Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-10
M'GINlEY'S MARROW ESCAPE
Rock Island Steamboat Captain Describes
His Trip to st. Michaers.

Rock Island Steamboat Captain Describes
His Trip to st. Michaers.
Mrs. Capt. o. f. Mckinley, who is
visiting Mrs. P. B. Normoyle in Chi
cago, has received the following letter
from her husband. who was on the
ocean steamer, Portland. which so
narrowly escaped shipwreck on its
recent voyage from San Francisco to
St. Michael's, Alaska. Capt. McGin-
ley left St. Michael's July 6 in charge
of the steamer, Leah, to make the
first trip of the season up the Yukon
river, in the interest of the Alaska
Commercial company. with 200 pas
sengers bound for Dawson CITY and
other points in the Klondike region:
Our voyage from San Francisco to
st. Michael's on the steamer Portland
has been one of terror and great dan
gers. 1t has also brought heavy
money loss to many people. We left
Unalaska last Sunday in heavy wind
and with two barges and steamboat
in tow. We came very near losing
the boat the third day out at sea, the
storm being so terrific. The steamer
and barges were towsd by running
lines about 500 feet apart. The
barges were worth $50, 900 apiece, and
went all to pieces, but we saved the
steamer, which is worth $4,000.
There were some of the crew on her
when she broke loose. and it took
nine hours to pick her up, as we did
not dare to go near her with the ship
the waves being so high they would
have thrown us on top of the boat and
smash her all to pieces. The life
boat was sent out to get the crew off.
and lines were thrown to the men
on the imperiled boat BY means
OF rockets sent up from our
ship. As the ropes fell on the
wrecked boat the men tied them
around their bodies and jumped into
the sea, to be rescued by the life-sav-
ing crew. Some Of the men refused
to risk the jump and remained on the
boat, which was every moment in
danger of being broken up by the
waves. 1t is almost impossible to
conceive of boat living through
what that Yukon craft stood in such
roaring sea. She was standing on
her end half of the time, and the men
had to hang on to something to keep
from falling into the sea.
when we stopped at Unalaska
saw Mrs. DIR. Merryman, of Moline,
and the party of Rock Island people
bound for st. Michael's on the st.
Paul. l also saw the mail, which
contained your letter, addressed to
st. Michael's, and felt like attempting
to rob the mail in my hunger for news
from home.
Although this is the glorious
Fourth, we will have to be content
with letting you folks at home do the
celebrating, as the weather here is
hardly congenial to patriotic enthusi-
asm and explosives. am consigned
to boat named Leah, which will be
the first one upthis spring-her maid
en- trip and mine. She accommodates
100 passengers, and they have built
splendid cabins on barge to accom-
modate 100 more. The barge takes
400 tons of freight, and there are 800
tons on the boat to 90 up the Yukon.
They have p 900 tons of freight here
ready for shipment, We leave here
on the 9th. Capt. Dixon's boat came
in Sunday. He had a barge in tow
covered with canvas and carries 500
passengers on boat and barge. The
gold those people brought on his boat
is enough to set one crazy. One man
had to make three trips to carry his
off the boat and had all he could carry
each time. At least 81. 500, 900 worth
of gold came down on Capt Dixon
boat and we expect there will be a
great deal more when the other steam
ers arrive,