The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-27
Astounding Rotteness of the
Bark Southern Chief.
TowED TO PORT TOWNSEND.
The Ancient Coaster Picked Up With
Big Holes in Her.
Loss Of the Big Sseamer-T The List
Vessel That Saw the keweensw
Throws Light on Her Probable Fate.

wreck Of the bark Southern Chief was %
day towed into port by the tugs Richard
Holyoke and Sea Lion. The vessel is the
most perfect specimen of deeayed marine
architecture that ever reached Puget
Sound. The seas ripped dozens of piaaks
from the SIDES of the bark. exposing TO
View timbers 50 rotten that they could be
picked To pieces with a jack-knife. Rust
and innumerab.e bolt holes haG perforated
the ribs Of the bark until they resemhled
tereio-eaten piles. Shipping men and
veteran sailors who had hrayed the
storms Of many seas in vessels consider
ed unsafe were astonishea at the COM
plete rottenness OF the Southern Chief
The decayed wooden tirnbers were lid
den from view By nicely painted boards.
That was the condition of the bark when
the owners permitted fifteen persons to
risk their lives and incidentally involve
possible loss OF cargo worth slo.e0e by
going on a despwater voyage to a foreign
port 400 miles distant. Il must also be
remembered that 1t was only a yeas or
two ago that this vessel was engaged in
the San Francisco-Puget Sound c.al
trade, voyages that increased the danger
tenfoii
The tug Holyoke. Capt. Frank Ginger,
sighted the dsrelict seventy-five miles
southwest OF Cape Fiattery late Moaday
afternoon. The harkentine Retriever,
lumber laien from Pert Hadleck for san
Francisco, had observed the vessel earlier
in the day, aEa y crew boarded her and
stripped the vessel of every movable ar
ticie. The clothes and personal effects Of
h. faf. 50 Ia
the cabin gutted. the ships instruments.
furniture. provisions and the officers
clothes and private papers being taken
When the captain of the Retriever no.
tieed the Holyoke approaching he sent a
few men aboard and took charge of the
derelict. The Washington Min Co, owner
of the Retriever, is heavy stockholder
in the Puget Sound Tugboat Company.
which controls The Holyoke, and the cap
tasns of the two vessels were not long in
effecting an anaicable understanding re-
lating to division of salvage. The Re
triever allowed Second Mate Hayes to
accompany the Southern Chief back To
Port Townsend.
The weather has been unusually mild
since the Southern Chief was abandoned
last Friday morning. On Monday night
at o'clock the Holyoke got ursier way.
and yesterday at II o'clock the Sea Lion
was met at Cape Flattery and assisted I'm
towing the Chief here. arriving tits
morning. When Capt. Plum left the YES
sci the foresail. fore lower topsails. the
main lower topsail and two jbs were set.
and that WAS her condition when the Re-
triever came along. One lower sail w<s
hlnp-n h.sf. har
there were two holes in the after GUAR
ter. large enough to admit tons OF water.
Part of the starboNsd bulwarks and n
dozen pianks from the port bow had been
wrenehed of by the heavy seas. On both
sides amidships were evidences of the
rotten condition of the bark, showing
many decayed timbers. The main deck,
from the forecastle head TO the break of
the poop, is bulged up several inches. The
cargo on deck shows signs OF rough us
age at the hands OF the angry sea, The
nlasts and rigging are in good condition.
The starboard anchor and thirty fatharns
Of chain were Lost overheard when leav-
ing Tacoma harbor. At present the Chief
has about twelve feet OF water In the
hold. The cabin and forecastle show the
thorough manner In which they were
looted at sea
That. however, Is a common custom
with abandoned craft. For the old iron,
etc. that Is i'm the Southern Chief she
is valued at ss.eo0. and $4,000 feet OF TIM
Der commands value ofss0oo The wreck
was taken 10 Port Hadloek this af:er-
noon. where the cargo will be discharged
and the vessel undergo thorough exam
ination, when her future fate win be de-
termined.
Arrangements are being male to trans
fer the Southern Chiefs cargo TO an
other vessel bound for Adelaide. Austria
LA.