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Wrecks on Pacific Coast The Year Has Not Been a Good One for the Underwriters--Some Important Losses RALILE, Dec, 2455 pangs S of regret will be experienced by underwriters interested in Pacific coast shipping when 1913 goes into history. The expiring year has surely been a period of ill luck and misfortune for floating property on this coast as evidenced by the fact that there have been thirty-one total losses, many of them entailing the payment of thousands of dollars. Sail- ing ships have suffered severely and the year has removed nearly a score of American schooners and barks, en- gaged in the lumber trade. As no more of these vessels are being built, ° the American offshore sailing fleet is tapidly diminishing and at the rate of loss during 1913 it will be only a short time before this once large fleet disappears entirely. Of the many mishaps and the many narrow escapes, that of the State of California is the most pathetic, as it resulted in the loss of 32 lives. Car- rying many excursionists, this vessel was making the usual ports of South- eastern Alaska when she struck an uncharted rock in Gambier bay, Aug. 17. The fine vessel sank so quickly that many of those aboard had no chance to escape and went down with the vessel. This accident was abso- lutely unavoidable, as the presence of the submerged rock was unknown and Capt: IT. HA, Cann, of this vessel, was exonerated and with his men given high praise for their splendid conduct in the face of danger and death. | The case of the German ship Mimi, which cost six lives, records one of the most peculiar marine accidents in Pacific coast history. The Mimi went ashore in February on the Oregon coast, while bound in ballast to the Columbia river. By skillful effort she was floated several weeks later. Some of the ballast was removed and in a heavy gale, just after she was taken off the beach, the big square rigger turned turtle and six men aboard went down with her. The vessel be- came a total loss. The mishap to the British ship Glenesslin, which in October was lost but a short distance from the scene of the Mimi's accident, gave a glar- ing illustration of negligence and in- difference. The vessel went on the rocks in broad daylight and in clear weather, while the captain remained asleep and the mate was too busy to heed the second officer's warning. These officers were disciplined. Among the American sailing ships lost during the year were the bark- entine Amaranth, schooners Ameri- cana, Aloha, Borealis, Balboa, Eldo- rado, J. sD. Spreckles;: J. H. Vuns- mann, .Lyman D.. -Poster, = Robert Searles, bark S. C. Allen and schoon- er Transit. With the exception of the Spreckles and Transit all these vessels were engaged in the lumber abandoned. The crew sailed more than 1,000- miles in their boat, finally reaching Easter Island, where they were received by the natives. After remaining on this island four months the captain and three sailors deter- mined to make for civilization, and at last reached Papeete, where they took passage on a steamer for San Fran- cisco. The other members of the crew decided to cast their lot with the natives. To this day it is not known what happened to the Americana, although STEAMER YUKON, ASHORE ON SANNAK ISLAND, ALEUTIAN PENINSULA. SHE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. and coal carrying trades between this coast, Australia and South America. Most of them were disabled in heavy weather and abandoned. The cases of the Amaranth, Amer- icana and Eldorado furnish material for the romance writer, for no more peculiar mysteries of the sea have been recorded in years. The fate of the Amaranth and the Eldorado has been explained, but it is possible that the story of the Americana may for- ever remain unknown. The Americana and Eldorado sailed from the Columbia on March 3 and April 1, respectively, laden with lum- ber, the Americana for Sydney and the Eldorado for Antofagasta. Months elapsed and no word was received of either vessel. Both were finally given up for lost until on Nov. 5, Capt. Benson and three members of the EI- dorado's crew arrived at Papeete after sailing 2,000 miles in an open boat. Then only was their tale known. On June 13, the schooner, disabled in a terrific South Pacific gale, waterlogged and crippled, was several months ago it was supposed that her remains had been found on Jarvis Island, in the South Pacific. Later developments proved it to be the wreck of the Amaranth, whose crew were saved. The similarity in the names led to the erroneous re- port, but it did not clear the mys- tery surrounding the disappearance of the Americana. It is, supposed the vessel foundered with all hands in the same storm which wrecked the schooner Lyman D. Foster, in April. Alaskan and_ British Columbian waters claimed their share- of ship- ping property this year. The steam- ers State of California, Yukon, and Curacao were total and heavy losses in the north. The Curacao was a needlessly heavy loss, for the investi- gation showed that good seamanship might have saved the vessel and most of the cargo. The Curacao and State of California were victims of uncharted rocks, while the Yukon's loss was due to fog. In British Co- lumbia waters the steamers Weiding Brothers and Jeanie were lost. The