Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-10-20
.B[ACHED ON An ISLAND
Wreck of the Laurada ir
Behring Sea.
HAD AN EvENTFuL PASSAGE
Luckily No Lives Were Lost and Conn
paratively Little Discomfort Came to
Passengers-Laurada's Record.


arriRsA here tonight, survivors are
broH8ht of the steamship Laurada,
which lies a wreck in zapadine bay,
st. George island.
The Laurada, Captain Frank White,
left Seattle September II, for Cape
Nome, with crew of 48 officers and
men and 20 passengers. Sho carried
full cargo of general merchandise, hay,
lumber, SO head OF cattle and l30
sheep. She encountered rough weather
from the start, and just before O'Clock
on the morning of September 30 was
driven by wind and current into shoal
water in Active pass, but after brief
detention she resumed her voyage. Be
ing loaded deep, the heavy seas broke
over 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 pas
sage to New Metlakahtla, where 80
tons of lumber and so tons of coal were
put ashore. Thus ightened, she pro-
ceeded to Dutch Harbor, which was
reached September 25.
At Dutch Harbor 80 sheep were
landed. The Laurada left Dutch Har-
Dor September 26, encountering con-
tinued stormy weather. On Septem-
Der 81 it was discovered that leak
had been started forward by the pound
ing of the seas. This increased rapid
ly, and soon it became evident that the
pumps would not much longer keep
the vessel ahoat. She began gradually
to settle. The only hope of safety lay
in reaching the Pribylof or Seal is
lands, the northcrnmost of which,
st. George, is barely 225 miles from
Dutch Harbor.
At $3.50 P. M, September 28, Cap
tain White, after having skirted the
eastern shore of st. George island, and
finding it impossible to make safe
landing, ran the now sinking Laurada
ashore in the shallow waters of Zapa-
dine bay. The fire in the lower CRATE
had been by this time extinguished by
the rising sea waters, and the stokers
were wading in the fire room up to
their knees.
On this 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 a lease of the island from
the government. The smaller of these
was vacant, and the crew and passen-
gers of the Laurada moved in. Pro-
visions and other necessaries were
taken from the ship. ALI the livestock
was successfully landed.
1t was on October that the cutter
Corwin, Captain Herring, which had
left st. Michael for Seattle and San
Francisco on September 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 Lua-
rada was left on the island to protect
the ship and cargo from being taken
possession of as derelict, and six pas
sengers remained to care for outfits
they were unwilling to abandon. The
Corwin's store of provisions was re-
plenished from the abandoned vessel,
and the cutter made sail for Dutch
Harbor, with total OF 1876 persons on
board, arriving in the afternoon of
October 4. Here the Laurada' g passen-
gers 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 north bound. It is probable
relief expedition will be sent from
here as soon as possible.
Among those left at Dutch Harbor
are the wife of Captain Brown, of the
Yukon river steamboat Oil City, now
at St. Michael, and the wife and child
Of Minor Bruce. An entire printing
outfit for newspaper at Nome is in the
largo of the wreck.
The Laurada was built in Great Brit
ain and became famous shortly before
the outbreak of the late Spanish-Amer-
lean war as a flibuster and successful
blockade runner.