Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-18
Eight Minutes After the Impact
She Sank in Six Fathoms
Of Water.
HAD SIXTY-FIvE PASSENGERS
All Were Saved. None Injurcd-Was
Bound From Valdez for
Seattle.

Juneau. Alaska, Feb. 1.-THE
Alaska steamship companys stee
steamship Yucatan. boand from Val
dcz for Seattle. with Go passengers
struck an iceberg in Icy strait at 9;S'
o'clock yesterday morning and sank
eight minutes later in six fathoms OF
water
There was no loss OF life and so
far as known no person was injured.
Tho shipwrccked passengers ana
crew are camped on ChihaSof island
pnd Will be brought here tomorrow py'
the steamship Georgia, which LETT
Juneau Tor the purpose soon attef
news OF the wreck was received:
First Mate Gustafson OF the 1uca-
tan and Captain Raymond Jaeger OF
the fishing schooner Alexandra ar
rived here this morning with the
story OF the loss of the steamer
The steamer was bound Tor Gypsum
on Chihagof island. TO take on a
quantity of gypsum. When Icy strait
was reached the water was smooth.
but there were great fields OF Ice ana
the snow was falling so heavily that
it was possible To sec only short dis
tance ahead. Capt. w. p. ). Porter
was on the bridge and with him was
the DllOt. capt JoIlU "iiS
commanded the steamship Ohio when
she was lost in British Columbia
waters last summer. Slow speed was
ordered, and the steamer crept
through the ice.
Suddenly an Iceberg loomed UP
ahead and the steamship rammed into
IL, tearing a great ho~. in the side oil
the vessel into which water poured
Full steam ahead was ordered and ths
- lNn drsaI
island. where she was .bcached at
point where there Is six fathoms of
water at high tide. The boats were
lowered and all on board we're taken
to shore without mishap or confu-
sion the ten women passengers being
removed first Food and bedding and
the United States mail were also taken
ashore.
On the Island the castaways found
cabins to shelter them from the cold
and. with abundant food. clothing,
blankets and wood they are not likely
to endure hardship. Many of the pas
sengers lost all their personal effects.
Soon after the crew had landed
Capt johnson. First Mate Gustafson
and four sailors put off in a lifeboat
10 seek aid After rowing IL miles
they sighted the fishing schooner Alex
andrla. Capt. JaSer of the Alexandria
offered the use OF a gasoline launch to
continue the trip to Juneau. Johnson
and the sailors turning back TO the
island in the lifeboat
Jaeger and Gustafson set out for
Juneau in the launch Unfortunately
the launch broke down after going a
short distance and the two men had
difficulty In getting their craft to a
Hoonah Indian village The Indians
refused to allow them to have a boat
10 finish their errand and the white
men were obliged to use threats. They
arrived at Juneau after being out "a
hours.
The Yucatan was Il steel vessel, built
Mt Chester. Pa. in 1890. and was
valued at 100000 Last summer she
was equipped as a private yacht at an
expense of $4,000 and. flying the flag
OF the New York Yacht club carried
George W, Peldns of New York and a
party of his friends on pleasure trip
along the Alaska coast as far north
as the Aleutian islands. After this
trip was ended the Yucatan was re-
converted INTO a commercial boat.