The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-12


sight
Tas passengers. crazed by thesr nssssor-
tunes. turned az bay ard basslef with trs
wreekerx for their property. Knives ~eTe
drssn an1 guns fassed IN the lsgns q IRE
sanses that uaw covered the entire deck.
The weaker Of the passengers were forced
to stand ~ and see their property appro-
prtasess by the hungry thieves. s1hers
fought with them over the possession Of
bundle OF clothing or ar oiisksn-eo*ered
side Of bacon. 50 al through the tight the
battle ragged a, intervals and far iaso t:rr
forenoon.
II xas AZ midnight that the last man de-
serted the wh!tetaw. a few minutes later
her decks were swept fore and aft by the
eager flames On the beach we're ;hsu-
sands of tse men ard women Of Skag~sy.
The Eawlsss eIernent Was in fun force.
standing in the front ranks of the onlook-
sss % The dreadful spectacle. eager 20 give
the ship aud FIRE wrecked Argonagts a
welcome with one hagd and to Foo them
with The other.
Hetween the Sowing faces OF ,ne
seen the rouge covered cheeks Of the
women Of the deni-monde. who had left
their dens in skagway 70 watch the burn
ing o. the ship. As fact AS ore Of fae
Whitelaw's unfortunates succeeded IN pill
Ing up a small quantity of the precious
stores some thief would foreibly seize II
when IS owners back WAS tufne3.
Pitched battles between the passengers
and the thieves occurred at intervals ali
night or until the morning light drove the
pirates 70 cover. Then. when day dawned.
the people OF Skagwsy saw the bare,
| biGcksned ribs Of what vas once the
staunchsst wooden ship atloat on the Pa
ciiic. sticking up out of the surf. bearing
tragic testimony Of the holocaust that had
forever put an end 10 her. Sullsn. de-
termined looking men. soiled with 500
and seorched with heat. paced the beach.
many of them carrying a Winchester in
the crook OF their arms. others carrying
a Sowing Colts revolver. Others again
bore cleaning knives and those who were
without arms OF any kind protected their
belongings with clubs.
one man WAS seen TO get away just at
dawn with TWO barrels Of whisky, which
Il : said. comprised part of big lot IF
spirits that had been smuggled aboard
the whitelaw at San Francisco. Bobbing
IN the water were all kinds and shapes OF
packages. These "a fast as the incoming
tide brought them to shore, were seized
and carried high out of ,he reach OF TIE
waters
II Is lIttie short OF a miracle that not
"A life was lost. Had the flames broken
out az sea there would be told another
story-a close brother to the tale eff tile
Clara Nevada.
Frank Bonds. second cook on the Ill
fated steamer, WAS one of the men who
returned yesterday on the Australia lie
was aboard the steamer all the time, and
gave the following statement TO Post
lntellgeneer reporter:
Luck seemed 10 bee against our steamer
during the entire trip and We thank our
lucky stars that Il finally decreed TO de-
stroy the Whielaw la Skagway harhor
Instead of in the open sea. over a hundred
passengers took passage on the steamer
from San Francisco. and 10 a certain ex-
tent I is due to the stubbornness of some
OF them that the ship burned. but that
viii come In later. Before we reached
! Cape Fiattery the passengers began to
make trouble. They were displeased with
the grun and demanded that Capt. Lock
yer put into Port Angeles and get fresh
meat. This he finally consented TO do
Fire was first discovered when We were
crossing Queen Charlotte sound. Smoke
was seen coming out OF the fire room
The fire Was finally located in the star
bo9.d bunker. We turned water in on the
coat and soon put Il out In passing
through one OF the narrows above Van
couver island We were stabbed by a sharp
rock. and all that saved the ship was her
double bottom A few days later We ran
on sand bank while trying 10 enter Ju-
neau harhor n fog. We drifted OF with
the next high tide and reached Skagway
| at o'clock on Friday morning. anchoring
| haif-mie OF the wharf
Two hours later the fireman cane up
out NJ the fire room and startled every
! body with the cry The ships on rre,'
! The fremcn were sent Into the bunker
and. finding the coal hot thought they
/ had located the seat Of the smoke. They
turned the water into the bunker. hut me
| smoke hegan 90 come our of the forward
| hatch. The thirty horses aboard had been
| stalled on deck over the forward matches
. The crew could nor get at the fire on re-
count or fhe horses. TIE owners refused
( % ahew the captain 70 throw them over
/ board. So ne decided TO beach the boat
After we had been on the beach some
/ time the tug Mascot came along with /,
! lighter ard sock oT Tao horses TIE pas.
| sengeTs 1enJ ashore in small boats The
/ forward matches we're then taken up and
water pumped in until thsre seemed 70 he
/ 10 mere FIRE. We fook a rext. sua that
| evening moved the hay and mattresses to
| l.ghler, which had been ;ied up along
side
/ ''fle captain Ana mast 81 ,he crew wsrt
{ go sleep on rae lighter AZ o'clock N rNo
! morning flames burst ont through the en-
/ gtae Eoon. and ln nfuste she shlp vas
/ ah tHsaae. The hay on the lighter caught
I gre, and Ue had ereas time setting IL
( oat Tao N. the men vino wcre slcan4or
/ aboard &ot - aU fiwht oat Tam E,..su
e@r ot the rrewv1 dids not show m. lie
5 we9 s.eef.uE away daau IN the ars roam
I ana f~0 af ftc u1en rescued hinr Ha mas
( $50 dsEed with smoke thst ~ did nor Know
& N, aF NAe tccE Then ur sat io,se
( fVusn tas steamer aHd toots3 aaav an the
Z tl3e- the rest ~ fha crew Nt1 COINS DON N
I eu tae NeNo 7nd So8.b coast cart f.a..k
I yer r,nlsaned af SkeEwfv 20 Take cur the
/ era hiUefN. All ~ the outHt~ were los, q"