The Ketchikan miner., 1909-01-23
Heavy Toll of the
 Many Seas

An article appears in the Daily Colonist which gives some interesting figures on the loss of life during 1908 on the seas. stating that some of the worst disasters of the last twelve months were recorded on the Pacific watels,. The total loss of life on the sea being 2,273, and on the inalnd waters l99, as compared with l7S5 up- on the ocean aud 3l4 on inland waters in 1907. The article follows:
 One feature of the last year was the large number of missing vessels, whose fate will never be known. Both in Atlantic and Pacific waters this list IS exceptionally large, and it in- cludes the names of many we'll known ships of all flags, for which hops was maintained for months, only to be re- luctantly abandoned when there was no possibility that disaster had not 1 overtaken them.
 The ships Arthur Sewall, Alacrita, Bangalore, Falkland Bank, Carnedd Llwee!lyn and Castle Rock are among those who mysteriously disappeared with all hands. No word of any kind. not lit of wreckage, no cue what ever has ever reached civilization 10 tell what fate overlook these ships The Castle Rock was bound from Aus tralia to Seattle with coal, and never arrived. The others were bound on voyages around Cape Horn.
 The Asiatic coast witnessed disas ters in which the greatest joss of ilie is recorded The Japanese steamer Matsu Maru went down in the China sea, March ?, with loss of 243. On June 8, the steamer Pow An was wrecked. eighty being lost. The steanere Yin King was lost on the same treacherous coast, July P, and 300 victims, mostly natives, were drowned. A Japanese steamer found- cred in the China Sea November 27, and the loss of ilfe is given at TOO. The British steamer Dunearn was caught in a typhoon August , and went downl in the China Sea. Fifty two lives were lost, only two being saved of the entire crew. On De- cember }, two Japanese vessels were lost, the causaltes being given as 350
 The steamer Ginsei Maru went down off the coast of Japan. December ?, seventy being lost. In the wrecks of the steamers Bankok and Taish Marn, in the China sea 149 were drowned.
 Undoubtedly the worst disaster of 1908 on this coast was the wreck oi the Star of Bengal off Coronation Is- land, September 20. In this disaster Ill lievs were sacrificed, majority of them Chinese and Japanese. Early in Januray the British ship Harttied went to pieces off the coast of Van- couver Island, not survivor living to tell the tale. Thirty lives were lost. On January II the steamer h. land Flyer was lost on Puget Sound, the death list being given as tour | teen.
 January's record in the Pacic is n- complete without mention of the loss of the American ship Eclipse, which foundered north of the Hawaiian Is- lands, while bound from Newcastle, Australia. to San Francisco. This oc- cured on January 10, three of the crew being lost, the others eventually making the island coast In February, the unlucky thirteenth, the American ship Emily Reed went ashore close to the mouth of the Columbia river, and ten unfortunate sailors were lost, the others succeeding in making land. On May l, the steam schooner Minnie F. Kelton went ashore in heavy weather off southern Oregon and eleven men went to watery grave. On March ' the codfshing schooner John F. Miller was driven ashore in the Aluthian group and ten men were either drowned or frozen to death.
 There were many other wrecks in all parts of the world. In January two steamers were lost off the Nor rocco coast with a causialty list of thirty. In February the steamer St. Cuthbert burned at sea, nfteen men being lost The British cruiser Glad iator was sunk off the Isle of Wright, April 25, with a loss of thirty six.
 We learn that some people have an idea that they must pay for any and every thing they bring to a newspaper and ask to have printed. This is not the case dear reader, we want all the news you can bring us and are glad to get it, so if you know any news bring it m and we will tell your neighbor and posisbly you may avoid being called a gosip by letting us do the talking,