| Broke Down When Off Clover Point and
Tugs Fail to Find Her | |
| Was Last Seen Scudding Before Gale
Under Jib Toward San Juan | |
| The steamer 'Clallam' did not reach port yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon she was seen rolling in the heavy sea about four miles to the southwest of
Clover point, making no headway and seemingly in distress. Then, with her jib set forward she
was seen an hour after running before the heavy southwest gale on a flood tide, her engines
seemingly disabled, drifting before the wind toward San Juan and Lopez islands. What happened
those who watched the ferry steamer from the shore and Clover point and Dallas road could not
say, but it is probable that the propeller had been lost or the engines damaged and
incapacitated by the continual turning of the screw in the heavy sea caused by the gale
yesterday. | |
Mr. E.E. Blackwood, local agent of the
Puget Sound Steamship Company, when he looked from Clover point at 3:45 p.m. and saw the
helpless plight of his company's steamer, could be that some mishap had betaken her machinery
, and he hurried to the nearest telephone to secure a tugboat to despatch assistance to the
steamer, which was not more than half an hour's steaming from port. Had a tug been available
another hour would have seen her at dock, but no tug was available. Vainly the agent telephoned
to agent after agent. The 'Lorne' was at the Cape, the 'Albion' was at Tacoma, the 'Sadie' was
north, the 'Mamie' the 'Hope', each and all of the tugs were absent in various directions. The
steamers of the C.P.R. in port had their fires out, and the engine departments were away. It
would take five hours at least to get steam up even when the engine crews were gathered
together. The D.G.S. 'Quadra' was not in commission and her machinery was apart being overhauled.
At Esquimalt Messrs. Bullen offered the 'Maude', but then it was found that she had too little
ballast in her to put one in the teeth of that southwest gale. The government tug 'Princess' of
the public works department, was sought out it was considered to rough to send that vessel out
by those in charge.Then Port Townsend replied to telegrams. They had heard the request for tugs and the 'Richard Holyoke' and the 'Sea Lion' of the Puget Sound Tugboat Company, were despatched at 7 o'clock. Then, too, Mr. Blackwood tried to intercept the steamer 'Charmer' of the C.P.R. off Sidney, but could not. The steamer 'Iroquois' which was at Sidney, was called upon and Captain Sears putout and searched in vain. The steamer 'Charmer' on her arrival reported having seen nothing of the missing steamer, which had drifted off before the southwest gale going in the direction of San Juan island and the United States side, and Capt. Troup thought that no good could be done by the 'Charmer' going to join in the searching the Sound tugs would pick up the steamer and take her to safety. The 'Iroquois' returned to Sidney at 11 o'clock and Capt. Sears reports that he had cruised through the heavy seas, and the waves were breaking right off San Juan and Smith islands, but he could see nothing of the missing 'Clallam'. The 'Iroquois' had run out from Sidney toward San Juan island and ran along the shore of that island, as far as Cattle point, but not a light or sign of the vessel was found. Then the steamer ran across to Smith island and searched the waters and shore line in that vicinity, but nothing was learned of the 'Clallam'. If she had been in distress in that vicinity her lights and fires would have been seen and Capt. Sears was of the opinion that one of the two tugs which went from Port Townsend to look for her had found her. He sighted one tug but did not learn her identity, she being to far away. The following telegram was received from the Colonist correspondent at Port Townsend early this morning: | |
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