The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-01
BEAUTIFUL CORPSE IN A CABIN

COoHSE IN "A CAo4N
Mysterious Discovery in an Abandoned
Ship In Arctic Waters.
Portland, Ore, June 30.-A wierd story
comes from the northern sea Of the body
Of sweet faced, blonde haired girl float
Ing about in the cabin Of iuxuriouSly
furnished yacht sunk on the treacherous
reefs of Man-'o-w war Rocks, in Chatham
Straits, Alaska
This story Is brought by Charles J..
Stewart, a trader for . long time con-
nected with the missionary station ct
Hooilah Bay, who arrived in Portland
after long and dangerous canoe trip,
which he was obliged to make In order
to reach the steamer City Of Topeka at
Juneau.
In 1870 Russian exploring ship. the
Vadasnik, sank on the treacnerous reefs
CT Man-o-war Rocks, in the Chatham
straits. Now, lying beside the wrecked
man-'o-war, having been dashed upon
the break of tie reef. has been found
the dismantled hui. of a schooner yacht
possibly of sixty tons burden. The reef
on either side forms a hollow-a cradle
in which both vessels lie safely pro-
tected from the wild winds and heavy
seas in the straits.
For more than a hundred years past
has the man-'o-war thus reposed. The
widest of storms have ragen in the
straits, bu so well is 1t sheltered in its
rocky couch that the fieroest gale has
still left standing the spars and rigging
as they stood when the Russian cruiser
went down.
Whence came the yacht? 1t is s1roud-
ed in mystery. Naught Is known Of it's
history, only the story that the Indian
divers tell of a young girls form, with
long floating hair. confined in the cabin
Of sunken yacht in the Northern sea.
For hundred years or more, when
the spring tides come, the divers OF the
Hoonai1 and Kilisnoo Indian tribes have
prepared to search for treasures aboard
the sunken man-o'-war Vdasnik. This
Indians have been able to float ashore
with log rats. by the tides. three of the
brass connonades from the deck OF the
Vdasnik. This year the again prepared
for the renewal of the task. and on April
l, when the tides were on the increase
win the new moon. the launched from
the beach in front OF the Indian village.
and, crossing the straits, anchored over
the wreck Of the man. o-war Vdasnik.
On April 10 the firss diver went down.
The water is very cold in tbs half Arc
tic current, and It is almost impossible
for a diver to remain under longer than
a few minutes. He was to attach line
TO one Of the guns Of the starboard bat
terry Of the man-'o-war and then another
was to be fastened, 90 that when the
tide ebDed the whole power of the raft
would be put to raising the cannon.
But the diver did not fas;en his line.
Instead. in moment he bobbed UP
again. wildly excited, with the news that
a schooner was lying astern of the man.
'o-war.
Then another Siwash took The plunge.
and he likewise brought back the tale
that after all these years OF loneliness
the man-'o-war Vdasnik had compan-
ion. TINS informa ton created the wild
Excitement among the Indians Per-
haps the cargo ana fittings Of the
were
The next diver prepared TO go down
by putting on extra weights and taking
with him what is an old device of the
Indian diver-a seals bladder filed with
air-by the means of which he was ena-
bled To remain longer below.
Tie SiwaSh stayed below a minute and
caught a glimpse Of the body Of
woman. The parting OF the waters by
the diver made q motion sufficient 10
sway the body back and forth IN the
cabin. Other Indians followed, anxious
TO see the strange spectacle. and each
told the same story-rhat the body was
that OF a young woman. with long. fair
hair, but in each case the diver could
only reach the companionway OF -.
yacts and view the body without being
able 10 reach Il. and the Indians pos
sessed 10 diving apparatus that could be
brought 20 rescue the body. TIE In
dams then returned 20 their illihee and
reported the matter Man-'o-war
Rocks is about twenty miles from XIII
isnoo village.
Whence hailed this yacht? Who were
the people aboard? To what nation did
hey belong. and VIVA, were they seek
ng IN these northern realms? OF ell
this az prese1, there IS nothing known.