The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-14
They Knew She Was Unseaworthy,
but Were So Eager TO Reach the
KIOndiISe They Tempted Fate.
An ILLINOIS MANS STORY
OFF HOW THE ROTTEN SIDE-WHEEL-
Err REACHED DUTCH HARBOR.
Arrival of the Humboldt mt Seattle
with Fifteen Passengers and Little
GOId-Exodus from Dawson.

SEATTLE, Wash, Sept. 13.-The steamer
Humboldt arrived this morning from St.
Michaers. She brings fourteen passengers
and about $4,000 in gold. The Humboldt
also brings news that the side-wheel
steamer Eliza Anderson, from Seattle,
which was reported lost, is safe. The Hum
boldt was eleven days from st. MichaePs.
The Eliza Anderson is anchored in Dutch
Harbor, where she arrived on the 4th inst,
and is now detained by revenue officers.
Her passengers have by this time entered
the Boring sea on schooner chartered for
that purpose Two of the passengers on
the Anderson were so frightened that they
gave up their search for gold and returned
south on the Humboldt. Mayor Wood, of
Seattle who chartered the Humboldt, is
still at st. Michaers, but letters received
from him indicate that the stories of dis
sersion and strife between members of his
expedition are untrue.
The Humboldt brings back advices which
reiterate the stories of the untold wealth
of the Klondike and Yukon and verify the
previous rumors of the shortage of the food
supply in the interior. There will be
privation, sickness, starvation, scurvy and
death on the Yukon this winter is what
the returning gold hunters all say.
Only seven passengers of the Humboldt
have money. 1t is impossible to induce
them to say how much they have, but the
purser gives the figures as: r. A. Manager,
$500; =. Turner $500; j. E. Crieder. $1,000; w.
Urquahart 5000; J. D. Rodgers, 81 600; ID. F.
Atkins, $500; Captain ]. Whitesides, $4,000
j. NJ. Secretan, who came back on the
Humboldt, and who has but very little
cash, says he came out to avoid starvation
at Dawson. Said he: THUS far upwards
of 1,500 men have pushed their way over the
passes from Skaguay and Dyea and have
arrived at Dawson City. The influx Of
miners over the passes has frightened the
cid timers in the interior and all that can
are coming to winter in the States and thus
avoid what they believe will be a winter of
hardship, suffering, murder and thievery.
I'VE left Dawson on July 26 on the
steamer p. b. Weare. At midnight on the
9th the steamer ran on q bar below Circle
City. After waiting seventeen days the
passengers were transferred to the steamer
Healy and arrived at St MichaeFs Aug. 25
The next day we took the Excelsior to San
Francisco. On the morning of Aug. Is the
Excelsior went aground in ten feet of
water in the Boring sea, seventy miles from
land. The passengers moved seventy tons
of coal from her hold to a lighter and at
blades of her propeller. She arrived al I'm
alaska Sept. /. On the I'd they tried to
beach her, and the Sd succeeded. on
the 4th they took off her propeller and on
the 9th put on new one She sailed via
Unger for Dutch Harbor Sept. g. where we
took the Humboldt for Seattle. On the way
from Dawson City have paid three fares
First to the North American Trading and
Transportation Company for transportation
to Seattle, then 1920 to the Excelsior and
again $75 to the Humboldt"
w. B. Price, of Danville, ILL.,. who went
up on the Eliza Anderson, and who left
that vessel at Dutch Harbor. returned on
the Humboldt He said: The entire trip
was a series of mishaps. The third day out
from Dixons entrance bad weather came
on and the wind blew terrifically. The
waves would lift the guard up and leap in
under it. During the first night after the
storm began the rudder chain broke Ave
times. OF course, after this broke there
controlling the boat. Every minute
1t seemed that she would go over. The
passengers were thrown out OF their hunks
the crew was insufficient to the pumps, so
the passengers took them in charge. l was
put in command and divided the passengers
up into squads of four men EACH Each
squad worked two hours. | also did the
sounding to see how much water there
was. We kept this up for, forty--eight
hours and during that time the Anderson
dr1fted back fourteen miles, The second
day of our trouble the other vessels were
in sight. Then the Merwin, which was be-
Ing lowed by the Holyoke, along with the
Bryant and Polistofsky, broke loose and the
captain of the Holyoke turned about with
the other two boats in tow and picked up
the Merwin. The next place we reached
was st. Paul. on Kodiak island. We should
have taken coal there to get TO Dutch Har-
Dor, but could not get 1t. After leaving St
Paul the sea was heavy and we were forced
to cruise along shore. We arrived within
$50 miles of Dutch Harbor when the coal
gave out. We We're rigging small boat to
send out for relief when we sighted a small
fishing smack with one man in it. He told
US we could reach an abandoned cannery
about twenty miles distant, where coal had
been lying for five six years. We had
enough coal to reach that point. All day
long the passengers worked in a driZzling
rain to take on that coal and finally on
Sept. 4. we reached Dutch Harbor. Captain
Cooper. of the revenue squadron. boarded
seaworthy condition of the Anderson. for
babe her to go further 1t was not neces-
sary for him to go below. but upon seeing
that we had insufficient lifeboats, he gave
the order to tie up there. The passengers
of the Anderson, with the exception of Mr.
Scott and myself, raised 81 900 to charter
the schooner Parisoff to take the passen-
gers from there to st. Michaefs. The con-
ditions on the trip of the Anderson from
Dixons entrance to Dutch Harbor cannot
be pictured too wildly.
ut was a remarkable statement that
Captain Chilcott, one of the incorporators
of the company which runs the Anderson,
is reported to have made to Chief Bonne-
field. of the Humboldt, this morning. He
said: We knew that the Anderson was I'M
seaworthy. especially for an ocean voyage,
but we were bound to get her there, any
way We put her in charge of the best cap
tain on this coast, Captain Power. Ii any
body could get her there, he could "
There We're only two passengers who
went up on the Humboldt who decided to
return and make the trip again from Sc
attic in the spring They were Dr. A. G..
Posey, of Oakland. Cal, and ]. A Will
liams, of San Francisco The passenger list
is as follows: DIR. A. c. Posey Mrs. e.
Cronister. G.. A. Wanger, +. Turner J. F.
Order, w Urquahart ]. f. Williams, Capt.
j. w. Whiteside and wife, w. B. Price,
George Scott. j. n. Scretan. Mrs. Wood