Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1910-07-22
Pinnacle of Rock at Mouth of San
Juan de Fuca Straits, in
Pacific Ocean.
LONG RECORD OF DISASTER.
New Theory Advanced as to the
Loss of Many Vessels Near
Vancouver Coast.

That there is a graveyard of steam
ers at the entrance to the Straits of
San Juan fde Fuca Is the theory ad-
vanced by local shipping men apropos
of the reports from Ucluelet, which
they conjectured might be the hulk of
the long lost war sloop Condor, with
which 140 British sailors went down.
Il have watched the accounts Of
the loss of the steamers missing after
their departure from these shores
carefully" says a marine authority,
according to Victoria correspondent
of the New York Sun, "and am con-
vinced that the most probable cause
OF the repeated disasters Is pinnacle
Of rock. Somewhere northwest of
Duentze Head there is probably such
pinnacle, and the loss of the Condor
and Of the steamers Matteawan, Mont
serrat, Keewatin and others that have
disappeared. leaving but scant wreck
age found long after to indicate their
fate. has in all probability been due
to their colltding with this pinnacle.
II Investigations were made, say by
sweeping with chain between two
vessels. this obstruction should be
definitely placed.
Graveyard of the Sea-
''The wrecks of these almost forgot
ten craft lie probably heaped together
In this graveyard of ships, and II a
wrecking vessel went to investigate
the result ought to be Of large advan-
tage to the wreckers. II they located
the wrecks they would recover chain
and other materials which would
handsomely reward them"
The people of Ucluelet are excited
over the reports of the steamer Orion
concerning the obstruction she en-
countered. There Is, however, moth
ing beyond the fouling of the whaler's
cable and that the cut end came up
covered with paint to base the location
of wreck upon. Nearer to the vii
lage is the well known wreck beneath
the water Of the iron-hulled Pass of
Melfort, which drove against the cliffs
Of Amphitrite point one dark winters
night and foundered with all hands.
1t is certain that the bones OF many
ships lie off the coast of Vancouver
Island. A few scattered and broken
hulls still perched along the beach re-
main as monuments. Some years ago
Capt. T. P. H. Whitelaw, the veteran
wrecker, combed this graveyard super.
ficially and brought up anchor chains
and other finds that told of wrecks
beneath the waters.
In the '70s the first trading posts
were established and the first mission
aries went to blaze the way of settle
ment and civilization in this region.
Father Brabant was one of the first
coast missionaries and soon after he
went to Hesquoit in 1874 he was call
eG upon to bury twelve bodies swept
ashore from the Malleville, Cape
Cod brigantine that mad dashed
against the shore. Since then many
vessels have been lost or abandoned
there. From some boats have reached
shore; Of others no vestise has been
found. Often but name board pick
ed up has told of ship lost with all
on board. The bark Dominion left
Honolulu for Victoria some years ago
and was not heard from. Then, while
missionary was walking along the
sandy beach in front Of his humble
home at Clo-oosse, where the Indians
have village fronting the ocean, he
found nameboard marked "Domin-
ion." OF others believed to be under
these waters not even a nameboard
or life-buoy has been found.