The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-28
ALASKAN MARINE WRECKS
Disasters Recalled by the Loss Of
the Islander.

Many Vessels HIVE Met With Acct
dents since the Rush TO the Gold
Fields Began-In Most Cases Pms
scnEers and Crew Have Escaped.
NEW YORK. Aug. 2N.-Previous ma
riuo disasters IT. Alaskan waters are re-
called uy the recent laundering OF the
twin screw steamer Islander, the best
vessel OF the Canadian Pacific Navigation
Coup3Iy's Nictoria-Skagway fleet. after
striking an iceberg of Douglas island.
This was the most serious disaster since
the beginning OF the rush 20 the hIondike
I'm 1886.
10 is believed that siXty-sevcn OF the ISL
audar's passengers and crew went down
with the vessel, or were drowned in the
Icy waters while trying 20 reach the
shore Of the island. The only disaster
connected with the rush TO the gold fields
which cost more lives was the terrible
slide on Chilcoot Pass in the winter OF
1891. More than 100 persons were buried
under the avalanche Of ice and snow
which swept without warning from the
summit Of the pass TO Sleeps Camp.
Scores Of steamers and sailing vessels
in the Alaskan trade have been wrecked
through various causes. but the pass an
gers and crews usually managed TO cs-
cape. Many vessels have gone ashore
and proved total wrecks without costing
a single life. In fact. there have been
only four marine disasters since the rush
began which have caused serious loss Of
life. The vessels lost were the Clara Ne
vada, with a loss OF thirty-nve; the
schooner Jane Gray, with loss Of thir-
ty-four: the Jessie. with a loss or sixteen,
and the Inflated Islander.
On February 6. 1895. the steamer Clara
Nevada. bound for Skagway with twelve
KOndikers and a full crew, encountered
a terrible storm in Berner's Bay. a few
miles north of the place where the Islam
der was wrecked last week. She was the
Old United States Coast Survey steamer
Hassier. her name having been changed
when the Government sold her TO an
Alaskan transportation company Her
boilers had given 50 much trouble on the
voyage that a number Of passengers left
her at Juneau. In the midst OF the gale
which was accompanied by a blind ng
snOwstorm. her boilers exploded. The
noise of the explosion was heard in Sea
ward City, and a number of persons pa
trolied the beach for hours afterward, but
no bodies came ashore. There wcce no
survivors, and IL viii never be known
Just how passengers and crew met death.
a few bodies were recovered later. some
Of which were badly burned Lack Of
evidence was the only thing which PIE
vented The prosecution Of the owners Of
the boat.
The second disaster the laundering Of
the schooner Jane Gray of Cape Flat
terry. was also due TO sending out IN old
vessel She had been an Alaskan y-haler
in d
"boneyard' in San Francisco Bay for a
number OF years The demand for boats
for the klondike trade was pressing. and
the Jane Cray was fioated on the fats
and sent TO Seattle. She nearly foun-
dered going up the coast A big deck
house was built for the accommodation
Of the sixty prospective miners who were
willing 70 take passage on her. This
made the schooner still more unsea-
worthy.
Late IN May, 1855, a tug towed her out
10 the Straits OF FUCa. Two DAYS later
when she was less than fifty miles on
the coast, her hull seams began 10 omen
up There was no storm, and the can
tain did not realize the danger. The mas
sengers. most Of whom were seasfck in
hunks below, were not awakened until II
was evident that the vessel was founder
ing Most Of them refused to respond TO
the hasty warning which was yelled from
the deck Those who made the deck es-
capped in steam launch, which was to
nave taken one OF the mining parties
Up an Alaskan river. They reached the
coast without serious difficulty The rest
thlrty-four IN all. stayed in their hunks
and died without making struggle for
their lives The wreck was never I0cat-
ed, and the bodies were not recovered
Five players on the best football team
which the University Of Washington has
ever had were lost.
The wreck Of the steamer JaggIa IL
shrouded in as much mystery as is that
OF the Clara Nevada She was q stern
wheel river steamer, built in Seattle by
a Kentucky mining COMPANY She was
toWed across the North Pacific to Rehriug
Sea without difficulty When the towing
steamer proceeded on her voyage to ST
Michaels the miners were getting their
steamer IN shape \ few days later she
fOuudered in a gale. after getting inside
the wide mouth Of the kUskOkwiru Rfv-
er. The bodies OF several Of the sixteen
victims were washed ashore and robbed
OF valuables by the Indians. 4 searching
party. sent out in 1883 discovered the
booty IN their possession. and for time
II was believed that the party had been
massacred. a Government Investigation
established the fact Of the steamers
loss IN a storm. and cleared the Indians
Of all save the robbery charge
Steamers running from Puget Sound 10
SkagWay, the route on which the Island
CT was operated encounter but little
rough weather Their course lies be-
tween the islands Immediately of the
mainland. For the greater part Of the
voyage there IS land within a mile or two
on either side of the vessel in other
places the channel is so narrow that a
strong man can throw a stone from one
shore 20 the other
There are many dangerous reefs run
ming out from the islands. and these have
caused most of the disasters. High seas
arc unusual in these protected waters
and in most instances the crews have
been able 10 land an Of the passengers in
boats in several cases the steamers
nave been be4Ched and the rassers-t-
dropped ashore with ropes.
The Islander was wrecked by striking
a large Iceberg, and II she had been head
Cd for shore as soon as she was free from
the ice there would probably have been
little loss Of life. Icebtrgs. large and
small, are numerous I'm the channels along
the Alaskan coast AZ this time OF year
Most Of them are blown down fI0m Brh-
ring Sea. Some are huge blocks Of ice.
which have broken from Muir and other
glaciers along the coast The Islander Is
the first Alaskan steamer 90 Doe lost
through striking an iceberg. though there
Is hardly steamer in the fleet which has
not had brush with these floating ice
mountains. The old wooden steamer Al
Hi OF the Pacific Coast 1Steamship Com
pauy's fleet. hits berg almost every
trip. She has a reputation for it, and
her coming into port with broken nose
is no longer news &C. Seattle.