The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-15
INHALER MERMA|D WRECKED.
STEAMER ALPHA SAVED THE CAR
GO AND Ar OF THE CREW.
Left 81. Fr..-i;'ee Last March ..s
Cane 20 Grief ~ Dstch Harhor-
0" ".a Best Valued At 10000

Special Dispatch &c the Post-In.eIligencer.
VICTORIA, II. C.. Nov. i4--SswE was
brought ~ the s1eanaer Alpha. Capt. Buck
hoitz, which reached Victoria this morn
ing from Cape Nome. OF the ioss Of the
wfalsr Mermaid. OF New Bedford, Mass.
at Dutch harsor- The Alpha brought down
the mate and ta:rty-two Of the crew.
The Mermaid ssiled from San Francisco
on whaling cruise tc the Arctic on March
% last, and altar eight months of dirty
weather in the ffar northern seas, was
wrecked in q series Of heavy gales encoun-
tered at the cieae OF October While she
was on Fox issassd on October g she en-
countered an awful storm Capt Clifford
laid the bark 10. and for hours she lay
with the seas Cracking over her. One
neaVy sea tore ewsy the bulwarks. and q
Following wave Ieaped high up on the ves-
sei with fatal results. 1t threw the look
out man. Jack Keneely. a married man OF
san Fvancssco. 70 the deck with such ter
rinc force that he was Instantly killed.
The body was. washed up and down the
deck -or sometime before IL vas secured
and made reayy for sea burial All day
she was swept. hy the waves, and az times
II seemed SIS though she would turn turtle.
On one occasion she went SO far over on
her beam thas her foretopsaiI and main
yards went fnta the sea
On the aflerslcon Of the next day the
storm abated somewhat and they took adj
vantage or thls 20 patch up their storm
tossed craft Then, with the water rapid
~ rising In the haId. they started for Dutch
haroor. On isae Both another and even
more furious storm than that encountered
before sprang up Soon II was a gale The
wind swept over the vessel with hurricane
force The whsle crew were soon at work
pouring oil on cha water. ard none expect
&c that they wonld ever reach the shore.
which could ha seen at times through the
haze over t~enty barrels of whale oil
were poured on the heavy seas. The fore
mast vas torn loose BY the severe wrench
Ing. and both The starboard and port boats
We're carried away and the davits torn out
OF shape.
On November they at last made tho
land. running into small harbor some
distance from Dutch harbor There she
was condemned by Capt. Buckhol,z, of the
steamer Alpha. and Capt. White, of the
Townsend. which was there on her way TO
saive he LaHrada, and First Officer Nc
Innes&of the Alpha Capt Clifford re-
maine with the vessel, together with Sec
ond MITE Cahiil. Engineer Kswaisky. the
cooper and boat sseerer. According to
those who returned this morning the Mer-
maid was trustworthy. and they say tho
man who gave her clearance should DO
severely dealt with
The Mermaid had about thirty-fve tons
or whalebons and similar amour. Of
whale oil. nd her entire cargo, including
TWO whales, was worth about $4,000 1t
WAS broush, down on the Alpha and will
be shipped to San Francisco The vessel
itself was wersh perhaps $4,000
Rich Strike at Cape York.
The Alpha brings news of a phenom-
enaily rich strike at Cape York Port
Renfrew. the center OF the district, the
Alpha's off!eers say, viii be the center OF
next years gold rush. There Is a fine
anchorage ct the latter place and a rail-
road could be cheaply constructed along
the beach to Cape Nome.