The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-31
WRECK OF THE CORONA
Passengers Taken From the
Island by the Alki.
THE PILOTS FIRST TRIP
Coffman Declares That He Followed
the Chart-Pilot Thompson Asserts
That the Ship Was Two Miles
Of of Its Course

Seattle, Wash. Jan. 30.-Twenty- five
\ Of the passengers on the Inflated steam
\ er Corona, which was wrecked on Lewis
island last Sunday morning. arrived
/ here tonight on the steamer Alki which
rescued them from the lonely islands.
| Il. w. Pollock. who was "a passenger on
| the Corona, in describing the wreck,
| said:
The accident occurred at $50 on sun
] day morning. The morning gong had
sounded 10 awaken the passengers for
breakfast. About one hundred of them
had already risen. Captain g. Fl. Pierce
and Pilot H. +. Conman were on the
bridge. 1t was Coffman's first trip as
pilot. There was light enough TO see the
shores on all sides. Suddenly. while the
ship was going a full speed, without
warning, terrible shock occurred, fol-
lowed by grinding succession Of lesser
shocks Instantly it was realized that
the ship had struck a rock and a scene
of great confusion followed. The wheel
was reversed but the ship remained on
the rock
The sea was calm. Captain Pearee
ordered the boats lowered The women
were taken ashore first. BY 10 o'clock
the passengers We're all landed. The
stock and some baggage and provisions
were then taken ashore. The paSsen-
gers remained on the island until Thurs
day, patiently waiting tor a passing
steamer to take them away from
place of great personal discomfort. On
Thursday the steamer AllSi arrived and
zoo OF the castaways boarded her. About
loo remained on the island In the hope
of catching northbound vessel
About 10 o'clock Thursday night the
Alk met the steamer Oregon bound
from Portland TO pyea and Skaguay
The two steamers were lashed together
and all but - OF the Corona's people
We're transferred and started north
again.
II is not believed that the injury to
the Corona is serious. Pilot Coffnan.
who was on duty Mt the time of the
wreck. tells the following stcry: The
directions on the chart say to steer di-
rect from Gibson's island to the north
west side of kennedy's island. In this
water there are no soundings marked on
the chart less than seven fathoms deep
and seven fathoms is only found at the
the extreme end Of Lewis island, close
to the shore. The soundings taken all
around the ship after the accident
ranged from five to ten fathoms with
the exception of where the ship struck.
which was only two and one-fourth
1athoms
1t is six and half miles from Glib
sons island to the northwest slide. |
Kept the ship due northwest for II min
utes after passing Gibson's island. and
then altered 1t to northwest by north
Seven minutes later she struck"
Mr.. Coffman declares that he fol-
lowed directions laid down and that he
Is not TO blame. Against Pilot Coff-
mans declarations that he was on the
correct course with the steamer. is Pilot
Thompson's statement, who was on the
boat. and who went off duty al o'clock
the morning Of the accident. He says
that the reef upon which Coffman ran
the ship is well known among mariners.
and that she was two miles out Of her
course. He characterized the accident
as sheer carelessness To some Of the pas
sengefs.
During the stay on the island Coff-
man became more and more the recipi-
ent Of caustic criticism from the victims
of the wreck