Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-11-09
SUNK IN MID-OCEAN.
A MELANCHOLY NARRATION OF
OCEANS RAPAClTY.

the Fanny Dutard-LoAs OF Life
Including Some of Our Promi
nent People.
AT about 20 minutes past O'Clock
ON the afternoon OF the 30th OF Septem
Der last the coal ship Ivanhoe, with
all hands on board foundered off Cape
Flattery. She was in about latitude
41.j3 north and longitude l27:l west
Cape Flattery bearing northeast one
half east, and distant 95 miles.
Such is undoubtedly the sad fate OF
the coal ship whose mysterious disap-
pearance has been the topic of greatest
interest in Seattle these past many
weeks, as we'll as along the Pacific
coast from the Golden Gate to Puget
Sound.
This news OF the lost vessel was
brought to the Sound by the lumber
schooner Fanny Dutsrd, CaptaiE r.
Peterson, which arrived at Port Blake
ly from Santa Barbara, California.
Capt. Peterson does not know pos.
itively that the ill-starred vessel he
saw sink beneath the cruel waters off
Cape Flattery on the 3Oth of last
September was the coal ship Ivanhoe,
but in the light of developments since
that fatal day there cannot possibly
be any other construction placed upon
it.
The said story is told by Captain
Peterson and his crew in few words,
for there was not much to tell.
After a night Of fierce storm of rain,
wind and heavy seas, followed by a
morning Of considerable calm, the two
vessels while bearing each other
distant company, one suddenly disap.
pear beneath the waves without warn.
ing-disappeared as quickly as the
bursting of huge soap-bubble. 1t all
transpired so quickly that the crew of
the Fanny Dutard failed to see her
the instant she disappeared from
sight.
With these few Introductory words
We will let Captain Peterson tell his
own story of the incident.
ave left Port Blakeley," said Cap
tain Peterson last night, as he sat in
the cabin of his schooner at the docks
in the mill port, "on the 25th OF
September last, bound for Santa Bar
bara with lumber. We sailed out un-
der light wind, and arrived at the
cape on the 29th, where We found a
strong southeast wind blowing. There
was nothing OF unusual interest oc-
curing on the trip to the cape. We
saw a tug towing out ship that same
evening and drop her off the cape.
That night it rained very heavily and
there was about a 6O.mile an-hour
wind coming up over the sea. About
II O'Clock, l think it was, that same
night we saw . ship to ieeWard of US.
1t continued blowing heavy from she
southeast sll night, and kept on till
about II o'clock Of the morning of the
3Oth, when it moderated. A ship was
in company with US, but too far away
for US to make out her name or what
her cargo. She appeared to have q
terrible list to starboard. At about
IL 80 o'clock I was OH the port tack,
and the other vessel was on the star
board tack, and distant think about
four miles. She was apparently hove
to with lower topsail.. We could see
that something was wrong with her,
for her list was in the wrong direc.
ton.
"I was not concerned much about
her for l expected we would run nearer
together soon and having been up
most of the night before I went below
about one o'clock and turned in.
Twenty minutes later, or as nearly
as 1 can tell now, at 20 minutes past
l O'Clock, my first mate, Harry Staun.
ton, came below and calling me, said
that the ship had disappeared. I
hastened on deck at once, and the
horizon was clear; the ship had dis
appeared as if by magic.
After looking for her from the deck
without seeing her, l ran up into the
rigging and swept the horizon in the
direction the vessel had before occu-
pied, but there was not sign OF her
presence visible. I then kept the
schooner off for 20 minutes to see if
any ships boats appeared on the
water, or if any wreckage of any kind
could be sighted. We could see moth
ing of this kind, so / went to work
and hove the schooner to again in
double reef sails, but while we were in
the vicinity we could see nothing Of
any boats or wreckage. The latitude
we were in, as shown by the schoner's
log, was 47.53. longitude; 1911, west
of Cape Flattery, bearing northeast,
one.half.east, and distance 95 miles"
Continuing generally in his talk,
Captain Peterson says that he must
have sailed very close to the spot
where the ill.fsted ship went down,
and as he did not see any boats or
wreckage, he is sure that everything
went down, and went so Suddenly that
there was no opportunity for those on
board to save themselves. He says
that any boats that might have been
nut afloat could have lived in the sea
that was running. The fury OF the
storm abated about ii O'Clock and left
big sea running, but not such a one
in his mind as would have destroyed
good ships boats.
Capt. Peterson thinks that for some
reason those aboard the ship were un'
able 10 get her boats into the water In