The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-30
One Man Spends Eight Days on
aWmd Driven Schooner.
REST OF THE CREW CAST AWAY.
HanAut Boat Volunteer Has . Thrill
Itng ExperieaceCaught I'm
Storm while the Boats Are Oh
Fishinx-None Aboard save One
Sailor-Hoats Driven AshOre-Nen
Subsist On Mussels and CLAIMS.

The halibut fishing schooner Volunteer
and her crew reached keschikan during
last week after terrible experience At sea
and ON land. which came near causing the
wreck of the schooner and The starvation Oh
most OF the crew
For eight days the Volunteer. IN charge
OF only ane man. Swede known as Neis.
yaated about Dixon entrance helpless, and
the remainder OF the crew. consisting OF
eight men. whn were driven ashore wnsis
fishing, lived ON raw clans and Eansssis
till they found their way TO ketchikan.
The Volunteer is a small schooner, owned
by Clark l. Martin, of Ketchikan- she had
gone out fishing for haiibut about D-xons
entrance with crew OF eight men III
change of Capt Frank Macdonald
About TWO weeks ago. while they were
fishing. the storm which ragged up ana
down the Alaskan coast for week came
on. the boats were out. while the schooner
cruised about. awaiting their return. lie
swede. Nels had been left on board alone
to care for her until the fishermen mad M
ished for the day
But the wind and rain came up stfenx.
The schooner and the fishing boats were
separated The storm blew harder and
harder. until Capt. Macdonald saw that
to remain out would mean certain death
He therefore headed the beats for the saote
In fact the wind was blowing so neTceas
that they were swept to the land
In the meantime the schooner was iapof-
ing at sea- The lone man in charge saw
that he must keep TO sea or be smashed
against the many reefs that project from
the islands about Dixon's entrance. He re-
malned at sea for eight days alone on the
schooner There was no one TO reaeVe
him, night or day. but through all thar
time he stuck TO his post as best ne could
ard steered the schooner away from the
dangerous points. He sailed round and
about. keeping watch for the hshermen.
whom he thought might yet be at sea
looking for the Volunteer. He id not
know the way to any port, for he had lost
his reckoning.
In the meantime, the eight men who had
been blown ashore were having Iearfut
experience. They had taken no food In
the boats with them, for they expected TO
go back 10 the schooner at the conclusion
OF the days work. Their clothing was Wet
and their matches were worthless. They
were castaways. desolate and hungry. upon
the shores OF Loring island. They were I'M
familiar with the ground and there were
no human habitations in sight CLAIMS.
musSeis and crabs were all they could find
TO eat and these were eaten raw. Tor they
had no matches nor means Of making
FIRE.
But they wandered about until they final
~ crossed a range of high hills and made
their way to Ketchikan, after several days
of wandering.
The steamship Farallon picked up the
Volunteer after she had been beating about
for eight days. 1t Ia not known whether
the Faralion towed her into Ketchikan or
simply gave the man, Nels. his reckoning.
so that he could sail in. At any rata. he
reached Ketchikan and there found the
remainder OF the crew.
The vessel Is now being repaired and fit
ted preparatory to going out again. The
name OF only one man OF the crew. in adj
dition 20 Capt. Macdonald. is known. He
Is Neis Anderson, of Seattle.