The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-09-08

AAc DOStOn StT1keS Inc Largest OF
the Peapod Rocks. in Rosario
Strait and the Alki Runs Into
Kanaka Bay-The Boston Serious
ly Damaged.
CINCE the British tie ship
~ Twickenham went ashore at
Edwards point two weeks ago the
San Juan islands have achieved aG-
ditional notoriety as stopping places
of large vessles. About $50 o'clock
Monday morning the steamer Alki,
enroute from Seattle to Alaskan
ports with a mixed cargo, ran hard
aground in Kanaka bay, less than
two miles from the point where the
Twickenham struck. She scraped
over reef and stuck fast in the mud
close to the line of low tide. Twelve
hours later she was pulled off by the
tug Sea Lion and went on her way
north apparently not much damaged.
She had $50 tons of dynamite on
board and naturally there was con-
siderable excitement among the Of
icers and crew when she struck.
The German captains serenity of
temper was considerably ruff1ed and
be declared that San Juan island had
moved two miles out of its course.
AS it was bright moonlight night
and the channel is many miles wide
alocg that shore it is not easy to
make any reasonable excuse for such
laundering navigation.
About II o'clock of the same day
the big cruiser Boston, of the United
States navy, enroute to Boundary
bay, near Blaine, for target practice,
struck the largest OF the Peapod
rocks, in Rosario strait, off the east
end of Orcas island There is stake
light on the island and the big war
vessel went ashore within less than a
hundred feet of it. There is report
ed to have been dense fog hanging
over that portion of the strait at the
time. The Boston got off the rock
about five o'clock in the afternoon
with the aid of the torpedo boat de-
stroyer John Paul Jones, which was
near by at the time of the accident.
Seven compartments were flooded
and only continuous work at the
pumps and with a big bucket brigade
kept the cruiser from sinking in Bel
lingham bay where she went as quick
ly as possible after getting off the
rocks. Size will be docked at the
Bremerton navy yard for repairs,
which it is estimated will cost
somewhere from $50, 900 to 800, 900.
he Boston is the flagship of the
Pacific squadron. Her displacement
is 4 1000 tons and she carries 300 men.
The statement contained in one of
the Bellingham papers that the Pea
pod rocks, in Rosario strait, upon
one of which the cruiser Boston
grounded last Monday, are a serious
menace to navigation and that the
steamers Buckeye and Lydia Thomp
son have frequently been ashore upon
them is wholly untrue. There are
scores Of rocky islets unmarked, in
almost all the navigable channels Of
the Sound that are as much of a
menace to navigation as they are, or
more so. Neither the Buckeye nor
the Lydia Thompson was ever ashore
on either one of them, and steamboat
men who have navigated these waters
for many years, including Capt. Bas-
ford, Of the Islander, say they never
knew Of any vessel to strike any one
Of the Peapods before. The Boston
struck the largest Of the three, with
in little more than fifty feet Of the
government light.
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Scribner ar
rived Wednesday from Wheaton,
Mimi, where they were married Aug
ust 20. Before her marriage Mrs.
Scribner was Miss Winnifred Strow-
ger. Thursday evening they we're
given q very pleasant surprise when
Several Of their young friends dropped
n on them at the home OF Mr.. Serb
ner's parents, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. a.
Scribner. Music and games afforded
the evenings entertainment. Cake.
and ice cream were served.