Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-31
DETAILS OF THE WRECK OF THE
KLONDIKE-BOUND SHIP.
WAS 1T DUE TO CARELESSNESS?
PILOT CAUGHMAN DECLARES THAT
HE WAS NOT AT FAULT.
Others, However, Do Not Agree With
Him-OnIy Twenty-Five Passen-
gers Return to Seattle, the
Others Continuing
NOrthyard.

Seattle. Wash. Jan. 30.-Twenty-five of
the passengers of the ill-fated steamer
Corona which was wrecked on Lewis ISL
and last Sunday morning. arrived here to-
night on the steamer Alki, which rescued
them from the lonely island. f. w. Pol
lock. who was a passenger on the Corona,
IN describing the wreck. said:
The accident occurred at $40 a. m. Sum
day. The morning gong had sounded to
awaken the passengers for breakfast.
About 100 of them had already risen. Cap
tain c. H. Pierce ard Pilot II. +. Caugh-
man were on the bridge. 1t was Caugh-
mans first trip as pilot. 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 a scene of great con-
fusion followed. The wheel was reversed.
but the ship settled on the rock.
'The sea was calm. CAPTAIN Pierce or
dered the boats lowered. The women were
taken ashore first. BY 10 o'clock the pas
sengers were all landed. The stock and
some of the baggage and provisions were
then taken ashore.
The passengers remained on the island
until Thursday patiently waiting for a
passing steamer to take them away from
place of great personal discomfort. On
Thursday, the steamer Alki arrived and
200 Of the castaways boarded her. About 800
remained on the island in the hope of
catching a north-bound vessel.
About 1G o'clock Thursday night, the
AllIi met the steamer Oregon, bound from
Portland TO Dyea and Skaguay. The two
steamers were lashed together and all but
twenty-five of the Coronda's people were
transferred and started north again.
1t is not believed that the injury to the
Corona is serious
Pilot H. +. Caughman, who was on duty
at the time of the accident, tells the fol-
lowing story:
"The directions on the chart say to steer
direct from Gibson's island to the north
west side of Kennedy's island. In this
water there are no soundings marked on
the chart less than seven fathoms deep,
and seven fathoms is only found at the
extreme end of Lewis island, close to the
shore. The soundings taken all around
the ship after the accident ranged from five
to ten fathoms. with the exception of where
the ship struck, which was only "a
fathomS.
ut is six and half miles from Gibson's
altered it to northwest by north. Seven
ship due northwest for seventeen minutes
after passing Gibson'S Island and then
altered it to Northwest, by north. Seven
minutes later she struck
Mr.. Caughman declares that he followed
directions laid down, and that he Is not
to blame.
Against Pilot Caughman's declarations
that he was on the correct course is Steam
er Pilot ThompsOn's statement. He was on
the boat and went off duty at O'Clock the
morning Of the accident. He says that the
reef upon which Caughman ran the ship Is
well known among mariners, and that she
was two miles out of her course. He
charges the accident to sheer carelessness.
as do also some of the passengers.
During the stay on the island, Caughmarl
became more and more the recipient of
caustic criticism from the victims of the
wreck.