Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-04-11
TWENTY PERISH IN
MARINE DISASTER
NEAR VICTORIA
LITTLE WOODEN STEAMER
0VERTURNS NEAR SHORE

Cargo Shortly After Vessel
Left Port Exact Number of
Dead May Never Be Known,
lBy Morning Journal Special Leased wirel
Victoria. b. c.. April lo.-Slt is be-
lieved that twenty lives were LOST
when the little wooden steamer lro-
quols, plying between Sidney. Van
couver island, and the islands Of the
gulf of Georgia, was capsized soon at
ter leaving Sidney today. The purser,
who had record of fares collected. is
among the dead. and il Is not likely
that the exact number that perlshed
will ever be known. Four passengers
and seven members Of the crew We're
saved and four members of the crew
and probably sixteen passengers were
drowned.
Following is partial list OF the
dead:
Passengers:
D. n. DAVIDSON.
JOHN BRAYDEN.
MRS. HOUSTON AND CHILD.
Crew:
A. OLSON. fireman.
HERBERT HARENNETT, steward.
A. G. MUNROE, purser.
CHINESE COOK.
Following is list of the saved pass
engers;
II. $. Moss. Victoria.
John Bennett, laborer bound for
Pender Island.
Miss M. McF'arlan, school teacher.
II. j. Hartnell, the stewards broth
err
Crew
Captain A. A. Sears, master.
], |. Biser. mate.
HARRY JOHNSON. engineer.
M. Phillips, deck hand.
Two Indians and one half breed.
MISS ISABEL FENWICK and her
sister OF Victoria.
JAN BACTAREN, an Austrian.
P. MePHIlLlPS, OF Ross Ruabon.
Wales.
Two Chinese cooks
The bodies OF all the known dead
have been recovered except those OF
Mrs. Houston and her son; the sister
Is Miss Isabel Fenwick, and p. n
Davidson, a deck hand
Today's disaster was in some re.
speets similar TO the loss oE the steam
er Sechelt, a wooden steamer of al.
most the same speed and dimensions
as the Iroquois, was struck by,a gale
rolled over on her side and went down
in few minutes. Only one body from
the Sechelt was found.
The saved passengers with life
buoys drifted ashore almost in the
last stage of exhaustion
Purser Muro was found floating on
a bale of hay encircled with life
belt.
When the Iroquols foundered part
of the upper works were left above
the water, and persons ashore could
see the survivors clinging to that
portion of the wreck The swirl of the
waters tore off the house and the sea
was covered with wreckage, amid
which were men and women strug>
Cling for their lives. OF the bodies
which drifted ashore many were
equipped with life belts.
A number of launches put off for
the sceen but were unable to get near
the wreck.
The first of the survivors to be
landed was Captain Sears OF the
wrecked boat, who, with Mate Isbis.
ter and two Indians beloning to the
crew, was towed ashore.
The Iroquois foundered fifteen min
utes after leaving Sidney Her cargo
shifting she swung over on her port
| side clrcled around as IL about to
make back TO port partly righted
again, went on her beam ends and
apparently filling with water founder
ed In comparatively shallow water
her engines blowing up and part OF
her housework remaining unsub-
merged
Wreckage is scattering along the
coast OF Vancouver island and Tndi-
ans are patroling the shore.
Captain Sears the engineer, and
two deckhands who landed at Arm
strong Point, were within 900 yards
Of swamped lifeboat whose occu-
pants were drowned. but were unable
TO reach them. A rescue party set
out from Sidney in "A launch and was
within sight OF the people struggling
in the wafer when the steering gear
of the launch broke and the reseuera
were left powerless. One passengey
who was trying to reach land on a
piece OF wreckage was hurled against
the rocks at Coal island by the sea
and, losing his hold on the wreckage,
was drowned.
The mate and two others were
washed onto Mary island where In
dians found them shivering on the
rocks. and rescued them.
Describing the loss OF the lroquois
her commander, Cantain Sears, said:
Igf a at . Ia
regular hour this morning with a
heavy load of general freight The
wind was blowing rather strong, but
We have gone out In far worse storms
| than that OF this morning. When we
were able to make the entrance 10
| Cancoe channel the wind struck US
| on the beam and together with the
| seas gave the vessel a slight list.
| put her to the wind, but soon IL was
| found that she would not right her
self / Immediately headed for Rob-
erts bay with the hone that we might
reach shore before she went down
We had not gone far, however, before
she commenced to settle rapidly.
II ordered one of the boats launch.
ed and into this ~ut the three women
and six of the men passengers. They
however, seemed to be unable to man.
age the craft and as she swung into
| the trough Of the sea she swamped
Most of them were able to regain q
| hold on the boat.
"As the lroquos Settled her upper
| deck broke away and many of tho
passengers got on this as well as Other
pieces of the wreekage floating In the
Immediate vicinity.
"The other life boats came TO the
surface about twenty feet from where
| | was on the upper deck. We soon
secured II, but a considerable por-
ton of Il had been stove In. ] called
for volunteers TO leave the upper