Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-20
TIE ISLANDER WRECK
Further Details Of the Terrible
Disaster to Klondike Steam.
er islander.
ills Now Believed That at Least
Sixty.five People We're
Drowned.
Survivors Of the Wreck Tells OF
Its Horrors -.- Loss Of
Treasures.

sinking of the Islander the crack Alas
kan liner, off Dauglas island last Thurs
day morning.
The identified dead as far as learned
are:
E. Mills
Mrs. ]. C. Henderson.
Mrs. r.. Ross. wife of Governor Ross.
of the Yukon territory, her infant child
/. and her niece
DR.. Duncan.
Mr.. Bell ;
Mrs. Captain Nickerson
Captain Foote, who commanded the
Islander
George Smith, third engineer
Horace Smith second steward.
S. j. Pitts. cook
Two Cinnamon
Buckholder and Gurk, oilers.
Two firenen.
One coal passer
Kendall night saloon Waterman.
Joe Beard, second pantryman.
Two walters.
Miller. the barber.
S. Law
NJ. P, Jock, porter.
Maran, coal passer.
Pilot LIE Blanc was on the bridge of
the steamship at the time of the wreck.
He tells of the disaster as follows.
The steamship left skaguay at $50
o'clock, Skaguay time 7:SO clock, Vic
toria time, on the night of Wednesday,
Aug. IA. We started down Lynn canal
and, altho it was blowing strong and
was dark and a bit cloudy, it was a
good night for travelling. The stars
could be seen thru the gaps in the
clouds; in fact. it was fairly good
night. The Islander was going at nearly
full speed. making fourteen knots.
At 2:30 on the morning of Thursday,
the 18th. without ard warning whatever
she struck piece of ice: how large 1t is
impossible to say. for no one saw il. The
officers had expected To meet ice, but
like all others running steamers tc
Alaskan ports. figured that any piece of
Ice that could not be seen could do any
damage to the ship.
Pilot LIE Blanc was standing on the
starboard side of the Islander at The
time of the accident WITH his night
glasses and was looking along the
steamships course for ice. just before
the steamhip struck he had seen d piece
Ol ICE Oh lue SldFDOdFu DOM ana mad
cleared it andiwas looking for any other
bergs that might be there, but nothing
was to be seen of any ice. Not until
the vessel struck was he aware of the
proximity of ice.
AS soon as the crash occurred lie
Blanc rushed to the port side If the
bridge, but saw nothing of the ber.--, for
it had completely disappeared under the
vessel The ash nj a haa nr1e
in fact, LIE Blanc says he has struck
logs which have caused more concus-
sion.
LIE Blanc Immediately rang for the en-
gines to be stopped. and hardly had be
done so when Captain Foote came run
ming on to the bridge from his room. The
night Waterman ran up from the lower
deck Immediately after him, and re
ported that the steamship was making
water forward LIE Blanc asked the
Waterman if the vessel was making
much water, and the Waterman said
she is filing"
What then happened LIE Blanc de
scrbes as follows:
II realized that we must put tn
steamer AEhore at once, and after or
dering the helm hard starboard l ran.
for both engines to go full speed ahead
AS did SO told Captain Foote tina
cur only chance was to put her on tn
beach. Captain Foote did not seem t
realize the danger, and said to me,
cont think we will beach her here, TO
the beach is too steep. We will run he
back to Hilda bay and the ship can b
saved if we put her on there
Seeing at that time the steamer wa
settling down by the head. urged Cap
tain Foote not to go to Hilda bay but t
leach the steamer right where she waI
which was about three-quarters of
mile from the shore on the east end {
the south shore of Douglas Island. CAP
tain Foote seemed to think that the YES
sci might get to the better beach at Hi
da bay, but then seeing for himself ho'
she was taking water he ordered her t
the beach at once. Several minutes ha
been lost.
When Captain Foote decided to PIT
the vessel on the beach l rang for flu
speed ahead again, but steamer ha
taken too much water, and she was $
much down by the head by reason of til
incoming water, that her stern ws
thrown high up and she would not ar
swer her helm. She ran around, not al
swering the helm at all.
nearQ the mate S voice on the III
per deck about then, and I called to hi
to clear away the boats Then there VIZ
g rush of passengers to the upper dec
All were excited. They at once took
hand in the work of getting the bbl
out and a majority of the men rushe
to the boats. There was no though
about women or children, but these me
rushed to the boats and cut away ii
tackles and ropes and crowded into II
boats.
Had there not been such rush
passengers I believe we would ha,
saved the majority, If not all, of IL
passengers. tho the time was shoI
There was room for all in the boats az
in the RATS, and had the passengers n
acted on the principle of every man f
himself, as the majority did, the tale
dead would probably not have been
large.
They clambered along the chain
sloosed away the tackle, and crowding I
were eagerly shouting, Push Off, I sa
one fellow, don't know who he wa
K. waving a Ratchet and threatening to X
anybody who attempted to crowd in
the boat in which he was standin
There was much excitement on bo