The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-01-18
Terrible Suffering of a Ship
wrecked Crew.
The JEANETTE C0WAN LOST
The Captain and several Men Perished
Before the crew Was Rescued
by Tug.

Seattle. Wash, Jan. 12.-Ten days of
suffering from cold and privation on a
rocky blum, during which time seven
sailors. including the captain and mate,
met their death, and the other mate
and seamen met with serious accidents,
tells the tale Of the wrecking of the
big four-masted ship jeanette Cowan
on Vancouver island.
This frightful news was brought to
this city this afternoon by the tug
Tyee, which had but few hours before
landed IA members of the Inflated crew
at Port Townsend. The officers of the
tug tell a narrowing story of the wreck
and it's surroundings as found by them. ,
The vessel struck New Years day.
| Captain Thompson died several days
after the ship struck the reef and the
cook and an able seaman and the man
that ran the donkey engine died the fol-
lowing day, the latter becoming violent
ly insane. The other three men that
lost their lives were the second mate
and two apprentice boys.
Nine members of the crew were left
on the shore in a cabin about a mile
north of the place where the ship went
on the reef.
The tug Tyee first sighted the
wrecked ship on Saturday afternoon.
She was plainly outlined on the shore
of Vancouver island and could not be
mistaken. No sign of the crew could
! be seen on the wreck nor on shore. The
sea was running pretty high at the time
the tug hove to, but two boats were low
cred and a start made for the ship,
which was standing up majestically.
her lower top-sail set and head on
straight to the westward.
The stern was high in the air and the
rudder broke square in two. A portion
of the crew could be seen on top of a
high bluff, on which tent had been
pitched. A sight met the gaze of the
rescuers that will not be forgotten for
years to come Seated about fire were
Is men, all wearing an expression Of
utter hopelessness and misery. First
Mate Charles Legal, who was dashed
to the boatswain's chair suffering from
a fractured leg, told Mate Hall of the
Tyee the story of the disaster. .
He said the Cowan came from Cape
Town, South Africa, from Royal Roads,
b. c., and was 10S days out when she
reached Cape Flattery on December
10. There was a terrible storm off the
cape and the vessel stood off the cape
two days before trying to come in.
Then she was driven quickly to the
northward by a strong southwest wind
and sought shelter in the treacherous
waters of Barclay Sound to avoid being
driven ashore on some more exposed
point. The sound afforded but little
shelter and she was driven on the rocks
at high tide.
This was at 2 o'clock on the morning
of December 81 and a snow storm was
coming on. The ship seemed to be
breaking in two and it was decided to
leave her at once and with the aid OF
line made fast ashore the entire crew
was taken off.
The survivors of the wrecked vessel
are: Mate Legal. Hunt (colored),
Smithe Qrish), Wilson (Swede). Kerr
(ScOtch), Knox native of Cape TOWN.,
Chamberlain from London, Cumberlass
from Greece, Cousin from England
Heath Russian), Rosano (Manilla)
Carpenter of England. Wilson of Scot
land.
Captain Thompson died three days
before the arrival of the Tyee, from
exposure and the three others on the
next day from the same cause. The
second mate and two apprentice boys
met their death while trying to make
} land in a small boat the night the shir
struck.