3/20/2023 0 Comments Funter reviews![]() ![]() Local tough Norman E Smith demanded a cut of the loot, and threatened Reid’s family. An article from December 1906 described a feud over “several loads” of beer looted from the wreck by Robert Reid of Tenakee. One document blames “local Indians” for the loss of the cargo, but period articles mention many local vessels salvaging “Food, flour, and beer” from the hulk, and selling some of it in nearby towns. There were apparently no fatalities, but the cargo was lost. The crew was mostly Chinese, who were “rounded up and deported” after the wreck. The master of the ship was listed as Captain Rudolph Heldt, with Chief Officer Charles Pruet. Excerpts from the wreck report note that the compass froze up, the steamer had no charts of the area, and visibility was low due to a snowstorm.Ĭourtesy of Alaska State Library, William R. In late January of 1906, the ship finally went aground at False Bay, south of Funter on Chichagof Island. It’s possible the vessel was trying to use sails after the engine died, the first photo shows very tall masts and spars indicating square rigged sails, but some of the spars are missing in the post-wreck photos. Marine radio technology was fairly new and temperamental, and the ship may not have had a working wireless set. The ship likely had customs issues which would have dissuaded the crew from seeking a port like Juneau or Skagway. Conflicting reports then state that the ship was either adrift for a month, or “beating around near Point Retreat” looking for an anchorage. The ship ran into typical winter storms, then suffered an engine breakdown. Traversing the outside coast of Alaska in December is a risky proposition even today. The ship had a history of problems, including fires on board and a prior grounding in the Suez Canal. The ship was originally built in 1883 as the Clan Mathesonof 3,917 tons. Photo courtesy of the British & Commonwealth Shipping Company record website. In 1905 she was reported as planning to run a blockade on the Vladivostok Harbor. The steamer was owned at the time by Diederichsen, Jebson & Co of Hamburg, and was known for running contraband to Russia and Hong Kong. In late 1905, a German-registered tramp steamer named the Mariechen set out from Puget Sound to Vladivostok, Russia. ![]()
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