The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-13
LAST CRUISE OF
THE JANET COWAN,
Continued from First Page.

sailing vessels were sighted ahead coming
in and the mate advised the captain to
tack ship to the southwark and follow the
schooner just ahead of him. He says the
captain obstinately refused to do so, but
kept close to the Vancouver shore.
Mate Legalle was aroused at the hospi-
tai to-night and asked to corroborate the
above, but would say only that he could
have brought the vessel in safely had he
been in charge. He regretted that the
story about Captain Thompson drinking
had got out, but refused to deny it.
Captain Cove of the tug Tyee, which
brought the sailors here, says the vessel
was surely not we'll handled, even though
it was in a terrible storm. However, he
says there is some eXtenust ton in the fact
that the COwan was very light. Her ton
mage was over $500 and she had less than
HOO tons ballast. She was consequently
so light that she would not answer her
helm, otherwise she could have been safely
brought about even after the rocks were
sighted ahead on the night she went
ashore. Cove says her position could not
have been better selected, and that if she
had struck thirty yards on either side of
her present position it would have been
impossible for the crew to have reached
the shore before the vessel was smashed to
pieces.
Mate Legalle still insists that there are
eleven men behind, but it seems his con-
dition was such that the others did not
tell him of the death of the last two. cook
and donkeyman. So there are now eight
remaining behind as follows: T. Dugan,
j. Hanley, ]. Marshall, F. Chamberlain,
and c. Campshell, able seamen; r. Her
RE and w. Walker, ordinary seamen, and
j. Taylor, steward. The tug Pioneer has
been sent to their rescue, and will arrive
here with them Tuesday morning.
The survivors here are being cared for
by British Consul Klocker, and the man
ayers of the local Seamen's Bethel.
Six OF them were seen at the latter place
this evening, and practically zorro borated
all that had been said by Cox regarding
the drinking of Captain Thompson and
his disagreement with Mate Legalle. They
said the ship was too light for such voy-
age, and that she was tossed about like a
cork off the Cape. Several sailing vessels
were sighted by them while on shore, and
alth ough every effort was made to hail
foghorn from the Cowan and kept it going
almost continually, but without avail.
When the tent caught fire yesterday
morning Mate Legalle urged the others to
leave him to die and look out for them
selves, but they rugged up stretcher and
got him safely down over the bluff TO the
beach, when the tug coming to their res
cue was sighted. The men on shore
Rugged each other for JOY at sight of her,
and were soon on board.
Cox, the passenger, gives a vivid de-
scription of the landing from the vessel on
the night of the disaster. Chamberlain,
the man who had tried to take the lead
line ashore, was given up for lost, and the
boat that was sent out an hour later with
four men capsized in the surf and there
was a wild scram bic for life.
They then rugged out a boatswain's chair
line from the mizzenmast to the shore
1t was pretty steep grade, and as each
man shot down the line he was told to
hold on fast. Cox says that when his turn
came-the third man from the last-he
clenched his teeth and slid down. When
near the shore the huge breakers were con-
tinually washing the line and it seemed an
age while passing through them, and it re-
qulred the muscle of an athlete to hold on
to the line. Cox tells a pathetic story
about Logan, the 13-year-old apprentice,
who was very much excited and in piteous
tones begged for "a life preserver. Cox gave
him one. fastened it around his waist and
Logan then disappeared aft, never being
seen afterward.
Carpenter Peterson and four intelligent
seamen alleged to-day IN the presence of
British Consul Klocker and a CALL CORE
spondent that the loss of the vessel
was due TO the intemperance of the mas
ter, the inexperience of the second mate,
who was scarcely 20 years old, and the
lack of ships full com plement of able
seamen. Instead of there being twenty
four seamen, as the law requires of yes
sci of that size, there were only sixteen for
the two watches.
at was a terrible experience through
which we passed., said Carpenter Peter
son to a CALL correspondent, land to-
night / can almost see and hear the piteous
means of our abandoned comrades.
'Their cries were heartrending, and
had we not thought our own lives in the
greatest danger we would have made extra
efforts to get Peveral and Selkirk back to
the ship. Some of US were barefooted
and we were helping and partly carrying