The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-04-11
MORE ABOUT THE BUCKEYE.

! NnOhL Es
The wreck of the steamer Buckeye
has been towed to Fairhaven. The
cabin is entirely gone and the tug
pulled out the upper part of her stem,
but the hull and machinery are intact
We understand that Mr.. Newhall will
sponsor and rebuild the wreck and
make good seaworthy craft of her.
1t seems useless and unnecessary to
try to attach blame for the accident to
anyone. Perhaps Capt. Hahn was in
discreet in not stopping at Anacortes
until the storm had abated, but one
thing seems certain, and that is, that,
when the crash came he was as cool as
the average captain is expected to be,
and those who survive the wreck owe
their lives to his prompt action.
The body of Kaufman, the man who
was washed off the raft and drowned
was found on the beach at John Ben
nett's, place near Fort Bellingham, last
Thursday afternoon, by two little boys
named Mitchell and Geer, and was
taken possession of by the coroner. The
body showed several bad cuts, which
had been inflicted by the glass in his
attempt to crawl through the cabin
window. The coroner found $685. i'm
gold in little sacks pinned to his under
shirt, and some small change. His
watch had stopped at 4:08. He was
neatly dressed, and wore diamond pin
in his shirt front. His watch was fine
gold instrument. Mr.. Kaufman was
landlord of the Wilson House in Ana
cortes and liquor dealer, and was going
to Whatcom to pay the county taxes on
Elk street property, and go into the
liquor business. He was IS years old,
and leaves wife and two grown sons
in Anacortes. He belonged to the Odd
Fellows, A. o. U. W., Sons of Herman,
Knights of Pythias, and other societies.
He carried life insurance to the amount
of $4,000.
TALES DE THE SURVIVORS.
Tony Vogt, a stock buyer, of this
island, who escaped in the boat, was
taking care of his cattle in the bow of
the boat when the heavy seas COM
menced to strike the steamer. The
waves washed over the top of the doors
and drenched him, and he began to
realize it was time to 60. He launched |
a skiff bow first, which was engulfed by |
the waves and lost, and then helped cut
away the dingy, to which all rushed.
Asher and Bennett saw that the boat |
would not carry all of them and so they |
out and took to a raft. KautZ-
man had succeeded in wriggling out of
the window, badly cut and bloody, and
had taken possession of the life raft with
the mate, Capt. Bowden. Messrs Asher
and Bennent boarded raft, which had |
been hastily constructed out of pieces Of
the cabin; both of the RATS were tied to
the steamer. This was most terrible
time. The woman had been forced
into the boat and was frantic upon be-
ing separated from her husband, who
was covered with blood, and was
hideous sight. The passengers and
some of the crew were screaming, and
it seemed that the whole party would
be swallowed up by the waves, which
came roaring i'm and tossed the wreck,
RATS and dingy up in the air and and
then engulfed them in the seething
brine. The boat pulled out and dis
appeared in the waves. Those who were
not rowing bailed out the water. Will
D. Jenkins at one time lost a rOwlOck,
but very fortunately it fell inside the
boat, or the voyage would have ended
at once Vogt states that they were
using shoes, hats and hands to keep
the water out Of the boat. When the
great rollers came roaring at them, and
heaving over them like mountain, he
was apprehensive that he was about to
have to swim, and then and there made
up his mind if the coat swamped to ride
the COW, which was swimming after
them, to shore. The boat as they APP
preached shore was capsized by huge
wave and the people were driven pell
nell upon the rocks, bruising and lam
ing them.
Vogt carried the woman two miles
to shelter. Captain Hahn fastened to
Fairhaven six miles away, through the
brush, on the run, secured the tug Boy
den. and the men on the RATS are in
debted for their lives to his promptness.
The tug rescued Asher, Bennett and
Bowden us they were ready to drop
into the water from cold and exhaus-
ton. They were so benumbed that
thew could not move and had to be
lifted aboard the tug
INCIDENTS OF THE WRECK
Mate Bowden says that Kaufman
died in his arms not more than two
minutes before the tug arrived. BoWden
rescued him at considerable risk to his
own life, but he could not keep the body.
Asher and Bennett were Oh the life raft,
of which tt. ere was but one; Bowden
stood up on the house of the steamer
and Kaufman lay beside it and refused
to avail himself of a safe position as Mr..
Bowden urged him to do.
There were, according to Capt bow
den. bu. three cows and but two calves