The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-14
HITS A REEF ON
MIDWAY ISLAND
The Steamer Dirigo a
Wreck.
STRIKES DURING A STORM
BLINDING SNOW oBscUREs HER
COURSE.
The Crew and Forty A1aska-B Bound
Passengers Picked Up
by the Cottage
City.
BINDING SNOW oBsCUREs HER
COURSE.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

VICTORIA, B. c., March 13.-News
was brought by the steamer Cottage
City, which arrived this evening from
Alaskan ports, that the steamer Dirigo,
Captain George Roberts, owned by the
Washington and Alaska Steamship
Company, has been wrecked. She ran
onto a reef on Midway Island, which
lies in Stevenson Channel, Clarence
Straits, and about forty miles below
Juneau, during a binding snowstorm
on the night of Thursday last. Captain
Roberts and the pilot were both on the
bridge. They were unable to see the
length of their arms in front of them
owing to the thickly falling snow. The
captain was, as is the custom of the
Alaska steamboatmen in such cases,
footing his whistle and listening for
the echoes to shape his course.
The steamer was proceeding eau
tiously along, feeling her way under a
slow bell, when there came a crash
which caused the two mariners to stag
ger and awakened the sleeping paSSen-
gers. After the first crash the steamer
slowed around and then struck heavily
on the reef with her beam, throwing
some of the half-aWakened passengers
from their berths. Two other blows
sounded in quick succession, and then
the steamer remained hard and fast in
a cradle of rocks as If she was in a
wise.
The passengers-there were about
forty northbound men on board
crowded to the deck, and great excite
ment prevailed, for none knew but that
the wrecked vessel would founder
within a few minutes. Some of the
more terror-stricken men rushed to the
boats, and would have cut them away
but for the firm stand taken by the
officers Of the steamer. They quoted
the excited passengers, and, with the
assurance that there was no immediate
danger, got them to stand by the ship
until morning.
When morning came the snow con-
tinued to fall, but the wrecked pilgrims
were able to see land looming out
through 1t at no great distance. The
majority of them then took to the boats
and landed on Midway Island They
took some supplies aboard and with
tarpaulin covers for tents they camped
there for forty eight hours. Then re-
lief came The Cottage City's lights
were seen on Saturday night, and
those who still remained with the
wreck-tine captain, his crew and some
of the passengers who had refused to
leave the Steamer-blew again and
again SDTIll QlSIT6SS sig HdlS. Inc COL
tage City was not slow in responding,
and soon the contingent camped on the
island and all those who wished to
leave the steamer were on board and
bound south TO Wrangel.
The purser and few of the crew re-
manned with the wreck and Captain
Roberts and the passengers took pass
age to WrangeI by the Cottage City.
Captain Roberts is very sick man, he
having succumbed to the grip soon
after his vessel was wrecked. He is
being attended at Wrangel.
1t is thought by the officers of the
Cottage City that the Dirigo will prove
a total wreck. She is badly torn and
fast in a cradle of rocks.
Captain Roberts of the Dirigo was
formerly master and part owner of the
City of Seattle. He was on the Willapa
when she was wrecked in northern
waters.
No lives were lost, nor, as far as could
be learned, was any one injured in the
Dirigo disaster.