TERRIBLE WRECKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7201, 12 September 1901, Page 1

TERRIBLE WRECKS.

THE ALASKAN DISASTER. CAPSIZE OF A RIVER STEAMER. (Fvr San Francisco Mail.) SAN FRANCISCO, August 22. The latest, and most serious wreck of tne dozens whicli have occurred in Alaskan waters since the beginning of the gold excitement, is. the loss of the steamer Islander. The vessel was the flagship of the Canad-ian-Pacific Navigation Fleet, and the largest and fastest steamer on the VictoriaSkagway route. The vessel left Skagway south-bo*and on the evening of August 14, and was proceeding out of the Lynn Canal when she coiiided with an iceberg or struck on „ reel running out from 1 Tantallon Point, it is not known which. The vessel sank within fiftetn minutes, her boilers exploding when the water reached them. It is believed that sixty-eight persons »vere lost. There were 181 persons on board, and there were 118 survivors. Excitement .at Victoria ran intense when the steamer Queen brought in news of the disaster. Many persons were expecting friends f;om t'hw north, and the agony of the anxious was prolonged by the difficulty of obtaining accurate news. Mrs Ross, wife of the recently-appointed Governor of the Yukon Territory, was lost with her infant daughter. She left five children with their father afc Dawson, and was coming to the home of her parents, Mr and Mrs John Mackay, of Victoria, to purchase fittings for the home she had planned to establish in the north. Dr John Duncan, of Victoria, returning from a trip to Dawson, was lost. Many passengers returning from Klondyke carried satchels. filled with gold. One man is said to have jumped from the deck of the sinking ship for one of the boats, with a bag containing 40,000d0l in gold in his hand. He missed his footing, and sank to rise no move. Another set down » package containing 14,000d0l aud escaped in the boat, thankful to save his life. A particularly sad; case was that of Dr W. S. Phillips, of Seattle, who lost his wife and ohild. The doctor was making an effort to reach the boats whon his wife and little girl were drawn down by the suction of a ventilator pipe. The doctor was carried down with the ship, >but was finally rescued in an unconscious condition. His despair was most touching. Mr L. B. Robe, a survivor, gives a somewharb intelligible account of the disaster. He does not wish to reflect upon the conduct of the officers, but it is impossible not to draw conclusions from his story. Mr Roba said:— "The vessel struck at 2.15 a.m., ten mUes -nortiL. of._lu_6au,_o_: . Douglas Island, and opposite the entrance to Taku inlet. She was then making 104 revolutions per minute, a little less than fifteen knots an hour. When she struck I sought the responsible officer, 'but none was insight. I passed 1 the forward part of the vessel, where I found crowds of passengers, but no officer. On the hurricaine-deck I found Captain Foote in his state-room, back of the pilot-house. He made no answer to my, inquiry what was the master. One boat was already in the sea with but seven occupants, many orying from the vessel for it to come b v ack. Then the ship exploded, which, I think, was from compressed air. The whole of the upper part of the vessel seemed to rise. We were an hour on a raft which was leaky and unsafe, overturning several times. We were finally picked up by a boat, which made the shore and went back to rescue others.

Messrs W. G. Preston and Fife, of Seattle, were the last to leaive the ship. Hr Preston ©add: "The officers of the ship (handled the situation in an extremely incompetent manner. No warning was given to the passengers in the state rooms, and when they came on deck they were assured that there was no danger. The first boat to get away was the eteel life-boat, the best on the ship.' It contained seven' men, all members of the crew. The passengers retained their presence of mind, and did most of the work of lowering the boats and getting away. A notable exception to the behaviour of the majority of the officers was the first officer, Mr Neroutson, who was firsfc on deck and gave able assistance to the passengers. It is charged that Captain Foote had been drinking a good deal but the vessel was in charge of Pilot La Blanc, who was picked up, after being two hours in the water. Captain Foote was lost, and a survivor states that he deliberately committed suicide, jumping from the raft on which he had escaped from the sinking ship. Passengers hnve said that the night was misty, but Pilot La Blanc made the following statement: — "The night was fine, and as we always expect to make ice, a sharp look-out was kept. About 2.48 the crash came. The boat waa under full speed. No iea was iv sight, and there was no fog. A wind was blowing. It was dark and cloudy. The fatal berg was no doubt even with the water. After she struck I stopped the engines. When Captain Foot- appeared, wich the night watchman, who reported the ship leaking forward, I told Captain Foote that he hud better head for the beach, but ho demurred, and when he decided to do so the ship was leaking so badly that she would not answer her helm. Then I called the mate, and ordered the boats out. This was done, and they were loaded with passengers. Man j* jumped overboard with life preservers. The pilot also stated that many men acted badly, and 'thinks that, but for crowding and rushing, all might have been saved, with the exception of those who could no. get out of the state-rooms.

A sad accident occurred on the Ohio River on tho evening of August 19. Ihe steamer City of Golconda. turned over upon. being struck by a squall. Nearly twenty people were drowned. Tho?e on deck jumped into the river, and were Saved, but the women were in tho cabins, and could not be reached. There wero a numbei' of children lost, jmd among the women were several members of prominent families of Kentucky.