The herald., 1898-06-27
ROTTEN STEAMERS
4 MOTHER ALASKAN FLEET
COMES TO GRIEF
THE PASSENGERS GO CRAZY
Want to Shoot the Captains of the Ves-
sels-The Outfit Towed
Back to Port
Associated Press Special Wire

ABSOCldteu EEeSS opcCioA vshV
ASTORIA Or, June 2e.-At $3.50 this morn
ing the steamer Elihu Thompson, which
left here Friday evening towing the two
Yukon river steamers Gamecock and Stag
hound, bound for st. Michael, put back into
the Columbia river with the tows COM
plete wreck. The circumstances as related
by Chief Engineer Kelly of the Thompson
are as follows:
I'VE left the Columbia Friday evening
with fair weather and fair sea. At 10
o'clock Friday night the Gamecock dis
played red light as also did the Staghound,
which was the preconcerted signal Of dan
ger. The Thompson slowed down and wait
ed for daylight. At break Of day they woke
me UP, and Captain Garlick told me to take
the small boats and see what was the
trouble. With the second mate and three
men of our crew we put out for the Came
cock. On approaching her 1 saw that she
was in bad condition, the oakum stream
ing out from her seams. I asked Captain
Fisher what was the trouble, and was In
formed that when they struck the first
swell of the Columbia. the passengers were
frightened beyond reason, and the boat
commenced to work badly. tN
the condition Of affairs worse. The passen-
gers and some Of the crew were imploring
me to take them of. told them to keep
quiet, as there was no immediate danger.
The passengers were running about the
decks like demented persons with their life
preservers on and their possessions piled up
in promiscuous heaps. went back to the
Thompson. and securing more boats return
ed to the wrecks.
"At this time, we were about thirty miles
at sea. Reaching the Gamecock, we COM
menced transferring passengers and crew.
Captain Fisher and two or three men re-
fused to leave their boat. He had crew
of thirty men and fourteen passengers. The
Staghound in charge of Captain Lane, had
about the same umbenr Of people aboard.
and few of her men stood by him, also re-
fusing to leave the boat. The others be-
haved we'll, but the passengers on both
boats were like crazy people.
About this time the pilot schooner San
Jose came up and took the Gamecock in
tow, while took care of the other boat.
All who wanted to- be transferred were
safely taken aboard the Thompson. The
tow line and chains remained intact, and
attribute the fact of the breaking up of the
boats to their extreme length, which was
175 feet.
Captain Fisher Of the Gamecock had a
trying experience Friday night. Even be-
fore he signaled US, many of the passengers.
most of them from Missouri and Kansas.
who had never before seen the captain.
came to him with revolvers and threatened
to shoot him If he did not put back to port.
Fisher kept his head. and coolly told them
to go to bed and he would take them safe.
But many Of them bothered him all night"
The Gamecock and Staghound are owned
by the Yukon Transportation and Naviga-
ton company of San Francisco and cost
about $4,000 each. The boats are twins, and
are 173 feet in length, 361a feet beam. and
Z feet depth Of hold. They were completed
in Portland about two weeks ago.
The Elihu Thompson was to have received
SIS, 900 for towing the boats to st. Michael.
The steamers will be beached and repaired.