Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-08
CRUISING PARTY
LOST IN STORM
COMPANY IN LAUNCH HAS
THRILLING TRIP
FRIENDS AT HOME BELIEVED
THEM DROWNED
Great Alarm Caused by Prolonged
Absence of Ten Apgelenos
Who Started for
Catalina

An exhausting experience covering
all night in launch between Catalina
and San Pedro in chopp, stormy wealth
er, drifting In the wind and without
food or water, was the fate of q party
of ten who planned trip to Catalina
Sunday.
Those in the party who went from
! San Pedro in the gasoline launch o K,
were Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Gates and g.
| year old son of Hollywood; Mr.. and
Mrs. George F. Clark, GIG Loomis
street; Mr.. and Mrs. John S. Harper,
1862 East Second street; Miss Grace
Bonine, 1852 East Second street; Mrs.
| d. II. Walker, 1929 West Twenty-first
street; Frank Price of Pasadena; Will
liam Allen, 1862 East Second street;
Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Price and Harry
Price of West Twenty-second street.
and Captain Disler of San Pedro.
The party had been got up by Frank
| Gates, who is an enthusiastic deep sea
fisherman and who planned trip to
Catalina with basket dinner on the
island and return trip the same day.
The trip proved to have all the pleasure
it's participants anticipated up to the
time of returning to San Pedro.
In Windstorm
into bad weather and at o'clock Sun
day afternoon the boat struck a bad
windstorm, in which the engine was
disabled. At the mercy of the wind the
boat drifted. Drenching showers add
ed to the troubles of the party. In spite
of Captain Disler's labors on the en-
gine which were soon interrupted by
darkness and rendered Intellectual, the
boat drifted here and there, and all
v@Ia
mercy of the waves, not knowing where
the boat was being carried or whether
II would withstand successfully the
knocking of the waves.
In the morning they found them
selves In the channel more than twen-
ty miles to the east. The men in the
party worked on the engine from the
first daylight until noon, when fitful
resumption of power rewarded their
efforts. 1t was not long before the
launch was able to make steady head
way under her own power, and the
Journey back to San Pedro was re-
sumed.
In the meantime, friends in Los An
geles, who knew that the party had
Intended to return Sunday night. be-
came alarmed yesterday and began
search. Carl and Walter McStay OF
Los Angeles endeavored to obtain news
of the missing party. Mrs. Walker is
Walter McStay's mother-in-law and
Frank Gates and Harry Price are his
brothers-in-law.
The wireless to Catalina was work
ing badly because of the stormy
weather and nothing could be learned
from the island. Persons who came
over Yesterday were met and ques-
toned. but none had seen any of the
Gates party since Sunday. This added
to the alarm.
Found by Launch
Carl McStay and Captain John Wray
of San Pedro went out in the launch
Nora, and the Pearl and the Luke
Kelly were also pressed into relief
service. All secured the channel, but
IL was not until afternoon that the
Nora met the o K seven miles out at
sea from Bay City, with its bedrag-
gled and wornout passengers. Mr.. Nc
STAY Joined those on the o X, Which
continued to San Pedro on her own
power. Wray hurried ahead and tele-
phoned relatives in Los Angeles that
all were safe.
A car was waiting at San Pedro as
soon as the launch came in and the
party hurried to their homes. While
they will feel the effects of their ad-
venture for some time, especially the
ladies of the party, and all were suffer-
ing from deprivation from water, none
will have any but temporary discom-
fort from the thrilling experience OF
being lost in storm at sea.