Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-20
STEAMER ALPHA DESTROYED
Dashed to Pieces at Entrance
to Union Bay.
NINE OF CREW WERE DROWNED
Twenty-Five Saved After Hard
Struggle.
The Boat Gained Notoriety Last Spring,
When, as n Canadian Ship, She Landed
Passengers ana Freight at Nome In De-
aance of the Treasury Department.

Vancouver, b. O., Dec. 1S.-News of the
worst marine disaster of the season in
British Columbia waters has been brought
here by the steamer Cznr from Union Bay.
on the east side of Vancouver Island. The
famous steamer Alpha whose unauthorized
trip to Cape Nome last May brought her
into trouble with the Treasury Department.
at Washington. was wrecked on reef near
the entrance to Union Bay,and not a vestige
of the steamer remains. Her managing
owner, captain, purser, two engineers, two
able seamen and q stowaway were drowned
and the rest of the crew of 81 were saved by
the pluck of an unknown member of the
crew, who swan in a raging sea from the
wreck to a lighthouse, with line around
, his waist.
The drowned: Samuel Barbee. managing
owner, Vancouver; Capt. II. N. Yorke, Vic
toria; Engineer Dunn, Victoria; Second
Assistant Engineer Murray, Vancouver; H.
L. White, purser.- Vancouver; - Crosby,
able seaman sullivan, able seaman, and
| q stowaway, name unknown.
The Alpha was valued at s45,O00. Her
cargo comprised 750 tons of salt salmon
6nd $50 tons of coul. consigned to Yoko-
and valued at Se0,000. The total in
surance on the vessel and her cargo was
$65. .000
1t is two weeks since the Alpha first
started from Vancouver for Japan. After
she had been four days out, she returned to
Victoria partly disabled and accusations of
tampering with her engines were made.
Some OF the crew and several of the officers
left the steamer, declaring that she had
been Improperly loaded, and one of the
officers was tried and sentenced to six
weeks imprisonment for desertion. Last
Saturday, the Alpha left Victoria for Union,
TO replenish her coal supply. terrific gale
WIS raging; and late Sunday night, the
steamer ran on a rock in Bayne's Sound. at
the entrance to Union Bay. She was quickly
dashed to pieces, and all would have PER-
ished had not one of the crew made the
desperate and successful effort to swim with
line to the lighthouse on Yellow Island.
managed to reach the island in safety, the
officers and owner remaining on board, and
falling to reach the rock. The 25 survivors
remained on Yellow Island, which Is a rock
200 yards wide, until Sunday night, when
the seq moderated somewhat, and sloop
was able to call and take them to Union.
But the storm which had wrecked the ship
had also prostrated all the wires and So no
tidngs OF the shipwreck reached the outside
world until the little steamer Gear brought
| the story to Vancouver last night.
The Alpha gained notoriety last spring,
when, as Canadian ship, she landed freight
and passengers at Nome in defiance of the
instructions of the Treasury Department
and, 1T is said, against the advice of the
British Embassy at Washington as WE'LL
! She was chased on her return trip from
4 Nome By United States revenue cutter,
hut managed to show her pursuer "clean
pair of heels, +" Since that exciting ex
perience. the Alpha had been engaged in
the British coaling trade until she started
on her present disastrous trim.