The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1898-12-22
STEAMER rHoMPsoN IN TROUBLE
On Her Trip from Whstcom. Thursda,
She Runs ON Shay Rock Reef.

On Her Trip from Whstcom. Thursday.
She Runs ON Shay Rock Reef.
On Thursday morning last, about
$50, the United States mail steamer
Lydia Thompson, on her regular run
from Whatcom to Seattle, met with an
unfortunate mishap which will cost her
owners, Thompson Bros, Of Seattle,
thousands Of dollars and possibly the
loss OF their fine steamer, which has
been their pride for the past Ave years.
She left East Sound on her regular
time and was running at full speed
when she struck on tho north end Of
Shag rock reef and held there fast.
The tide was full at the time and she
ran onto the rock some twenty-five
feet before she come to q stop, and all
efforts to get her of with her own
steam proved fruitless. Pilot Willard
Hutchinson, who was on watch, See
ing his danger gave her all the wheel
he could and the backing bells, but too
late to avoid the trouble. With the
ebbing of the tide the stern of the
steamer settled down on the rock, and
on the next flood. refusing to lift, her
hold and after cabins filled with water.
When the writer saw her she was lying
at an angle of about As degrees aud was
somewhat listed to port, her bow about
twenty-five feet out Of water and point
ing toward the shore, and about forty
feet of her stern under water, her
galley, dining room, smoking room and
part of the ladies' cabin being COM
pletely submerged. Her master, Capt.
Emmett ". Ruger, thinking she might
fill, had all her freight taken ashore,
also the beding from the staterooms,
and many other perishable articles
about the boat. AS soon as her owners
got word of the accident, the tug Re-
lever was sent t) her relief, but being
unable to accomplish anything, only
remained on the scene q short while.
Next came the Angeles, with two large
scows belonging to the Hastings
Steamboat Co., Of Port Townsend, and
some other wrecking appliances, in
Guiding about thirty empty oil barrels,
secured from the Island Packing Go.
here, but she too was unable to accom-
plish any good. Fred r. Thompson,
one Of the owners, then went to Seattle
to try to get Moran Bros. to take hold
of the work with their wrecking outfit,
the finest on the Sound, and If they
dIIAVO uClO VAA0C VlAOy WILL uouOuOV'
eddy float her without any further trou-
BILE and take her to Seattle, where she
will go or the dry dock and be repaired.
The storm of Sunday and Sunday
night washed away a part of the ladies'
cabin, but this can easily be replaced.
Her hull seems to be perfectly sound
and uninjured except that about twen-
ty-five feet OF her keel, forward, IL torn
away. Her staterooms had just been
newly refitted and painted and she had
been put in first-class shape for the
winter. An investigation will .un-
dOubtedly be made by the board of
steamboat inspectors and the blame
placed where it likely belongs. The
barrel which had for years marked the
reef had been washed or blown away,
only leaving the rod upon which it was
placed, and at high tide but very
small point Of the rock lie visible. It 10
quite remarkable that no one was hurt
in the accident and very fortunate that
the tide was full, as had it been low
tide the boat would have crashed into
the side Of the rock instead Of climbing
on top of it and would undoubtedly
have been completely wrecked.