The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-04-25
HENRY DENNIS LOST
Sealing Schooner Wrecked on
the japan Coast.
CREW. OUTFIT AND CATCH SAVED


The sealing schooner Henry Dennis.
Capt z r. Miner. which Left here Decen-
Der q, has been wrecked on the Japan
coast. news Of the disaster having reached
here Monday night In . eablegram 70 her
owner. J. c. NIXON.
The message received by Mr.. Nixon Is
from Hakodate. Japan. dassd Apsti IL and
for some unaccountahie reason WAS Eve
days getting here. The message Vas in
cipher. - follows:
.Hizon. Seattle. The Dennis 10 . total
wreck Sold for $500. Saved all the catch.
Steamer has arrived. Grew all saved.
Oasfs saved Telegraph instructions TO
Hosei- MINER"
Mr.. Nixon's reply, which the cable COM
parry guaranteed to send through la four
hours, was:
..Pus guns and skins aboard Agar and
sell balance. Sand proof Of loss"
Details Of the disaster which has over
taken the ssauachsss schooner OF the Pa
cisic sealing fleet are, Of course. unobta,n-
able until letters arrive from Capt Miner
or her crew. Mr. Nixon said yesterday
that he could not zee how Capt. Miner lost
the schooner, ~ he had been on the Japan
coast for s;x years aad Vas = very careful
man. The only possible way that he
knew Of Was that the Dennis had put into
some port for water and that before getting
out q typhoon had struck her, driving her
ashore. The Dennis tanks carried water
enough TO last sixty-6ve or seventy days
and II was Just about two months ago that
she lef. Port Lloyd. Mr.. Nixon SAID that
If the Dennis could obtain half n mile Of
room to beat her way no wind could have
driven her ashore, as she was famous as
staunch craft and had Just received new
masts and sails before leaving Seattle.
The Henry Dennis was built in 1883 Ut
Essex, Mass, by three men. Brown, Pray
and Norton, for mackerei fishing of
Newfoundland, and was brought around
to the Pacific coast by these men in 1890
and went sealing that year for them, after
which she vas sold to J. Z. Nixon. for
whom she was sealing the fourth season
when wrecked. There Was no better seal.
ing vessel anoat, although there are those
of later model. She was thoroughly built,
copper fastened throughout and sheathed
with copper below the water line. Her gross
tonnage was 9637. net 81. S.; length, SIS
feet: breadth, 23.3 feet; depth, S.4 feet.
The Dennis has always been considered .
lucky craft, having won this reputation
by combination OF good management
and good fortune. Mr.. Nixon never does
anything by halves, and tho Dennis was
not only always In fine shape bot carried
the most celebrated lot of hunters
on the Coast. Mr.. Nixon believes
in hiring the very best men he
can get. The craft carried six
hunters: ]. n. Knapp. who was high man
on the Allie l. Agar last year: +. J.
Spear, high man on the Dennis last
year; Edward Cantillion. who hunted in
the Agar in 1889, Afterwards built the
Willard Ainsworth and was in the Char
iot,e Cox last year; Louis L. Etxel. high
man In the Charlotte Cox in 1882; J. 8.
Tanning, who has hunted for Mr. Nixon
ever aimee the latter has been In the BUSH
ness, and {. w. Valkenburg. The latter
had never hunted seals, but was the crack
shot Of Colorado. and was signed for his
superior craftsmanship. The members of
the crew were F. NJ. White. mate; Edward
Smith. Frank Mckenna, T. 7. Dewar,
Joseph 0imstead. II. w. Tenneson, A.
Soderstrom. Alex Stinson, w. Farrell,
Christian Christensen, Horace G. Berry,
Consider Thomas. Phillip Kennedy, Pat
rick Mullen, ID. Steele, Amund Anderson,
john Madison.
The Dennis was thoroughly refitted and
rerigged last fall IT an expense OF 81. 200
including new set of sails. which were
made In Gloucester. Mass, on purpose for
her. She Was valued At ST., 500 and car
ried an outfit and PROVISIONS worth $4,000.
She was provisioned for eight months. as
supplies are very much cheaper here than
in Japan. She was insured for 5000 on
her hull alone. As the outfit and catch
was saved the financial loss is not great
All the expense OF the voyage had been
paid. and during the next three months
the schooner expected To reap harvest of
seaiskins- There IS no telling how many
skins she had taken, bat at this time last
year the Agar had COO The crew and the
hunters especially viii have no difficulty
in getting positions on other seaiers if the
fate of the Dennis becomes known to the
nset.
TAKING WASHINGTON COAL.