The Alaska daily empire., 1921-10-08
FIVE DROWNED
 WHEN FISHING
 BOAT IS SUNK
]. I. Robertson Capsized on Ahrnklin River Bar Last
 Wednesday.

Five lives were lost when the 34- foot river boat J. T. Robertson cap sized on the bar at the mouth of the Ahrnklin River several miles east of Yakutat last Wednesday while on the way from the fishing grounds up the river to the Libby, McNeil X Libby cannery at Yakutat Bay to go on the ways for the winter.
 The news of the werck and loss of life was brought here on the steam CT Admiral Watson and the mail boat Rolfe yesterday and this morn ing. Other than that the captain of the boat was named knutsen and the engineer called Andy the En- gineer" nothing is known of the names Of those drowned other than that they were all fishermen en- ployed by the company.
 The wreck was seen by members of the train crew of the Libby, Me Neil X Libby Railroad that runs from the cannery to the Situk River. Men on the train saw the vessel come cue of the river, get caught by the breakers on the bar, turn over and the men thrown out and drowned in the surf. The bodies were not recovered up until We'd nesday evening when the Watson left the cannery.
 The J. T. Robertson which was 34 feet long was powered with a h.p. Atlas gas engine. It was of d flat bottomed type used for carrying at this point, which is outside of the protection of Yakutat Bay is very dangerous and receives the full sweep of the Pacific Ocean swells. Wednesday one of the worst storms of the years was raging and on the waves were breaking to great height and it is said that the small boat was literally smothered by them.
 Rolfe Safe.
 Word was brought here on the Admiral Watson yesterday, that the Relic, Capt. William Gray, bound from Yakutat to Juneau was without a doubt wrecked last Wednesday by the same storm that was fatal to the J. T. Robertson The Rolfe arrived in port at 4 o'clock this morning.
 Capt Gray said that he put out in the storm of Wednesday, and that it was blowing a regular hurricane. He saw that safety was in keeping away from land and so headed for sea and went out 30 miles from the shore. After getting out that far he then turned and had the wind and seas behind him and did not sight : land again untl Dixon's Harbor. He lay at Lemesurier Island for num- Der of hours and reached port at 4 o'clock this morning.
 Captain Charles Glasscock said that when he left Yakutat it was the general opinion that the Rolfe was lost in the storm. He said that he looked everywhere for the boat on the way in and could see no sign of it. He was almost ure that it was wrecked as the storm of Wednesday and Thursday was one of the worst he ever seen and at times the Admiral Watson had diff ficulty in wcathering it. He said that it was reported that the Rolfe lay near Black Sand Island for sev- eral hours on account of engine trouble and put to sea at 3 in the afternoon
 Capt. Gray said today that his boat the RoHe is such staunch sea boat that she has stood every test The storm of Wednesday was noth- ing he said to the equinOXial storm encountered on the way to Yakutat on the last trip. The storm was so strong at that time that no cne could stand up on deck and every shred of canvas was blown away He put out to seaDand, said that the boat rode like a duck.
 On the trip to Juneau the Rolfe brought in six native passengers and will be in port for several weeks as some improvements are to be made on the interior fitting of the vessel before starting on the regular mail