The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-01-15
I'E A MER w. & CKED *. I ],
In Swirling, storm.swept Sea. Fifty.
two People Drowned.
NOR q WOMAN Or CHILD SAVED, &
Bnts 10 Was Not the Fault OF the
I. Brave Mon on 4. Board, q who who
Tried to Save Them. .i,,,
! - Boats Swampeti.
1, Boats swamped.

" 49, = ASSA ~. 5s1'tAsoS AtGh. -l,.,u
Boats swamped.
Tue steamer Claim OF the, Seattle.
Victoria fleet went down early satur.
day morning midway between Smith
lslatjdand Dungenness, in the Straits
OF Juan de Flca. !. 81.
/. Every woman and child aboard the
Claim perished. Within three miles
Of shlre and at q time when it ap
pearef certain the Claim had beer
saved desperate effort was made te
save the women and children in the
life bhats. They were placed In the
first poat to leave the ship which
Captain lawrence, c ukon pilot
volunteered to command and which
was manned by deck hands. The frail
craft vent down within sight OF the
Clalmfand second life boat filled
with male passengers and in command
of Second Ofi1cer Currin was probably
lost a Few minutes later.
Aboard the Claim watchers saw
waves sweep passengers from their
hold on the seats and hurl them into
the waters. Though the life boat:wa
righted later, diligent search has
failed to find trace Other. More
passengers and members or the crew
were lost when third life boat was
swan1ned in an attempt to 4Esunch IL.
Three passengers were picked up by
the steamer, Bahata who had fastened
life spreserVers around their bodies.
They had died from exposure and
their bodies we're brought to Seattle
Saturday.. j i
The Claim was a staunch new pas.
senger boat on the Seattle Victoria
run, She left Por5 Townsend for Vic
toria Friday noon, facing a terrific
gale. When in sight of her destina-
tion huge sea overwhelmed the lit
tie steamer smashing in her dead
lights, flooding her hold with water,
extingnishing the fires beneath her
boiler and placing her at the mercy of
a bowling gale. s
Efforts to save the vessel being
futile, the safety Of the passengers,
particularly the women and children,
was looked after and all who desired
were put off from the steamer in the
ships boats.
The heafily laden boats were thrown
about fidly in the choEpy sea and
one astersano other, after succeeding in
getting way from. the vessel, they
.s were eh 5swamped or sa 9 psized. The
l7rs. !, .sgthat nop woman MOI
lchild Of all those aboard have lived sto
tell the tale. An apparent discrepancy
in numbers from the list, of fatalities
folloWingis accountable by thee
that only such children as paid halr
fare were enrolled in the passenger
list.
In the meantime word had come
from Victoria Of the vessels predica-
ment and I leet of powerful tugs
were dispatched from Seattle to render
assistance. The Richard Holcke, in
command of Captain Robert Hall, was
the first to reach the Claim which
had by this time careened partly owe,
from the thrush Of water which had
put the engines out OF com mission.
The 11olyOke reached the Claim about
ii O'Clock Saturday night and about
a. M, succeeded in getting hawser
aboard with which she started 10
tow the Claim to safety. The Claim
took-a heavy lurch and those remain
ing aboard were compelled to climb up
the side to safety, finally reaching the
roof Of the pilot house.
Without a moments hesitation, the
life boats were lowered and the work
of rescue commenced. At this point
the tug Sea Lion, Captain Hunter,
arrived and her men rendered valuable
assistance. Before. all the struggling
people had been taken off, the Claim
commenced to. break up and soon af-
terward went down. All possible
assistance'to the rescued people was
given by the two ship masters and
their crews and the two tugs hurried
to Port: Townsend. The passengers
surviving land the remainder of the
crew! then took passage on the Dlrigo,
bound for Seattle.