The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-04
Sealer George X. White Wreck
ed of the Alaska Coast.
she SAILED FROM SEATTLE.
Caught By Terrible Northeast Gale
on Easter sunday.
Disabled by the Gale and Then smashed
on n Reef or Tugesluk IsIand-The
survivors Undergo Terrible suffer
ing~. and Most OF Them VIII Bo
Permanently Injured.

icTHtsnSitts ifiluFtn.
Port Townsend May S--Meager. news
was received this afternoon from ka-
di8k island. Alaska. of the wreck 81 the
schooner George Il. White. attended with
the loss Of seventeen lives. A. +. Biggs.
late engineer Of the steamer Francis CUT
ting. arrived In Sltka on the steamer
Dora in lt1le 10 take the steamer Al-ki
for this port. lie brought meager par
ucHlars of Inc accident. Aut was unable
10 give the list Of persons lost
The schooner Lescoi arrived at kadaak
few hours before ais departure with
one OF the survivors. who Was 50 ex-
hausted that he could scarcely give a
straight account OF the disaster. on EaS-
ter sunday terrible northeast gale.
mingled With binding snowstorm. and
with the thernlometer three degrees he
low zero. prevailed along the coast or
Alaska The schooner " hGe. which was
hunting sea otter was caught in the
storm and lost her bearings. To make
ma tiers worse, some sails were carried
away. and part ct her forctopnast went
overheard. and then the steering gear be-
came dismantled. In this helpless condi-
ucn she was carried lightly before the
gale. and Just before midnight she struck
submerged reef and a moment later
her huh was smashed into spiinters.
Twetrty-elght men were thrown into thu
Ice cold waters. with the shore three
miles distant. "a reach which they must
pass through a heavy surf. Some Of them
In sheer desperation .ciutchei aoating de-
hris, ana others We're drowned. About
twenty were fortunate enough 10 reach
the beach through a gale whipped sea and
SHOW storm. almost dead. with clothes
frozen TO their bodies. Without food or
shelter they passed a miserable night,
and at dayhreak on the beach they found
ten corpses. The Survivors themselves
were too exhausted 10 bury the dead.
The most they could do was TO drag their
bodies upon the SHORE away from the raw
enous animals OF the sea. Clad In light
garments. with no fire or shelter, SUBJ
sisting on sheIiiish and suffering from In
tense cold, three or four more men died.
On the third day after the wreck some
native hunters chanced 10 pass by and
from them fresh meat and a supply OF
matches 10 start FIRE were obtained
BY that time only eleven out OF the orig
!nal twenty-elsrht had survived. Many Of
them We're badly frozen. and their limbs
were frost bitten so severely shat they
must suffer surgical operations 20 save
their lives. one man Is sad To have lost
tho use OF both legs and arms. Scarcely
one or The survivors VIII get through the
ordeal without being MANNED for life.
The schooner T4escCA. after reporting the
accident a. Kadiak. returned for the SUR
vivors. The place where the accident
occurred was fhree miles from Tglgeduk
island. twenty-five miles southwest cf
katiak island. Tho news had not reached
Kadiak an hour before the Dora sailed
for Sitka, said Riggs, and II was impos-
sible 10 learn the identity OF the sur
vivors.
The George r. white and her crew
were wei known at this port She was
| owned by Paul pauson. and Justin
Chennweth, OF la Conner. and was fitted
| out for her cruise by Ifibhard q Norton.
| the well-iSnown fur traders OF this city.
| who, with the owners, were 10 share her
catch. She cleared from this port on July
IL. 1884, with the following crew: Master
| J. T.. Wheeler: mate. Steve Baretech:
hunters, Edward pomeroy. Andrew Dam
feison. Justin Chenoweth. Richard Red
mond: sailors. C. Morris Louis A. Bur
| rel John Harrison Chris Swanson,
Robert Baxter and Henry Parker. cook.
| NJ. Butte; cabin boy. James Carton.
Capt. Wheeler was one of the best
known sealing masters on the Sound ana
| fs said 10 have hesn r capable. daring
| navigator For two seasons previous 20
| the prescnt trip he was IN command OF
| tho isttie twelve-ton schooner Volunteer
| owned nv FIfhbard & Norton. and well
| known as The craft that had such an ex.
| citing race Win the warship Mexican in
| the spring Of iS9t During his rtiiEes on
| the Volunteer capt Wheeler went up as
| far az gNprnr island. which ~ consffer-
| ably farther than any iar7-e schooners
! m ve ever gone. Justin Chcupwefh. one of
the hunters is ai~o well known at this
| port and was one ~ thu builders Of tho
schooner and a ore-fourth owner. His
| homo - ct Ia Conner. and he went along
| 70 represent Mr. Pauison'z interests. The
| cstfser members 81 the crew have many
friends in this port.
~ WAS the Intention ~ Capt. Wheeler
whru ne icft here last summer 70 hunt
during the balance ~ the ssa son fu Ber-
ing sea. and as winter approached go
south toward the Hawaiian Islands and
| then on 10 fne California coast near San
"a Ra rf,ara when ne would cruise along
| lrp the coast and hunt the scale ~ they
came north early IN tho year. Instead ~
carving out that plan hn unslouofeiy
vv1nfpreA near Kadlak whsch Is ono %
! the largest trading stations fu Alaska and
/ the headquarters Of the Aiaska Corssner-
| cfai Company. on kafiak and extending
y,ertfpard over a diatanre Of 81 miles -
what II called the FortI0ck hanks. whers
there Is excellent hunting. ana whBFh sf-
for4s a good harbor IN the winter season.
and PROBABLY he has been hunting there
an winter ffif.sard A. Norton have main
tained all along That fne schooner was
on her way 20 the Japan coast. as they
ssa,-a not heard from her for 4 number ef
rrep-hs She evidently had large nugn-
her ~ SKINS when lost. for "a far hack
az las Sept arr1ser. when N1a was spoken
A. Herring sea bv capt. Miner. of the Ella
rosneor she hal between 10 and 50 II
IL also believed thst SHs hal several slack
hear ara otter skins as these animals ars
quite numerous about Eadiak during the
winter months.
,Tha George T. White was built ~ Port
MsAf1,r fn 1870 rs Csaenoweth cautiiiiou.
TSsskpr and a hunter whose name cpHlf
ros fge learned she was si.Z feet long.
- 4 feet vide and So feet deep. She car
rfef a faainsaii. forssaii and 1io and was
ve~y strongly built The first season Aftef
as,a vaa aisift sna ab1 fairly wei, b0t
eg.re shat time has i0as money every sea-
scr. paul Pauiaon bought taree~souFtns
~ her IN Tssf Chencweth hoa9E1E MS n.
terees she vas valued a. about 300 aiai
Gas we'll insured.
sr-t... -r,nlrnrnish Comfy sent Case.