PRINCESS SOPHIA WRECKED
AND 343 SOULS PERISH
Tn a blinding snowstorm, the Princess
Sophia, of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Co , Capt. J. P. Locke in command, went
ashore on Vanderbilt Reef, Lynn Canal,
four miles west of Sentinel Island, four
miles from the west shore, three miles
from the mainland and 38 miles from
here, at 2 a. m„ Oct. 24th. She had on
board 268 passengers taken on a. SUag
way, and a crew of 76, and it is since
known that the passenger list was not a
complete one of those on board.
Wireless calls of the Princess Sophia
were received here about 15 minutes later,
which stated that the passengers were all
safe, and as far as known the boat was
not badly damaged. A cable message
was at once sent to Fort Seward and the
"Peterson” left the Fort at 3:46 a. m.;
the Estebeth and Amy left Juneau at
about the same time, the Lone Fisherman
at 7 a. m., the King & Winge at 11 a. m.
and a number of other boats later.
The Sophia was not taking water, was
resting on an even keel, and aa she struck
about three hours before high tide, the
captain expected to get off with the after
noon tide. The Sophia was resting with
about two-thirds of her length on the
rocks, the stern of the boat over deep
water, in about the same position as the
Princess May was on Sentinel Island.
The lighthouse tender, the Cedar, ar
rived later in the day (the onl'- boat
standing by with wireless equipment)
and with the other boats stood by until
about 4 p. m., when Captain Locke, of the
Sophia, told Captain McDougal, of the
Amy, they were all right, and advised the
boats to seek shelter near by for the night,
which they all did.
Suddenly at 8:30 p. m.. It was seen
from the boats that every light on the
Princess Sophia had gone out. Captain
LiOCKe wireiessea inai me mam steam
throttle was broken but everything was
safe. The captain of the Cedar ther asked
if he should stand by or go to shelter and
anchor. Captain Locke answered, “Go to
anchor.” The King & Winge stood by un
til 1:45 p. m. the 26th, then anchored
near Benjamin Island. At daybreak the
Sophia’s lights were on and she was blow
ing off steam. The 26th the storm was
on the increase, and about 2 or 3 p. m.
the Cedar wirelessed the Sophia if "there
was nothing they could do, would go to
anchor for the night.” Capt. Locke re
plied they were "perfectly safe and if
needed he would call them.” The Cedar
then went to anchor at Benjamin island,
where the King and Winge and the other
boats had sought shelter, as the storm
was by now a gale with blinding snow
and darkness approaching.
At 4:60 p .m. the Cedar received a
wireless, “Come and help us, we are foun
dering.” The Cedar Immediately got un
der way and in passing the King ft Winge
megaphoned her ihat they had received
a message saying the "Sophia was foun
dering,” and tor the King & Winge to
follow out if the Cedar did not return
within a short time. However, within 40
minutes the Cedar returned, reporting
that the snow was so thick and the
storm so severe that they had not been
able to pick, up the ship at all, and that
nothing whatever could be done until
daylight.
Sophia’s wireless continued until 6:20
p. m., when its last mesage came, “For
God’s sake come, we are sinking.”
Saturday morning, Oct. 26th, the Cedar
and the King ft Winge were under way
early but made slow progress out to the
reef owing to the unusual heavy seas and
head wind. Arriving at the reef all that
was visible of the Sophia was about 20
feet of the forward mast sticking out of
the water.
Governor Riggs Immediately left for
the scene of the wreck and personally di
rected the search for bodies, first on the
King & Winge and then on the Cedar.
He states In part: ‘‘A large number of
the bodies found had on life preservers
and were floating In a thick scum of oil
which seemed to hold the drifting wreck
age together.”
About twenty power boats have been
cruising Lynn Canal. The boats were
given routes and bodies were found with
in a radius of twenty miles. In all prob
ability there never was a vessel bound
for tbe Outside, representing a larger per
capita of wealth than on the ill-fated
Sophia.
The King & Winge is a staunch deep
sea fish boat with a crew of expert fish
erment.
The lighthouse tender Cedar is well
equipped for rough weather and with it
and the King & Winge, both boats were
well able to handle all the Sophia’s passen
gers, had the captain permitted them to
be taken off either Thursday or Friday.
Captain James V. Davis, of the Este
beth (Dr. Kaser’s new mail boat) stated:
“We arrived at the Sophia 10:20 a. m.
Thursday, the 24th, and tied up to the
buoy, about 600 feet to leeward of the
Sophia. At 2:30 p. m. the Sophia lower
ed one of her boats, loaded with men. We
then let go of the buoy and pulled up with
in 20 fathoms of the Sophia but the boat
was called back and those in it again got
aboard the Sophia. At any time Thurs