The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-16
Famous Steamship Laurada Wreck
ed IN Arctic Waters.
ALL HANDS WERE SAVED
SHE COULD NOT WITHSTAND
THE STORMY WEATHER.
Sprung Leak While On the Ocean
3 and Made q Successful Run For
Land-Was the Vessel That Has
Gained Notoriety As Blockade
Runner Before Spanish War.

Seattle, Wash, Oct. 15-By the
United States revenue cutter Corwin
which reached here tonight survivors
are brought of the steamship Laurada
which lies a wreck in Zapadine bay,
st. George Island.
The Laurada, Captain Frank White,
left Seattle, Sept. IL, for Cape Nome,
With a crew OF forty-eight officers and
men and twenty passengers. She
carried a full cargo of general mer-
chandise, hay, lumber, thirty-siX head
of cattle and 100 sheep. She encounter
ed rough weather from the start and
just before o'clock on the morning
of Sept. Ii, was driven by wind and
current.into shoal water in Active pass
but after brief detention she resumed
her voyage
Being loaded deep the heavy seas
broke over her bow again and again
and by the time the. open sea was
reached it had become so serious that
she was forced to turn back and take
the inside passage to New Metlatkatlah
where the thirty tons of lumber and
fifty tons of coal were put ashore.
Thus lightened, she proceeded to Dutch
'harbor which was reached Sept. 25. AT
Dutch harbor thirty sheep were landed.
Encounters Stormy Weather.
The Laurada left Dutch harbor Sept.
26, eneountering continued stormy
weather. On Sept. q it was discovered
that a. leak had been started forward
by the pounding of the seas. This in
creased rapidly and soon it became
evident the pumps would not much
longer keep the vessel af1oat. She be-
gan to gradually settle by the head.
The only hope of safety now lay in
oh; Ill T-In H.,
the southern most of which, st. George,
is barely 225 miles from Dutch harbor
AT 2:30 p. m. Sept. IS, Captain White,
after having skirted the eastern shore
of st. George Island and finding it inn
possible to make a safe landing, ran
the now sinking Laurada ashore in the
shallow waters of Zapadine bay.
The fire in the lower CRATE had by
this time been extinguished by the ris-
ing sea. waters and the stokers We're
wading in the fire room up to their
knees.
Shipwrecked People Housed.
On the side of the island are two small
frame salt houses used for the storage
and curing of sealskins by the North
American Commercial company, which
has aalease of the island from the gov
eminent. The smaller of these was
vacant and the crew and passengers of
the Laurada moved in. Provisions and
other necessities We're taken from the
ship. All the livestock was success
fully landed. =
/ 1t was on Oct. that the cutter Cor
win, Captain Herring, which had left
st. Michael for Seattle and San Fran
cisco on Sept. 80 sighted the signal of
distress flying from the mast of the
Laurada.
Captain Herring consented to receive
the passengers and crew and convey
them back to Dutch Harbor. The third
mate of the Laurada was left on the
island to protect the ship and cargo
from being taken possession of as a
derelict, and six passengers remained
to care for outfits they were unwilling
to abandon.
Saved the Mail.
The Corwin's store of provisions was
replenished from the abandoned yes
sci and the cutter made sail for Dutch
Harbor with a total of 1875 passengers
on board arriving in the afternoon of
Oct. A. Here the Laurada's passengers
were provided with blankets and made
as comfortable as possible. The mail
carried by the Laurada was also
brought back by the Corwin and will
be forwarded by the next available
steamer northbound.
1t is probable a relief expedition will
he sent from here as soon as possible.
Among those left at Dutch Harbor are
the wife of Captain Drown of the Yu-
kon river steamboat Oil City, now at
st. Michael. and the wife and child OF
Mines Bruce. An entire printing outfit
for a newspaper at Nome is in the
cargo of the wreck.
The Laurada was built in Great Brit
ain and became famous shortly before
the outbreak of the late Spanish
American war as a fihbuster and sue
cessful blockade runner.