The Red Cloud chief., 1900-07-06
THE ALASKA WANDERERS.
Continued from page 4

w. w. ~
twenty-five feet at high tide. Our
steamer is forty feet wide, 300 feet
long and draws twenty-five feet OF
water, steel covered and propeller
built captain, A. Dixon; fir officer,
Rudolph Dearst, and the crew are Chi
nese sailors.
After all efforts had failed to move
us 10y either steam OF tide, the captain
ordered the matches opened and pas.
sehgers and crew commenced to throw
800 tons of coal overheard Also by
taking two large anchors attached to
cables 200 feet in length in front OF the
ship in launches aud dropping them,
with the cables attached to steam
windlasses aboard the ship to assist
hnal effort to move the ship, We tiually
got started While we were at work
throwing coal overheard we discovered
the approach of Il small steam launch
heading toward us, which was on its
way To st. Michael for help for their
vessel which had been wrecked on the
shore of Cape Ronanzofl, one hundred
and twenty miles from where we were.
Their vessel was the Thresher, with
twenty five passengers and a crew OF
fifteen. In the passenger list were two
women and one child The Threshcr
was driven on the shore by moving ice
and after the forty people on board
had all been safely landed on shore a
storm rose and the ice pounded the
vessel into kindling wood. One man
passenger became violently insane
from mental worriment. Our captain
gave the little launch coal, water and
provisions, and she proceeded on her
way for ST. Michael to get IA tsamcr To
go after their shipwrecked passengers,
The officer on the little launch report.
ed passing II two masted schooner as
abandoned and going to pieces on the
rocks, also two other large schooners
flying signals of distress. Ii Is est.
mated that there will be no less than
twenty vessels wrecked in Behring
sea trying 20 reach Nome. Up to the
Goth of May there had been registered
100 vessels to sail for Cape Nome this
season. These run from the small
barks TO the large ocean steamers. IL
is now IL O'Clock pm. of June L. ana
the sun is just setting, although from
now until sunrise at 2 o'clock tomor-
row morning it will be a twilight
gloom. We have passed the last large
field of moving ice and are within sight
of Sledge Island, which lies about 10
miles west of Cape Nome. W. will
drop anchor about 3 O'Clock Am. of
the city of Cape Nome.
The only mishap occurred last even.
ing when twelve men in the ships
large lifeboat took a 5000 pound an
chor, attached to a wire cable 600 feet
long and started from the ship and
went ahead the length of the cable.
Upon reaching he end of the cable,
the anchor which was suspended under
the lifeboat was cut loose. AS this was
done, the wire attached from the cable
to one of the row locks caught, aud
over went the boat. Excitement ran
high for a few minutes as the water
was six points below freezing and the
heavy current made it look as il every
man would be drowned, but they hung
to the overturned boat and all were
rescued. The object in throwing this
anchor out ahead was by OF a
steam windlass to assist the ships
engines in clearing the bar, which was
successful, although we had to leave
anchor, cable and lifeboat, as the cap.
tain would not stop after the boat
once started. With fair weather we
will be landed tomorrow on the sands
at Cape Nome, Our boys are all in
excellen. spirits mentally tonight.
Will send you "A verbal photo of Nome
City in next mail.
Very respectfully,
A. j. ToMLISsoN.