The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-08-18
RELATESSTORY Of
ALASKA SINKING
SAUK CENTRE YOUNG MAN WAS
: ON RAFT FOR SEVERAL
~ HOURS
did NOT MAKE A LIFE BOAT
SUCCESSFULLY JUMPED FROM
VESSEL INTO SEA AS BOAT
WAS LISTING.

A first hand story of the sinking of
the steamer Alaska with a big loss
of life, is told this week by G.. Fred
Menke, Sank Centre man, who was
a passenger on the Inflated ship, and
who escaped from the wreck by swim
ming to ife-raft after the boat had
submerged.
Mr.. Menke goes into detail in re-
lating his experiences on the night of
the disaster, and in one letter home,
tells of a party OF young ladies sing
ing while the ship sank while men
prayed aloud.
According to Mr.. Menke, the ship
was two miles inside of the light
house off that point of coast when it
went ashore, and he says that it is
the general belief that the taking of
a shortcut to make up lost time on
schedule, caused the Alaska to meet
with disaster.
The letter, written in full to his
mother, Mrs. w. G.. Menke from
Eureka, CAL, follows:
Suppose you were surprised to get
my telegram which | have just sent
but wanted to get the news TO you be-
fore you saw it in the papers there.
Friday noon it was that | boarded.
the Alaska at Portland for San
Francisco as l had planned, and all
was fine except rather rolling sea.
/ guess we were IL or Is miles out j
the ocean. We all were having such
good trip and / had got acquainte.
with lots of passengers. Last nigh
at 9:15 there was an awful toss of
the ship and then a terrible crash
Everything was brought to q stand
still, and / ran out into the hall to see
what was the matter. / hustled back
to tell my roommate to get dressed
and get his fe-preservers on. The
ship tossed and tossed. The crew
were all very calm. The passengers
were also quiet. Finally life boz
was filled and it rowed away. An
other was filled-but too full and it
went down mostly women, guess,
and two of them were Minnesota
girls / got acquainted with. / could
hardly imagine the beat would sins
for it seemed to stand quite well, al
though it had terrible slant, (listl.
A fellow next to me began to talk to
me and asked my name and address
and gave me his. He was very ner-
vous and said his prayers aloud.
He said he wanted to stick with me
but we didn't somehow. The lights
on the boat dimmed low and finally
went out Still everyone was calm.
/ pulled off my shoes and removed
my over-coat for fear the life-preser-
yer would not hold it all or make il
hard for me to swim. The ship tip
ped forward and / knew it was. going
to go. I jumped-hit the water safe
and gothic the top o. K. For fear I
would get caught under the sinking
ship 1 padded to beat the band. AT
this time they claim the oil tanks ex-
ploded. The ocean was mass OF
grease. After floating about for a
while a Portland boy employee OF the
ship asked me to hang on with HIM
to some wreckage so l die He was
the fellow who had charge OF the
state room | was in W.
waves for some time. l found my
watch had stopped at 1O:12-I sup
pose the time soaked it with water.
Finally we saw a raft and managed
to get on there where there were oars
but the wreckage was too thick to
pass through. Three other fellows
were in the same fix at the same
time but did not have oars on their
raft. Finally the waves tossed US
within oars reach and we pulled them
on our raft. Then we rowed and
rowed toward a ship we saw in the
distance. / was all in, and these
waves made me so sea-sick it was
awful. Time passed quickly and soon
dawn appeared ard we just dfifted.
Finally the ship we We're headed Tor
heard our call and came out. to us.
They told US it was qaarter to live
o'clock. Many had reached the ship
early in the night but we were for
tunate to get in where we did. Ans
other bunch get in at GEO, think i
This boat was a. awful sight. People
soaked to the skin and grease galore.
/ was a regular blacksmith niggef.
/ had to leave all my clothes except
pants and coat. On this ship We got
a place to warm up and some hot
coffee. People from this little city
were at the dock to meet ns with
cars and wanted to do everything
they could for us have had plenty
to eat and been fitted out in dry
clothes and they would not take pay