The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-12
WRECK OF THE MEXICO

ot,b, Par fia Coast comPHny'A Line, on
s,,I,- rrsaslrss aud Vaiuablss Lust,
N,rro,y Escape of tnu Passengers.
sAN FRANCISCO, Aug, liza spe-
cial from Victoria to the Chronicle says;
For several days anxious inquiries have
bsen made regarding the Pacific coast
Steamship company's ship. Mexico,
which was scheduled to leave to-mor-
rov on her second trip to Dyea, When
,be vessel struck off Sitke Captain Wal
soc and his officers quietly awaited their
urn 20 be lowered over the side In
hoaty This was performed without a
hltch, splendid discipline being main
taIncd. After the passengers were safe
Ia off the crew turned their attention to
tbe hand baggage, which the passengers
%,b IN their cahins and the treasure
and ylluables belonging Ia the steamer,
There was no time to attempt 20 save
anything slowed below deck, and as 1t
vas everything In the cabins could not
he secured, although the captain and
CROW stayed on the steamer until II was
ma longer safe for them to do so, They
scarcely got away from her when she
made final plunge and went down.
stern first. She struck on her starboard
bilgc keel and a large hole was torn in
her side. Only n short time before Or
dars were sent to the engine room 20
sr1d her under full steam ahead, and
consequently she went right through
the rocks. Had she been an iron vessel
very few would have lived to tell the
story of the accident, She would have
gone down like rock. At New Meta
Rathla they had to spend several days
awaiting the arrival OF the Topeka,
news OF the wreck having been sent
north to her by the steamer Alki. The
passengers and crew had their wants
attended to by Rev, Dr.. Duncan and
his Indians. OF the seventy-hve pas
sengers forty We're tourists who made
the round trip and others were coming
south from different Alaskan ports. In
cluded in the latter were party OF
naturalists who had spent the summer
in Western Alaska, collecting specimens
f6r the Columbian museum, Their specl-
mems and notes went down with the
steamer, When she sailed from Seattle
the Mexico carried two hundred and
seyeuty-elght passengers and some one
hundred and eighty tons Of freight, con-
sistlng principally of the outfit of the
Intending miners and carried In addi-
lion thereto slxty-eight horses and one
burro which was used In packing these
outfits.
The Mexico was owned and run by
the Pacific coast steamship company,
and was we'll known on the sound. She
was built In San Francisco In 1898, Her
tonnage was $40. She was 275 feet long,
tbirty-slx feet beam and had nominal
horse power Of 1000.
VICTORIA, b, c., Aug. 1.-THE stea-
ner Mexico, which was wrecked at the
entrance of Sitka harbor at o'clock a.
m, on August 5, had been running at
half speed because OF the dense fog, I'M
III a few moments before a rock was
struck. Pilot Council then rang for
full steam ahead and soon after there
was a terrible shock on the starboard
quarter. So great was the momentum
that the ship was carried through the
reef which, 1t Is believed, was the west
devil rocks and into the deep water be-
yond,
Instantly there was a call of the crew
ana without the slightest confusion, the
seveaty-dve passengers on board were
safely placed In the ships boats Soon
after the vessel struck the heavy fog
cleared and 1t was bright and sun
sllny before she went down.
There was no excitement on board.
The passengers and watch below were
awakened by the shock. The alarm was
quickly given and oil were quickly
dressed and treasured by the coolness
Of the officers and awaited their turn to
enter the boats. The vessel was valued