Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-02-23
WITHOUT A TUG
The Schooner j. @. Ford Attempts
To Run Into the Harbor With
out a Tug and Goes. Ashore
ON THE SOUTH SAND SPIT

VICTORIA, B. c., Feb. 2l.-The sealing
schooner Brenda. Captain Locke, return
ed from the coast today with the crew of
the three masted lumber schooner J. G..
Ford, of San Francisco, which sank off
Grays Harbor Saturday morning. The
rescue of the men was we'll timed, for a
short time later they would have GER
| tainly have gone down with their Ill
starred vessel. The story told by Captain
Brown of the Ford of the adventures Of
himself and crew OF seven men from the
night If Tuesday, February IA, when the
vesstl struck the south sand spit, at the
entrance of Grays Harbor, until the fol-
lowing Friday afternoon, when they were
rescued from the sinking vessel, is thrill.
ing:
Said he: 'We left San Francisco, Feb
ruary for Giays Harbor to load lumber
fol our home port. We had aboard some
cargo, among which was 200 barrels of
lime, some machinery and ballast. We
had fair run up on the evening of Feb
ruary IA, we were off the second mid
channel buoy, with conditions favorable
for running in. l decided to do SO but
it suddenly grew squally and darkened
up, and We brought up on the south spit.
"We managed to get off all right, but
lost our rudder, the keel to The main
mast and all of the dead wood along the
keel. The vessel began to leak badly
and our position was a terrible one. We
had no rudder to steer by, but managed
to keep the ship outside by manipulating
sails.
II ordered the men to the pumps and
kept both going. They finally choked
up and we had to stand by and see the
water gain steadily. Our sole boat would
not have lived five minutes in the sea
with eight men in it. We managed still
to keep the vessel off the shore, and for
two days, Wednesday and Thursday,
kept our hopes up. On Friday morning
the water having reached the lime it
took fire. Then things did look blue.
We were then twenty-five miles off shore
and to the north of Grays Harbor. 1
knew we were in the track of all the
coasters and hoped to sight one.
"About 2 O'Clock in the afternoon
schooner, which proved to be the Brenda,
hove in sight, saw our signal of distress
and ran to us. She sent three boats
aboard and took myself and crew off.
While she was near us big collier, 1
think the Keewenaw, coal laden from
Seattle to San Francisco, passed right by
us, in plain view OF my signal, but never
even as much as slowed down.
"Aftar Captain Locke got us aboard lie
sent his boats back to the Ford and took
about $4,000 worth of property off. They
got her entire suit of sails, her tackle,
blocks, boats and a number of other
things. When we left her there was
about six feet of water in the hold The
Brenda hove to all night to watch the
Ford. All night she seemed to be going
lower in the water.
"The end came at o'clock Saturday
morning, when with lurch she plunged
into the water and quickly sunk from
sight.
"We made all sail for the straits and
yesterday morning ran into Neah bay,
but telegraph communications were
broken. Captain Locke then decided to
come to Victoria. Captain Locke and
his men acted nobly in the rescue OF the
crew and he and his men treated US
splendidly"
1.-THE schooner ]. G. Ford was built in
San Francisco in 1881. She piled be-
tween San Francisco and Puget sound in
the lumber trade for several years under
command of Captain Mercer. She usu-
ally loaded in Seattle. Last year S. E.
Slade, of the Slade Lumber company pur-
chased the vessel from the Mendocno
Lumber company, and Captain Brown,
who is member Of the company, assum-
ed command. The Ford has been run
ming between San Francisco and Grays
Harbor for the last few trips. Her
dimensions are as follows: Length 1913
feet, breadth 80, depth 10 feet, and 231
net tons. The only insurance on the
vessel was carried by Captain Brown on
his one-eighth interest, the insurance
amounting to $4,000. The schooner was
classed high and valued at $15. 0OO.1