The Alaska daily empire., 1915-08-25
ROGER ABANDONS HS
 SEARCH FOR ISLANDER
 GOLD UNTIL NEXT YEAR

Without having located the wreck w. J. Rogers today abandoned until next year his search for the sunken Canadian Pacific steamer Islander and the treasure ID Nondike gold dust she is thought to contain.
 Somewhere at the bottom of Lynn Canal between the Southern point Of Douglas Island and the Admiralty Island shore. the steamer lies in about 300 feet of water. where she plunged after she was ripped open by floating ice on the morning Of Aug. 15. 1901. while on her way to Juneau from Sllagway.
 Rogers Not Discouraged.
 Many discouraging reports have been circulated to dishearten an or dinary explorer. but Rogers remains firm ol the belief that his efforts to recover the Islanders hidden wealth win eventually be crowned with sue cess. A few days ago Capt John Irv- ing. who built and operated the Is- lander. said that it was his belief that if the Islander were found it would be discovered that her inter for had been torn away. His theory was that the two 50-ton boilers had raked the vessel in he'd descent, tear ing out iron and steel. and leaving her a hollow shell. He believed that the bulk of the gold aboard the ship was in "pokes" carried by Dawson miners. and that their bodies would not be found. or the 42 lives lost, about twenty bodies were recovered.
 IT. F. Bishop. purser Of the Islander when she was wrecked. and now post master at Victoria. B. C.. is quoted in @ Victoria newspaper as saying that the vessel only had S4.700 in gold in his safe. when she sunk. although Mir. Rogers claims that Bishop told him that the ships safe contained @ sum amounting to about S200000. and the report of the wreck. issued at the time the Islander was lost, veri- fes the latter claim.
 Weather Spoils Search.
 Mir. Rogers says that he will re- sume his. search for the Islander next May. He realizes that his start of operations this years was late. and his reason for giving up the search at this time is because of weather con- diuons. which are becoming more se- were as the summer slips past. Rog- CTS lost considerable time that might have been applied to searching for the wreck he admits. because his drag-lines three weeks ago brought up indications that the submerged vessel had been definitely located He then anchored the auxiliary barge Pelmyra over the spot and spent some time in tests of the steel cylinder in which he expected to reach the yes- seI. After the submarine had been thoroughly tested. he descended to the floor of the channel but the wreck was not there. and he immed- lately resumed dragging with small boats. He realizes, he says, that val uable time was lost. and as the winds and tides are becoming stronger. he reasoned that postponement of the exposition until next Spring was best.
 Stock Company Backed Rogers.
 The Palmyra will leave the scene of the Rogers operations sometime today or tomorrow. to load a cargo of gypsum at Gypsum. Mir Rogers will store his equipment in Juneau, and return to Seattle. A number of prominent Washington State men are interested with him in his venture, including W. R. Nichols. owner of the Pacific Coast Gypsum Company's mine at Gypsum. and Judge Thomas R. Lyons of Seattle. a former federal iurist in Alaska Stock was sold by the promoters Of the expedition.