The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-12-16
DESERTED
THE SHIP
In Search of Safety From
Their Death
THE CLEVELAND CREW
Probably Sleeping With
Davy Jones
EIGHT MEN REACHED SHORE
TWENTY-OlJE OTHERS AMONG
THE MISSING
Friends Dare Not Hope That They
Have Reached Shore Alive
Other Wrecks Reported.
Vessels Overdue


Associated Prsss Special Wire.
VICTORIA, B. C.,Dec 1o.-The steam
er Cleveland, Capt Hall, was stranded in
Barclay sound, and three boats. contain
Ing twenty members Of the crew and two
passengers, are missing. The captain,
purser, chief engineer. one passenger,
James Lambury. and boats crew
reached Uclulet. after spending the
night In an open boat, with a big storm
raging. This is the story told by Purser
Whitbeok. who arrived at Nanaimo at
O'Clock this morning from Alberni and
came to Victoria on the noon train.
The Cleveland, an iron steamer of 730
tons, owned by Charles Nelson Of San
Francisco, running between that city
and Puget sound, left the Golden Gate
on the 4th inst. for Seattle. She had
been on the way two days and was well
out to sea. when, during a most severe
gale, her shafts broke. Sails were then
hoisted and an effort made to get to
Cape Flattery. Heavy winds, however
drove her northward, and after being
buffeted about by the storm for four
days. being carried northward. all the
time and in toward Vancouver island,
she drifted into Barclay sound the night
Of Dec. 10th, by the west entrance and
dangerously close to Starlight reef.
There was a big sea running, and the
wind was blowing great guns. Fearing
that she would strike the reef, and
knowing that If she did there would be no
hope for her, her officers decided to take
to the boats. Four boats were lowered
and they started out to seek place of
safety. An attempt was made to land
on one Of the small islands, but it was
unsuccessful, the wind making 1t i'm
possible. Then they started for another
island, and the captains boat made
Alpha passage, in which big surf was
breaking. The captain .slgnalled to the
other boats to follow, but they failed to
do so, and 1t Is supposed that being
unable to see the signals they concluded
she had been swamped.
After that time nothing was seen of
the three boats. Capt. Hall landed his
boat safely on the beach, after going
through the Alpha passage. and spent
the night there. Next morning his party
made their way to Uclulet village, where
they were cared for by John Markowitz,
a storekeeper. In the. meantime the
steamer had drifted into the sound, hav-
ing almost miracuously missed striking
the many islands and reefs that lay in
her passage.
She finally went ashore at Anderson
camp, Lyall point, on the northwest
shore Of Barclay sound. AS soon as she
had been located, Capt. Hall again took
charge, but found that the Indians had
been there and looted the vessel. After
waiting for some time for the other
three boats, Capt. Hall decided to send
the purser to Alberni to telegraph to
Victoria for assistance. The purser
started for Ucelet in boat manned by
two Indians, but did not get far before
his canoe capsized. BY threats, the
purser induced the Indians to take him
back to Uclulet, where he secured a
crew Of white men to take him to AL
berni. Arriving there, he found the
wires down, so he came on to Victoria.
There Is little doubt that the three
boats containing the twenty members of
the crew and the two passengers have
met with disaster Two boxes of bis
cults and pillow, believed to have been
in the boats, were picked up the next
morning on the beach. One of the boxes
was at the entrance to Uclulet arm and
the other further north.
The vicinity where the Cleveland went
ashore has a bad reputation among
marine men, there being many danger
GUS reefs. over which terrible surf