The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 16, 1897, Page 1

. VOLUME LXX CLEVELAND LOST IN BARCLAY SOUND SAN FRANCISCO, 'THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 16, 1897 PRICE FIVE CENTS. ABANDONED TO ITS FATE, THE VESSEL DRIFTS ASHORE ON VANCOUVER’S ROCKY COAST - THE STEAMER CLEVELAND DRIFTED HELPLESSLY TO HER GRAVE ON THE SHORE OF The | , is ashore | the west shore of | i of her company of but eight seem to rought to Victoria to- survivors, this fortu- ser J. W. Whitbeck. y told €r as suc as follows: *The C ain Hall, left in command of Cap- co on Saturday, i but three passen- went steerage, but a All om argo of miscellaneous freight. rance to the Colum- about 10 o’clock the ia River. T nward course was suddenly checked and the engines, after a momentary burst of speed, were brought to a stop, an exam- n disc that the shaft had broken within the sleeve, where it was ossible to get at it to attempt repair. weather at that time was very but the wind being favorable the and had her and with the as spread was not altogether help- less. She first drifted later was brought into the line of travel along the coast, in the hope of sighting relief. No succor came, and having drifted too far for comfort the Cleveland was brought to anchor and so lay for sev- eral hours. : “The wind changing, Captain sing The ails se Halt made for Cape Flattery at the entrance to | the Straits of Fuca, where there isa light- house and signal station. As soon asshe came within sight a distress signal was flown but in vain, there being no response from the station. The Cleveland ess than a Jeague distant and the night g pitch dark the rockets so persist- n= out brilliantly, but ap- ceness of the storm had d of increasing the vigi- was ently let off st parently the diminished inst lance at the sta f anxious beating about, momentarily, because of the proximity of the land, and the supply of rockets bzing in danger exhausted, Captain Hall reluctantly sailed | y irom Flattery with the intention of | aling Cape Beale on Vancouver Isl- d. All this time there had been simply adeluge of rzin. I never saw it worse in my jfe and the wind simply blew great guns. I'he ship beat up to land and then beat \v to sea and finally came in sight of the Beale lighthouse. It was now ursday evening, three days after the ident, and though the situation had rather ctitical on account of the en little ehension of danger, the cap- tain having shown great skill and good judgment in making, as he did, the en- trance to the straits. Standing off Beale light the ship, having no more TC S 1o send up, showed the distress signal of three red lanterns, one above the other, on the forestay.| have | Monday night, when the | ut to sea, but| on, and after six hours | violence of the weather, there had been | Hour after hour went by and agaln|be Alpha Pass, he signaled to attempt to | them, and fuen we pulied in’0 Round We were in some | Island as we found it was called. “I can only guess why the cther boa's and three times 1 fired my revolver to | did not follow,” continued the purser. | attract the other boats’ attention if possi- | feel sure that they saw us enter the pass, | but't there was no more response than if the appeal for aid had bzen made ot some barren uninhabited island rather than at outpost of one of the most frequented ports of the most dan | to Pacific navigators. At length the Cleveland drifted out of | sight of the lighthouse. It became evi- dent that do help need be expzcted from shore. Indeed, the only thing that could be looked for from the quarter was dis- aster, for about 2 o’clock on Fridav morn- ing, an hour after Beale lighthouse van- ished, a reef was discovered not more erous coast known than 250 yards The sight was a forbidding one, for the rain and wind kept up with increasing violence and as the waves were dashed against the rocks | they seemed to be lifted seventy-five feet l into the air. [ | “The sight,” says the purser, “was | the most terrible I have seen in fourteen | years at sea.” | Although the reef was so close at| hand the water was deep, an average of seventy fathoms being shown by the | continuous soundings; but as it was evi- | dent that the ship could not escape de- struction Captain Hall deeided that ths moment had come to abandon the vessel. | Accordingly preparations were made to | lower the lifeboats. There were four of these—three of wood and one metallic— and all had been prepared for such an entuality. The second day after the accident they had been carefully pro- sioned with the regulation hermetically sealed biscuits and breaker of water, be- | | | | | sides several dozen tins of ordinary canned goods and extra biscuits. An of- ficer was placed in charge of each boat. One of the passengers, James Lathbury, a marine engineer, went in the captain’s boat, with Engineer C. Hassar, Purser J. W. Whitbeck, Fireman James Chief Fern ani Seamen