The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-31
Loss or CORONA.
cne of the Passengers Tells the Story
of the Wreck


of the Wreck.
Seattle, Wash. Jan.9O-Twenty-hv pas
sengers of the Inflated steamer Corona,
which was wrecked on Lewis Island last
Sunday morning, arrived here tonight on
the steamer Alk, which rescued them
from the lonely island.
e. w. Pollock, one of the passengers, In
describing the wreck said THE accl-
| dent occurred at about 9.l0 a. m. Sunday.
The morning gong had sounded to awaken
the passengers for breakfast About 100
of them had already arisen. Capt. G. II.
Pierce and Pilot II. f. Caufman we're on
the bridge, 1t was Caufmans first trip as
a pilot. The day was light enough to
see the shofe on all sides
Suddenly while the ship was going AT
full speed without warning, a terrible
shock occurred, followed by a grinding
succession of lesser shocks
INSTANTLY 1t was realized that the ship
had struck "A rock and scene of great
confusion followed. The wheel was re-
versed, but the ship settled on the rock.
The sea was calm
Capt. Pierce ordered the boats low
cred. The women were taken ashore first.
By 10 O'Clock the passengers were all
landed The stock and some of the bag
gage and provisions were then taken on
shore.
THE passengers remained on the island
until Thursday patiently waiting for a pas
senger steamer to take them away from
the place at great personal discomfort. The
steamer Alki arrived and a portion of the
castaways boarded her. about one hun
dred remaining on the island In the hope
of catching a northbound vessel.
about ! o'clock Thursday night the
Alki met the steamer Sonora, bound from
Portland to Dyea and Skaguay. The two
steamers were lashed together and all but
% of the Sonora's people we're transferred
to her. ana they starved north again.
PilotaCalifman. who was on duty at the
time OF the accident, tells the following
story: THE directions on the chart are to
steer clear straight from Gibsons
Island to the northwest side
of Kennedys Island. In this water
there are no soundings marked
this water there are no soundings marked
In the chart less than seven fathoms deep,
and seven 9athoms is only found at the
extreme end of this island, close to the
shore The soundlngs taken all around the
island range from five to ten fathoms,
with the exception of where the ship
struck, which was only two and one-quar-
ter fathoms 1t Is six and half miles
from Gibson's Island to the northwest
side.
Il kept the ship southwest for seven
teen minutes after passing Gibson's Island,
and then altered it to the northwest by
north and seven minutes later she
struck"
Caufman declares he was following d.
rections lain down and that he Is not TO
blame.
Against Pilot Caufmans declarations
that he was in the correct course is the
steamer pilot, Thompson's, statement who
was on the boat and went off duty at
o'clock the morning of the accident. He
SAYS that the course by which Caufman
ran the ship is well known to mariners,
and that she was two miles out Of her
course He characterized the accident as
due TO carelessness, as do also the pas
nengers During their stay on the island
Caufman became more and more the re-
ciplent of caustic criticisms from the vic
TINS of the wreck.