibilify, but even the probability, should
you make your proposed Recommendation that
me station at Mean bay may be abandone ed be-
csuse your incomplete statistics show that oaly
TWO snipwrecks have occurred in the vicinity
since is7. II that were true, does it lessen the
dangers about Cape Fiaftery? ls 1t guaranty
.u.s forever the waters at the mouth of the
elsewhere?
We know that IL an efficient Hfe-sayfne sta.
uon ned been established at Neah bay when the
facinc was lost many lives could have been
saved, Is dead bodies dashed to hastily con-
s1rncfed rats foated up the straits, and some
were cast ashore near Victoria, where thew
were recovered from the sea
This chamber would again respectfully ask
your attention to the wrecking of the bark Liz
zie Marshall, to which you refer This wreck
ccurred within sight OF the Neah bay life-boat
station. The life-boat was lost through the
numbering atupidity Of the keeper He has
since been retained as the keeper of q life-boat
station without lifeboat. This is his reward
Tor his conduct on that occasion II would
naturally be supposed that first-class iife-boss
could cross the straits inside the points where
Indians IN their frail 'dugouts" have no fear TO
paddle at any time of the year. Yet because
TINS American vessel was lost on the shores of
Vancouyer's Island. not in the United states. we
are informed, a. an apology for the incompa-
tency OF the service, that she was entirely out
side the usual scope of station operations.
On November 80. 1857, the British ship Dach-
ees OF Argyle was lost at the entrance 70 San
Juan harbor. vaneouver's island, in plain view
from the heights of Boadah point, Neah bay
Being foreign vessel, on foreign shore. no as
distance was rendered from the life-boat station.
The wreck was entirely outside the usual scope
OF the active operations of the boat-house
keeper! Assistance was rendered, however, by
American pilots whose vessel was anchored in
Neah bay. The interest of commerce and hu-
mainly the principles of International and
maritime law, sent them TO the rescue when an
employe of the lfesaving service remained in
active.
January 80. 1887. the bark Austria was totally
wrecked on the Flattery rocks. The members
OF the crew were rescued by the Indians and
walked TO Neah bay.
The same month the Bolivian bark Irene was
abandoned of Cape Flattery. The members of
the crew were saved by the vessels boats and
effected landing at Neah bay.
In January. 1890, the steamer West Shore was
lost on the shore Of the mainland near Destruc-
ton island. The members of the crew saved
themselves and walked 10 Neah bay, where they
were found by the United States cutter Corwin,
Captain c. l. Hooper. and brought to Port
Townsend.
February q, $780, the British bark Port Gordon
was wrecked of Hob river, inside Destruction
island. The members of the crew were saved
after great privatfons. They reached Neah bay,
whence they were brought to this city.
These wrecks all occurred ct places where as
sistance could have been rendered from an
effective life-saying station located ct Neah bay.
II is noticeable that all mariners who have been
wrecked in the vicinity of the entrance to Fuca
refuge.
We deem il unnecessary to recapitulate the
American vessels lost on the western coast of
Vancouver island as they were bound In or out
OF Fuca straits, or the vessels foundered at sea
off Cape Flattery during the period from April,
1877, to the present time. The facts presented
show that . necessity exists, greater than ever
before, that an effective lie-saving station be
established and maintained at Neah bay 1t is
conservativeiy estimated that, with the COM
merce OF British Columbia added to that OF
the American ports of Puget sound, thirty
vessels every day in the year pass in and