The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-05-18
TWENTY-TW0 SENIORS HAVE
 REAL THRILLS
Are on North Sea When Craft Runs Aground
 Visit A. J. Mine

The twenty 1.-two seniors from the Montana School of Mines at Butte, composing the entire graduating class of 1886, who arrived on the Victoria yesterday afternoon, were very much interested in acquiring some sea experience, and were thor oughly entertained when they got it, according to Dr. Francis A.. Thomson, President of the School of Mines, who is accompanying the group on their trip to Juneau to inspect the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company mine. The group sailed from Seattle aboard the North Sea, which struck rock near the south end of Long Island and left the ship in lifeboats, en- toying the experience hugely, Dr. said. They later returned to the North Sea and remained aboard the vessel until they were transferred to the Victoria for the balance of the trip to Juneau.
 Only one of the seniors had ever before been aboard a ship, Dr. Thomson said, and one of the req sons why the group choose to visit the A. J. Mine was because of the ocean voyage necessary to reach Juneau
 Aground in Fog
 The accident to the North Sea occurred at about 3:30 am, last Thursday, pr. Thomson said, in darkness and dense fog. He was awakened, he said, by feeling the ships bottom scrape over an ob- struction, and upon arising from his bunk, was thrown from his feet when the vessel struck solidly. He immdeaietly dressed and went on deck, being one of the first pas sengers to appear, and then dis covered that dawn was just break ing.
 The bow of the North Sea ran up on low rock but soon slipped back into the water, and the ship was warped off the adjacent reef by the use of kedge anchors in a thoroughly sailor like manner, he said. A short time later, with the increase in daylight, the timbered shore of Long Island, not at first visible, could be seen a few hun dred feet away.
 Gets Underway
 The North Sea got slowly under way again. and when Capt. A. w. Nickerson, commander of the ves- sel. found that water in the holds was gaining on the pumps, eight life boats were lowered into the water, which was "as smooth as a mill pond" and the passengers were transferred from the ship to the small boats. The group of sen iors, who Dr. Thomson explained are the survivors of a freshman class of about 100 students, joked and sang throughout the exper- fence. There was no panic, he said, and DO rush for the boats. T can't imagine a more expeditions or ord- erly transfer of passengers" he said.
 Among the North Seas passeng- CTS were from 25 to 30 women and about a dozen small chillren, Sev- eral of them babies, including pair of six weeks old twins, who were the first passengers handed from the ship to the waiting life boats, Dr. Thomson said. The pas sengers were comfortable in the lifeboats. They were picked up by the Coast Guard cutter Alert from 
 About three hours later, after two extra pumps had been delivered to the North Sea at Hunter Bay by cannery tender, water in the holds was lowered beyond the point of any danger, and still later, the who had been cruising aboard the Alert were put back aboard the North Sea.
 Alert Stands By
 The Alert stood by and assisted in the transfer of passengers to the Victoria upon the arrival of the latter vessel at Hunter Bay. pr. Thomson expressed emphatic approval of Capt. Hanson and the personnel of the Alert, and of the services rendered and available through the Coast Guard Service. The Alert, he said, is a sister ship to the Presidents yacht.