The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-21
MANY MILES OF NRECKAGE
EVIDENCE OF A GREAT DISASTER
At SEA
Broken Parts of Some Large Vessel
Waters Above the Sound

SEATTLE, November Captain n.
l.. Johnson, of the schooner Nellie G..
Thurston, which arrived in Seattle
Monday evening at 9:40 from Nome
brings news of wreck between Nome
city and Seattle that may have been
one of the greatest disasters of the
year in Pacific waters. He called at
Dutch harbor October "a, and three
days later, Saturday October p, dur
ing the morning, passed a lot of wreck
age consisting of spars, riggings with
wire rope and small timbeTs. There was
a large quantity of this material
on Friday. November 2, while about
200 miles from Cape Flattery, the crew
discovered, as daylight approached,
that the schooner was passing through
great quantity of Wreckage. There
was a seventy wind blowing at the
time, and it was utterly impossible to
closely examine any of the wreckage,
but enough of it was seen to furnish
some valuable facts.
Mach lumber of one-inch, one and
one-half inch and four inch skies was
seen. Apparently portion of this had
been the upper works Of some vessel,
as ii was painted white on the exterior
and on the interior blue. There was
some material that was painted only
on one side, this being white. A life
boat thought to be of metal was also
sighted. This boat was partially sub
merged, but the captain believes It to
have been about twenty-five feet long.
This boat was also painted white on
the outside with blue interior, and in
the end, which was above water was a
tank, supposed to be an air chamber.
The tank was painted yellow.
Captain johnson states that this
wreckage was scattered along for a
distance of twenty miles from the place
where first sighted. 1t was composed
of the class of timbers mentioned, and
some port lights and windows were also
seen. one of the passengers thought
he diScerned a name on a portion of the
wreckage, but the distance was so great
that he would not attempt to state posi-
lively that he was correct in that mat
ter.
Fifty miles beyond the bulk of the
wreckage Captain Johnson sighted a
tank painted yellow and of a diamond
shape which was similar to that seen
in the wreckage lifeboat This tank be-
ing very light was out of the water and
was rolling over and over before the
wind. From the distance intervening
between this tank and the bulk of the
heavier wreckage, Captain Johnson in
clines to the opinion that the wreck,
whatever ii was. occurred some time
within the twenty-four hours proceed
ing the time that he first sighted it.
He is inclined to believe that it was
less.
The crew and passengers of the
Thurston have INDUCED in some specu-
lation as to the probable name of the
wreck, but could arrive at no decision.
1t is evident, however, that a disaster
has occurred and from the SEA that was
running, and the distance to the nearest
land, it seems very improbable that any
one could have escaped. The nearest
land was probably $50 miles and the
indications are that if any lifeboats
were launched they were destroyed as
was the one sighted.
Captain Johnson, who is now in the
city, will be perfectly willing to give
assistance to any person who desires to
determine what boat was wrecked, but
as the sea was very high and a strong
gale was blowing his observations We're
limited to what could be seen from the
deck of his own vessel, and practically
all that he discovered has been detail
t-Intelligencer.