The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-24

The City of Seattle left Skagway on the
return trip south about 2 o'clock on Satur-
day morning, January 13. She had been
out about an hour when she ran into
heavy snow storm-such snow storms as
are found only in Alaska. where It Is inn
possible to ser more than ships
length ahead The ship ran under slow
bell several hours, but about o'clock the
storm abated somewhat, and the ship was
then put to her usual speed.
Not a sign of impending danger was
anywhere visible. Suddenly the engines
began to race at terrific speed. The en-
gtneers below decks knew instantly what
had hsppe 1ed. The propeller had been
lnst-dlop 5-.1 to the bottom OF the sea,
leaving the engines and shaft without re-
sistance The machinery Is the life OF a
ship. With the wheel gone, the Seattle
was almost as involuntary as a derelc'.
had thinned, the gale was increasing in
violence. The propeller was lost of the
northern promortory. of Berners bay. In
way and Juneau. The north wind blew
the helpless ship southeasterly across the
mouth OF Berners bay directly down upon
the southerly prornontory Of the bay. The
Seattle had three anchors. Capt. w. A.
Connell let one go after another. but there
was no anchorage The anchors dragged,
and the ship rolling in the trough Of the
sea slowly bore down upon the menacing
rocks, over which the terrible breakers
the ship was doomed. But the good ships
time for destruction had not yet come.
The anchors caught and held, but when
tny did SO the wss nos around aa
to her cables. and with head to the sea
rode the waves
A Terrible Predicament.
Capt. Cornell did not know how long
his anchors would hold. or how soon the
with a rising wind and in such q position
something must be done without loss Of
time to save the ship and the lives on
to do was to send a party to Juneau, fifty
miles away, in the hope Of finding ship
there to come to the rescue. The .perilous
weather was nobly undertaken in one of
the ships boats by Capt Johnson, a pilot
Of the Seattle and four brave
misgivings on the part of the crew and
passengers that the little party would ever
reach it's destination that the Ave men
swung over the side into the rearing boat
and were soon lost to sight In the whirling
snow Of the winters gloom. They were
almost the one and only hope OF rescue,
leave any port in the storm. then raging
except on a life or death mission. Breakers
roared and foamed around her, and just
behind was the solid rock precipice of
Point Bridget. The passengers bore up
well and behaved admirably under the cir
cumstances
Cottage City to the Rescue.
The perilous part played by the Cottage
City in going to the rescue is succinctly
August G. Jansen to Supt Trowbridge, of
the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. 1t
is as follows:
"Lying alongside the Treadwell wharf,
Jan. IA, a. M. received call over the
telephone from Juneau telling me the CITY
q Seattle lay disabled a,n IN the breakers off
canal, asked for better information. The
ships agent then informed me that the
ships pilot, Johnson, who had just arrived
in Juneau over the Douglas flats. and
given him a letter from Capt. Connell
d. stating that the ship and the lives of tho
passengers and crew would be lost If help
did not arrive Immediately.
fellow almost half dead after his fearful
sa tsat o the City Of Seattle had the
thirty feet of the rocks Of Point Bridget.
mao ssors rae srs IN to
snow. running inside of Douglas island.
He did not expect the ship could be
saved. but thought we could save the peo-
1T was blowing and showing hard when
left Treadwell at SIS a.. M, and we felt
With a aSs Wsatser sot ch tte
better, and at 1910 arrived off the vessel.
only one Of her three anchors was
holding; the other two cables having
THE wind blew a stiff northwest gale.
with high sea running. The Seattle was
scarcely thirty feet of the rocks. Small
boats could not live. I had to take the
ship or leave everything.
We ran four times alongside of her and
failed. The fifth time got line fast and
backed her in deep water. breaking her last
cable as had to do. Then my line parted.
We turned around, and, after much
trouble. got another hawser fast At LIS
= M | had her well in tow, running be-
fore the gale.
AT s;45 p. m. shortened hawser off
Juneau oo'ii sNips al
The next day we encountered one Of
She nArdest gales that ever blew In LYNN
'sansi' 1t took us thirty hours to 70 to