Norwich bulletin., 1921-08-08


 Save been brought here out of list of thirty six passengers ana twelve of the .crew missing in the wreck of the coast wise steamer Masks, which struck rock in Blunt's Reef forty miles south tof here and sank last night.
 Ninety six passengers and seventy of the crew were brought here late today lby the steamer Anyox. which arrived at irhe scene Of the wreck in time to pick ithese survivors up from drifting lifeboats and from among the wreckage.
 The Alaska was bound from Portland, Oregon. to San Francisco.
 Captain Harry Hobey. skipper of the wrecked vessel is missing and believed GO have gone down with his ship.
 A dense fog concealed the treacherous r-clzs of tsa Blunt's Reef, which projects far into the ocean, when the Alaska crashed at $40 o'clock last night. With in twenty minutes the crippled steamer listed. turned and sank to within four feet of the tips of the masts-
 The passengers were placed in life boats but one overturned as it was low cred into the water.
 Details of t5e wreck are lacking. The government survey sh67 left here at four o'clock this morning with doctors and nurses to bring in survivors.
 The Alaska. of the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company, eft Port land. Oregon, last Friday with 151 passengers Of whom 125 were in the cabin and eight in the steerage. T-e majority Of passengers were summer tourists
 The Alaska hailed rom the home port uf Port Townsend. V ashinston, it's net tonnage was s.TOs and its length 327 feet Her normal crew numbered 45. She was built at Chester. Pa. in 1889.
 Biunts Reef is forty miles south of Eureka and 1s7 miles north of San Fran cisco. S-ip accidents were frequent at that point years ago until a lightship was built in 1901. The only notabe wreck since was the sinking about gfteen years ago. of the steamer Columbia with a heavy less of life. The owners of She Alaska, incidentally. also owned the Columbia.
 Fogs rave prevailed along the Wash inEton. Oregon and northern California soast for two weeks and several shipping sasualiies have occurred. the most not able being the wreck of the Canadian rovernment steamer Canadian Exporter 3H South Bend, Washington. last week Thomas Johnston Of Brooklyn, N. Y was dr-wncd and his wife rescued though Injured Owen Berlin and his wife of Indianapolis were saved slightly injured or the twslre bodies recovered four have heen identified as passengers and eight cf officers and crew
 Ca1tain Har=y Hobey master of the Alaska with two passengers were the last ou the ship. Tae captain is missing. He was without a life preseryer. One of the passengers. George Glenn of Nebraska, was saved.
 The steamer Anyox. with the known 1sg survivors arrived here late today
 According to the stories of the sur vivors three lifebos.ts were launched. The last one wss but a few feet from t-e wreck when the Alaska, which had iiEted to starb03rd suddenly lighted and then plunged, bow first.
 George Glenn who with another pass sn-sr and the captain, were the las men on the ship. came to the surface 2 s-0rt time afterward and finally found an empty iifeboat Others were struggl ing in the water. The steamer Anyox towing barge to Vancouver was l: miles distant when the first sos signali of fhe Alsska flashed out.
 Within an hour the Anyox arrived a the wreck and with order that won higl praise from t-e survivors the crew O Inc Anyox speedily picked up those whi were drifting in life preservers or il tfsboats
 Through the night other ships joinet in tho rescue work
 Twelve bcdies were found which witl the arrival of the Anyox and a tug bear n- the bodies here left the unaccounte, Tor at thirty two passengers and fou members Of the crew
 Praise vas mutually extende between members of the crew an passengers in their stories of tn sccues following the crash Despite tn -se fog. with swells dashing against it an throwing spray from the jagged rocks e .he reef. calmness prevailed among tn passengers and crew. It was a short timt that scant ts.rty minutes between tn striking on the rock and the sinking. Bu Rifhout signs of disorder the passenger were helped into the lifeboats under call direction of officers and crew and low cred into the water.
 Captain Hobey's heroic direction of tn life saving was such a thrilling exampl hat several men passengers stayed b his side aE the women and children weH taken first into the boats.
 The Nessel slowly lifted and thel fighting itseh. suddenly plunged.
 An overturned lifeboat. shot many pal terEers into the water. There was a ha hour of bleak darkness with the If, boats drifting in the blanket of fog b. fore the siren of the rescue steam, Anyox was heard.
 Captain Snoddy of the Anyox and h ,rcw dehed the treacheries of the reef sarryinG on the rescue work. but 1t V; with difficulty that the victims in If boats and many in life preservers singing to drifting wreckage were foun
 All through the night the rescue roriSed, picking uD many who had bes uruaEiinE in the water. clinginE rr-ckaEe. for hours.
 ono of the last survivors picked ras Irene Eyer. a girl not yet in h. teens. who had been clinging to wreckai loT more than eight hours.