Hansen, Costa and Leach. These eight are the saved. The | other passenger went in the boat in | charge of the third mate, Harry Melvin. As the boats were lowered they dropped astern of the ship until, last of, all, the aptain’s took the water, Captain Hall and Purser Whitbeck being the last two to come over the side. The captain ordered the boats to stay as close to- gether as possible and in company. They waited in company until the ship disap- peared from view. | ““We thought she had gone to the bottom,” the pursct said, *“‘and with sad | hearts we rowel away to find if possible some landing-place. It was very hard work making any way against the wind and tide and about half-past 8 or go’clock on Friday morning the captain having got all the boats together ordered that an attempt be made to gain the shelter of an island near by and endeavor to find a passage. About this time the otier boats commenced to fall off and when at last the captain saw what appeared to him to be a passage, and what we now know to LR R LR LR R R R L L R L R R LR R R R A R R L L A L R R R L R R R L L R R R R R R R A L L A L R L LR R R BARCLAY SOUND. make way through it. doubt as to whether we were understood ble so that they might follow if we suc- ceeded. We entered the pass, perhaps a quarter of a mile wide, driving our boat into a raging sea, which would shoot up | against the sides of the pass so time and | time again to hide the land. The pass-| however, was successfuily made, | in the comparatively quiet water in- we lay to and waited for the other ats to appear. We staved for an hour about 10 o’clock, but saw nothingof | ge, NEWS OF THE DAY Weather forecast for San Fran- cisco—Fair Thursday; continued cold weather; probably heavy frost in the morning; light west- | erly winde. FIRST PAGE. Wreck of the Cleveland. SECOND PAGE. Wiid Weather at Sea. Labor Denounces Fitzgerald. The Riverside Murder Mystery. Held a Bogus Diploma. THIRD PAGE. Zanoli a Poisoner. Desperate War in Inaia. Steins Pass Bandits Named. Spaniards Threaten Americans Federation of Labor. FOURTH PAGE. Work of Congress. Warden Hale's Grab, Creditor Charce F FIFTH PAGE. Hawaiian Anrexation. SIXTH PAGE. Editorial. Labor Against Annexstion Freeholder:’ Election, ivil Serv.ce Reform. of Entry. and Musicians, Persoaals. BEVENTH PAGE. Channel Sireet Cleared, Victim of a Neighbor's Syite. Bov Footpads at Work, Gas to Be Tested tor Poison, Gossip of the Fighters, EIGHTH PAGE. Fisher, the Forger, in Prison, Goddard’s Queer Watch, Burglars Still Active, Lees Will Not Make Up, Golden Jubilee Preparations. NINTH PAGE, Mre. Abeli Lost the Suit, Much Food Wanted for Alaska, Durrant Again Doomed. TENTH PAGE, Commercial Intelligence. ELEVENTH PAGE. News Frcm Across the Bay. TWELFTH PAGE. Racing at Oaklund. THIRTEENTH PAGE. Biru s, Marriages, Deaths, FOURTEENTH PAGE. A Mysterious Murder. d. Jort 20000220202002220029202020000028822R00RR02200202000220000020202000200002020202000020200000200R000R020000202020008%, | attempt what we had been no plans before this definite point to be mide, but one of the sailors had talked a good deal of a place called Schooner Cove, some twenty miles away, which he thought was the place where we could gain safety. ! possible that if they decided not to at tempt Alpha Passage Schooner have not reached tnere, | am afraid they have gone to the bottom. 11 o’cleck on Friday morning when we | landed on Round Island, tie storm of wind and rain showing no abatement, so that we were glad to accept the shelter offered us by a man we found resident made for there. *“We remained to get away. sea ran so high that they proba- bly came to the conclusion that we had gone to the bottom and were afraid to accomplished. Cove. until as to any the other boats If they It was about Sunday, the | weather being too bad for us to attempt From time to time, by and by night, we would go outalong the | pairing it, Ca shore to look for the other boats or any irace of wreckage from them, but found nothing. Then on Sunday a missionary { tounding information that the vessel we had watched disappear, as we supposed beneath th resting in Bar- clay Sound apparently not much the worse | for her adventu “The ship was on a waves, W irly even keel, slightly listed to starboard, the water in- side reaching perhaps a little above the lower hold. She was in a gooa pcfs\tion and did not appear to be a hopeless wreck. It was decided that I should go to Cape Beale with the news and about 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon 1 started for there in a canoe with six Indians. The distance was about twelve miles.” THE SHIP STRIKES, THE MEN IN BOATS ARE STILL MISSING. Almost by a Mirscle the Oid Vessel Is Not Dashed to Pl c:s | Cleveland left San Francisco her shaft e €aY | b oke, and there being no means of re- Hall bad o resort to i group of THEF e = ENGINEE ADSOAR, named Swartout came in with the as- | | | | | Cleveland, out ’4¥~54l¥ll-¥‘¥‘¥~Dl‘¥‘?ltfifi*iiiiififiififiitt‘k*k*fittkfiflkfikik*ki* t |and Cave Beaio ! TWENTY-TWO MEN PERISH IN THE SEA :****i**i*t*fltfitt*tk***tttkit*tittttti*****’fi * kk Kk THE MEN MISSING. FIRST MATE, S. B. DURF THIRD MATE, S. M FIRST ASSISTANT E JVIN. NGIN SWARD, M. MUNRO. COOK, WALTER DAV S, ASSISTANT COOK, W. NING, F. McCALL, AND JOHN FOSTER. CAPTAIN C. F. HALL. CHIE FIREMAN JAMES FERN. HANS is sails in an effort to save the lives of ose under his care and the vessel which had been entrusted to him. There wasa bi- blow on at the time and monster sea were running, making it no easy matter to handle the old steamer. Despite her age. she was a good sea- boat and Captain Hall hoped to get near enongh to Cape Flattery to communicate with the shore and have as-istance sent to him, or to fall in with one of the fleet of tugs whics hover around the entrance to the siraits waiting fora tow. In tbis Lie was disappointed. As he approached the entrauce to the straits the wina in-| creased in fury, swerving around to the southeast. The ship’s position at sea had been p ous enough. It now became ever more dang=rous. The storm was blowing the vessel direct- ¥ upon the southwestern coast of Van- couver lsland, where s0 many marine rs have occurred. She was even ) pretty well out at sea and the wind too, kept them away from the Carmanah ghthouse, but it took them directly toward Barclay Sound. Had it been aayiight and fine weather this would have been fortunate for them, for once in the sound there are many places of shelter. Bat the night was pitch dark, and there was a howling storm still from the sout east. This was Thursday nizht. Even here in Vic high mountains, the wind piayed havoc and the rain came down la sheets. It therefore be understood what the can i posed to the fuil fury of the wind and SEATTLE, Dec. 15.—Two days after the | seas, had to contend with. The officers had no wuy of telling just where they were, but they all realized tuey were in danger of losing their ship and their lives as well. Th-y were slowly being drifted toward the rocky point which guards the western entrance to Barciay Sound, ranning out from which is Starlight Reef. ood channel between this reet and the islands 1n the center of oria, protected on all sides by | SECOND MATE, L. F. B. HENDERSON., CARPENTER, ROBERT ISLUSTER. T. BOYKEN. WAITER, GEORGE ELEBROK. FIREMEN, J. HARAUG, D. CAWLAY, JOHN GALLAGHAR. SEAMEN, PETER MARIN, BERT LARSEN, ALIKEL KOH- A. FALKNER, PASSE GERS, FRANK GERTHAN, W. L. DIETRICK. A AAKRRRA KK IO KKARR IR R IR R AR IA XA XA KRR AR A KA RRKRAK THE SAVED. ENGINEER C. HASSAR. PURSER J. W. WHITBECK. PASSENGER JAMES LATHBURY. SEAMEN ALEX LEACH, JOSEPH COSTA AND JANS | in the open ocean und ex- | | 2ER, R. P. O'NEIL. ISTANT ENGINEER, E. THOMAS. x x Kok ot k& HENDRICK DANIELSON ORI NN RN NN NN R AR RO R AR KR AR AR R A KRR AR x PPN PP REE TR PR R PR RS S pvvreureeion sound, but the Cleveland was unfortunate enough to be driven in among the islands forming the reef. Some idea of what marine men think of tuis vicinity can bo ered from the names they have given te places in the neighborhood, there be- ing “Ugly Channel” and -‘Wreck Bay.” Shorily afier midnight on Friday the officers found that their vessel was along- side Stariight Reef and that they were not more than 150 feet from it. On all sides there were small islands over which the surf was breaking and there was not one but thought the vessel must strike. If she did she would soon be engulfed and nobody could hope to live in such a ses, on such a nigit, and in such a place. The order was given to take to the boats. It would have been better had tie order never been given, for miraculousiy Lie vessel worked Ler way thr uzh the ree! und struck in a place where the water was comparat:vely smooth. They left the old Cleveland, never ex- pecting to see her again, and in the four lifeboais tuey pushed out into the sea amid darkness that ‘must bave made the bravest among them quake. It was a chance, as they thought, for their lives. The boats were in command of Captain Hall, First Officer Durfee, Second Mate Anderson and Third Mate Melvin. Defore the boats left the steamera few provisions were placed in them. Later on the same day a box of biscuits was picked up at the entrance to Uclulett Arm and sull another box was found on the beach further north, both of the same make as those used by the Cleveland; a piliow a'so telonging to the steamer was found. None of the boats nor part of them were | found, so icis probable that they sank. It There isa | the | was 2 A, M. when the boats left the vessel and two hours later when the captain’s made Alpia passage and succeeded in making alanding. Th y remained on the beach until davlizht when they located the Indian village of Uclulett and wers tuken in and cared for by the storekeeper at that place, John Markowitz. It must have been some hours after she THREE OFFICERS OF THE CLEVELAND.