The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-01
|25 / ] %
$50 I!;Sl;!s IkSIIanKIlIl,i

! passengers for Juneau, yea and Skaguay
| on Thursday, January 70. She carried a
! cargo of 20 6tons, together with ten horses
! ad thirty-eight dogs. This was to have
/ been her final AlaskDan trip, as she was
/ to return to the San Francisco and San
! lego run and be replaced by the Queen.
I At sos O'Clock on Sunday morning, when
! $50 miles from Victoria, in what is known
! as Arthur Passage. the steamer suddenly
| crashed upon the reef. The first shock
was followed by several lesser ones IS the
! vessels Roadway ground her further up
on the rocks. Most of the passengers
were up awaiting the breakfast call, but
| a scene of indescribable confusion fol-
! lowed the rocking Of the ship when her
/ engines were reversd in an fort 10 get her
of the rocks. When she finally settled
down, the officers and crew succeeded in
calming tn panic-stricken passengers and
Captain Pierce at once ordered the boats
| lowered and the pumps to be worked.
As soon as it was ascertained that the
| vessel was taking in water, DCaptain
/ Pierce ordered the women and children in
to the boats. and at 7:S5 a. m. the first
| boat, in charge of Second Officer Mar
| shall. put off for the nearest land, Lewis
| Island. Seven boats were manned and the
| passengers were all landed in two trips
| without accident. The hand-ba ggage and
that in the forward hold was then trans
| ferred and the dogs and horses saved.
Mattresses and blankets from the cabin
staterooms were also landed for the ac-
commodation Of the shipwrecked passen-
I
tied so far that the fires under the main
boilers were extinguished. An hour later
Captain Pierce ordered Purser BaIlantine
to take the mail ashore, and at 11:45 the
captain ordered the rest of the crew
ashore and followed himself as@
! Twent minutes later the steamer sank,
| stern foremost, with her bow hanging to
the the rock upon which she struck.
About go p. m. the tug Golden Gate, with
a barge in tow, passed and answered the
signals of distress. but the sea being too
heavy to admit of her parting with her
tow. she proceeded and returned next
morning, when Captain Pierce dispatched
her to Mary Island with the news of the
| wreck.
a severe storm which struck the camp
added to the sufferings Of the hapless
passengers huddled upon Lewis Island,
! which continued until Tuesday morning.
On Wednesday night at sos the steamer
| Danube was sighted and answered the
signal Jared from the point, and Captain
Pierce boarded her in a canoe manned by
Siwashes from an adjacent island. Upon
her return he conveyed the glad news that
the steamers AIk and Elder were close
them. the Danube proceeding upon her
way with the news of the disaster. It
was supposed that one Of the two vessels
would turn back to Fort Wrangel with
such passengers as desired TO proceed
north. while the other would bring the re-
! mainder to Seattle
Seattle. Wash, Jan. 2o.-Later reports
from the wreck of the steamer Corona
indicate that the vessel is not so badly
damaged as at first reported. After she
struck she was six hours in filing, which
would indicate that the damage to her
bottom was not SO great as had been
supposed Her bow is on the rock, her
stern only being submerged.
Victoria. p. c.. Jan. 29-The steamer
Danube. which arrived here early this
morning from Alaska, brought news of
mishaps to three vessels in northern wa
ters In addition to the wreck Of the
steamer Corona, already reported. she
brought confrmatory news of the report
that the steamer Coquitlan, Of Vancouver,
had run on a rock south Of Fort Wran-
gel The CoQuitlan was not foated until
a part of her cargo was jettisoned. She
remained on the rock about FIVE hours.
When met by the Danube at Fort
WranEeI.the Coquitlan was taking fifteen
to twenty inches Of water an hour The
, pumps were able 10 keep the water dowr
and the captain of the Coquitlan proposed
10 ontinue his trip TO the mouth OF tht
Suckeen river.
, The third accident consisted in the sink
, ing Of the little ferryboat Alaska. which
, runs from Fort wraneeI TO the Suckeer
river. The Alaska settled down on some
rocks with the falling Of the tide and
several holes were punched in her sides
She was towed of but sunk in deep va
ter. No lives were lost
The captain OF the Danube furnishe:
the following particulars Of the wreck q
the Corona while on her way 10 SkaguaA
{ and Dyea with IS passengers
Just az daylight on Sunday morning
: when entering the southern end OF Ma
e lacca Passage she struck on a reef which
$ skirts the shore Of Porchere Island and
= which makes mariners keep well over u
! Kennedy Island inside.
b The reef IS Jagged one and one o
y the sharp projecting rocks pierced tn
steamers huh The steamer was within
= =, stones throw Of Lewis Island. and he
-aSseueerS and crew were saved some q
= the Messengers taking their tents will
] tbe-, With these and sails from tbs
/ steamer. 2 city of canvas was soon bull
1 m. When the Danube PASSED down tn
: C,o-ora.s Messengers were comfortsbl,
Z Settled although they ware aaxiousl,
r awaiting the arrival OF the steamer AK
U yrbicl, would bring them south The CO
= -,ra was two-thirGs under water, an
= ,srt Of her upper works were washe'
d away when the Danube left Captail
n Myers thought that the storms or heav,
i seas would soon break her up At n
IL time OF the accident Captain Pierce wa
e %, the bridge Of the Corona The wors
a feature OF the wreck OF the Corona is n
e losses suffered by passengers on thei
= way 10 the RlondIbe- Some % them Ia
) their all invested in their outfits, wAie
! we're 10 take them to whore they hope
&c 70 make their fortunes