The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-08-23
alaska BOAT WENT DOWN
TWENTY-SEVEN LIVES LOST
steamer Was Struck by an Iceberg A
Number OF Lives saved-sixty Persons
Aboard-severaI Well Known People
Among the Lost.

er Islander, the crack passenger steam
er Of the Alaskan route, operated by
the Canadian Pacific Navigation COM
r1any of this city, struck an iceberg off
douglas island at a. m. on the morn
ing of Thursday last and went to the
bottom, carrying 55 to 60 souls, includ-
ing passengers and members of the
crew. Some o the survivors arrived
this evening by the steamer Queen.
They report that as the Islander went
down her boilers exploded, causing the
death of many who might have escap-
ed. Captain Foote was on the bridge
when the vessel struck and stayed
there, going down with his steamer.
The Islander was on her way from
Skagway TO Victoria.
Among the passengers lost on the
Islander were Mrs. Ross, wife of Gov
sernor James A. Ross of the Yukon ter
ritory, her child and niece; DR.. John
Duncan of this city, w. G. Preston and
bride of Seattle, F. Mills, Mrs. j. c.
Henderson. w. H. Heating and two sons
of this city and Los Angeles, Cal, J. V.
Douglas of Vancouver, Mrs. Phillips
and child of Seattle, Mrs. Bell and Mrs.
Captain Nickerson, Mrs. w. Smith. Van
couver; j. A. Blethen, Vancouver; Mrs.
j. L. Wilcox. Seattle.
The members of the crew lost are
Captain Foote. George Allen, third en-
,gineer Horace Smith, second steward;
S. ]. Pitts, cook; two Chinese; Buck
holder and Burte. oilers; two firemen,
one coal passer, Night Saloon Watch
man Kendall. Joe Beard. second pan
Sryman; two walters, G. Miller, the
barber; N. L. Law, M. P. Jock, Porter
and Moran, coal passers.
F. G. Hinde-Bowker, late manager of
The British American corporation of
London. who was passenger says:
my first intimation of an accident
was the running of passengers on deck
which woke me up. was in a cabin
with Mr.. Muchtin. l got UP, looked out
of the cabin and saw the steamer sink
ing at the bow. | woke my partner up
and we dressed. By this time she was
still lower in the water. BY the time
got out of the cabin the water was
about level with the smoking room
4
lowed by my partner; l saw the boats
were gone: went to the side, but at
this time only the stern was out of wa
ter. | saw raft in the water with
eight or ten people on it. | slid down
a rope on to the raft and as soon as
got on the raft the stern of the steam
er sank and sucked the raft and people
down. We were some time under wa
ter, but | held on and when the raft
came up only two of us were left. We
hailed two men who were swimming
and got them aboard, also a Chinaman
BY this time the steamer had sunk out
of sight. Many people hung onto the
raft at'diferent times, but it was not
air tight and we had much difficulty
keeping afoat. We were turned over
once by others climbing on, but gener-
ally managed to right ourselves.
The scene was heartrending. The
boats were scattered and overcrowded
and people were adrift begging. plead
ing and crying for help. We gathered
lumber and made our raft float We
were picked up by one of the boats re-
turning from shore. l can not speak
too highly of the officers and crew."
There was $275,O0O in gold on the
steamer. 100000 of which was carried
by passengers. H. H. Part, who has
spent Is years in the Klondike, lost
S35, 900 N dust.
There was a heavy fog at the time
and Pilot lie Blanc was on the bridge.
Captain FOote was at lunch. When he
heard the crash, he ran on deck and
went down with the ship. 1t is said,
however. that he reached a raft, but
when he saw the extent of the damage
he jumped overheard. No accurate list
of the dead will be available until the
arrival of the purser on the steamer
Farrallon tomorrow.
George Mel. Brown, agent of the
Canadian Pacific after interviewing
the passengers who returned, said:
''The purser is remaining in the
north attending to the forwarding OF
passengers. 1t is said he gave a partial
list of those lost, but it is thought it is
below the figures mentioned 1t is my
opinion that the loss of life will not
exceed 20"
WORD of the disaster reached Tread
we'll at 1928 a. m. by party of passen
gers headed by an engineer, who walk
ed up the beach distance of % miles
to appeal to the city for help. The
Treadwell steamers Lucy and Jennikel