The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-23
LOSS OF THE ALLEN.
Forty-0ne of the Whaling
Bark's Crew Are Missing.
CAPTAIN DID NOT LEAVE HER
Hardships Of the Survivors In the
0torm-No Arrests Of sea1ers
In Bering Sea-


tine John Wooster, eleven days from Una
laska. arrived today with fire Of the crew
Of the Iately-wrecked whaling bark James
Allen Forty-one men. including Capt
Huntley and the first and second officers.
are missing. The vessel is total wreck.
Two men-of-war visited the scene of the
disaster two weeks later and found not .
vestige Of the Allen. Joseph Dewatt.
third officer of the Allen, came down on
the Wooster and tonight gave the Asso-
ciated Press correspondent the following
account:
THE accident occurred about 1:3o
O'Clock on the morning of May IL was
on watch, the weather being very thick.
foggy and cold, and q drilling rain was
falling. The sun had been hidden four
or five days, and We lost our exact
reckoning and believed we were further
east than we really we're. Suddenly. while
lying 70. the vessel struck a hidden reef.
which Jared the bark from stem to
stern and brought all hands on deck. A
few seconds later she struck another
reef with an awful crash, tearing
the keel to pieces. Before the pumps could
be started the water began coming in
through the lower matches. The first two
boats lowered were smashed to pieces
against the side of the ship. The first
on into the second mates boat. Capt
Huntley had charge of the deck, and was
busily engaged in launching the boats and
getting the crew off the sinking ship. All
hands had gotten into four boats, and " as
ready TO embark, when Capt Huntley went
into the cabin. Everywhere it was pitch
dark, and the only way to distinguish
cabin and found it full of water and float
ing debris. | called to the captain loudly
three times and got no answer. The
ship began to heave and lurch, and
hastily embarked and pulled away,
when the ship lurched forward and
sank 1t is barely possible the CAPTAIN
might have gotten to one of the boats,
although our cook saws he did not come
out OF the cabin. My boat was partly
stove in. and by great effort we kept it
free Of water. We sailed thirty miles west,
landed on a barren island without food
and waited for the weather TO moderate.
We patched up the boat and proceeded to
another island, where We found some
natives. who assisted Us to repair our
boat and gave Us plenty of food. The
storm which had been blowing necessarily
for ten days moderated slightly, and then
the natives stayed to pilot US to the North
American Commercial Company's station.
After going q short distance we met the
steam schooner Dora, and she took Us q
few miles distant to the man-of-war Pc
trel. The disaster occurred on the reef at
the east end of Emily island, near '72 pass.
three miles from shore. The Petrol
went Immediately to search for
the crew. We cruised in the
vicinity several days, searching the ada
cent islands, and the only trace found was
crushed skiff. The day following the
wreck. three miles distant We saw a boat
under sail, but were unable to ascer-
w Nf "a
| As my boat was making water We were
unable to catch up with the other boat.
and thick weather soon obscured her from
| sight. Ii may be possible that she landed
| on some Of the western islands and part
OF the crew were thereby saved"
The following members of the crew were
saved: Joseph Dewatt. third officer;
| Charles Mcintyre. fourth officer; John
| Roath, boat steerer; Tom Gorgoge,
cook; Peter Peterson. seaman; Max
/ Gohore. seaman; Fred Hill, seaman
and one other, name unknown, boat
steerer. Three of the men remained in
| Unalaska and the others came down on
the Wooster. The men who ar
rived here tonight are foreign born
and have told several conflicting
stories on the passage down. At one time
| they averred the mate and captain were
drowned IN the cabin. This they now deny,
and state that the mate got into the second
mates boat. Stories about the captain :
disappearance In the cabin was also con.
Trajectory. The survivors tell dreadful
tales of privations from hunger and
| cold experienced after the accident.
/ They subsisted on fish caught on
the beach eight days after the wreck.
Three or four revenue cutters and men-of.
war left Unaiaska for Emily island and
vicinity to thoroughly search for the miss.
ing men.
| The general opinion prevails that all the
missing men are drowned. The stormlest
weather ever experienced on the coast pre-
vailed about the time of the wreck.
| The revenue cutter Bear came into I'm.
alaska and took the news of the wreck
| of the Alien, which carried whaling sup.
plies to Point Barrow. the rendezvous OF
the feet.