Douglas Island news., 1899-04-05
THE CITY OF TOPEKA On the Rocks at Last. Sunk in the Wrange2 NarrOws Last
 Wednesday Night.
THE WOLCOTT TO THE RESCUE

The City of Topeka, Thompson Cap tain. one of the luckiest boats that ever sailed in Alaska waters, met with q terrible misfortune on the up run last week.
 The Topeka left Seattle with a pas senCer list of about l6O, GOO tons of freight and considerable amount of coal. She was carrying a large cargo and sank deep into the water. She left Fort Wrangel early in the evening, near D. m. last Wednesday, and at the eastern mouth of the narrows she passed the Manzanita, the government ! lighthouse tender, which was up in these waters to see that the buoys were in place and to locate more where needed.
 The Topeka did not stop to anchor at the mouth of the narrOws, but Capt. ! Thompson concluded to pass on up for a short distance to place called Five l Fingers. where he intended to drop his anchor and wait for higher tide. He was proceeding on his way in his usual cautious manner and when about five l miles up. the vessel ran onto the rocks. i The engines were quickly reversed and as the boat pulled back her stern swung onto a buoy that commenced pounding her bottom in fearful shape. Between 1 the rocks, the buoy and the swift cur rent the Topeka was having an awful time. She was only five miles from the Manzanita and the disabled vessel sounded signal of distress and sent up some rockets, but the lighthouse tender had no steam up and she lay at anchor a helpless mass until her fire men could get up sufficient steam to l go to the rescue.
 The ManZanita finally pulled up 10 the Topeka and she ran into a little shallow bay to make turn and in do- l ing so she, too, got onto the rocks. As 1 she commenced to scrape her iron bot 1 tom an anchor, the largest one she car ried. was dropped, and the boats stern swung out into the current giving the vessel few twists that indicated that l in less than any time she would go bottom up, when, fortunately, the an chor chain parted and the boat righted herself and swung clear into the chan nel and pulled up close to the Topeka, and the passengers, baggage, mail and express were transferred to the former over a gang plank.
 The Manzanita brought the passen' | gers, Purser BalIentine and the freight clerk to Juneau, arriving at about half past two Thursday afternoon. When i the boat left the Topeka she had right ed herself and lay in about six feet of water, putting out the fire under the boilers. At that time the cargo of freight was not damaged and the four COW passengers were safe and un- injured.
 The News man was in Juneau shortly after the arrival of the Manzanlta. The passengers were on the Pacific Coast Steamship Co.'s dock looking after their baggage and personal effects. It was sorry looking crowd and all seemed sad over the mishap that fell to the lot of the Topeka, for she was un- doubtedly the most popular vessel that comes to Alaska.
 MT. o. H. Savage, the general man ager of the Latuya Bay Gold Mining O., was passenger on the Topeka and was seen by the News man. When asked concerning the condition of the Topeka and the accident in general he made the following statement:
 "We were about thirty miles from Fort Wrangel and five miles up from the mouth of the narrows. It was Capt