Seward Daily Gateway May 28, 1929

Captain John S. Nord, master of the lost SS Aleutian, had little to add to the wreck of his vessel when interviewed upon his arrival here; not that he did not care to talk for publication due to grieving over the loss of his splendid vessel.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but like Lindbergh I have nothing to say. A fine vessel is lost and that is all there is to it.”

MANY ON DOCK

Hundreds of citizens were gathered on the Seward dock as Captain Lukens, of the Surveyor, brot his vessel alongside. Then the survivors came ashore clad in almost the identical clothing they had fled the vessel early Sunday morning. Over the shoulders of a few were blankets, others were lacking shirts, coats, hats, ties and collars; overalls seemed to be the most popular worn garment while the ladies were garbed in civilian and sailors’ dungarees, shirts and caps. A few of the survivors were as immaculate as if they never had passed through an ordeal endangering their lives.

FEW WERE INJURED

The majority appeared in excellent spirits from their adventure with fate but there were many somber countenances, too. A half a dozen limped having sustained slight injuries and bruises in the haste of abandoning the stricken steamer which was listing at a dangerous angle of about 45 degrees.

Immediately upon the arrival of the survivors Captain Gilje, master of the Admiral Evans, and Wayne Blue, Seward agent for the Pacific Steamship Co., extended every courtesy to the officers and crew of the Aleutian and held the vessel in port for at least an hour beyond the scheduled sailing hour to permit sending of messages, purchases of clothing and numerous other personal matters by individuals.

PRAISES CREW

“It was the most efficient act of life saving at sea I ever heard of,” said Captain R.R. Lukens, speaking of the work of Captain John S. Nord and his men. “We were at Zacher Bay, tied to the dock when at 9 o’clock we received word of the accident to the SS Aleutian, and proceeded at once to Uyak under full steam. At Larsons Bay we met the gas boat Raven towing a string of life boats occupied by the Aleutian survivors. The life boats represent the only bits of equipment left of the liner. My calling to the occupants that we would take them to Seward in the Surveyor was hailed with a burst of cheers.

SOUGHT LOCATE ROCK

“After seeing all safely aboard the Surveyor, Captain Nord insisted upon leaving the party and returning in a small boat to the vicinity of the accident, in an endeavor to locate the hidden rock. Our tender Helianthes being along side, I put it at the disposal of Captain Nord’s mission, and accompanied by Thomas Healy, first officer of the Aleutian, he directed the Helianthes back to Uyak Bay, only to return in about three hours unsuccessful in the worthy attempt.

CUTTER OFFER MADE

“At 2:30 p.m. we were underway for Seward. To a message from Captain C.S. Cochran, commandant of the Bering Sea patrol U.S. Coast Guard, Unalaska saying that he could send the cutter Unalga to the assistance of the Aleutian’s survivors by Tuesday, or the Chelan, his own ship, by Friday I replied that all 114 survivors were aboard the Surveyor and bound for Seward.

“The officers of the Surveyor persuaded the women to use their staterooms, and I endeavored to induce Captain Nord to take possession of my quarters but he stoutly refused to put any of us to the least inconvenience for his own comfort.”

CHARTED LAST IN 1907

Captain Lukens, who has been in charge of charting the waters of Southeastern Alaska for the last three years, said that apparently the Aleutian struck a pinnacle rock which could only be located by means of a drag line. Uyak Bay, he said, was last charted in 1907.

MISSED SCHOONER

The Aleutian had discharged a crew of cannery workers at Larsons Bay, and endeavors were being made to locate the fishing schooner Esther for whom several tons of freight were also being carried. Upon being informed that the Esther was well up into Uyak Bay, Captain Nord protestingly gave orders to proceed to find the craft. Nine men in the lower hold of the ship who had been sent down to handle the Esther’s freight, narrowly escaped being trapped in the hold when the last man came up a minute before the ship struck.

Almost perfect calmness prevailed among the passengers and crew, who didn’t seem to realize that the vessel was going to disappear in less than 10 minutes. There was no explosion nor did the ship roll over, but every man found his post without confusion just before the bow started to plunge.

RECEIVED SLIGHT INJURIES

Mrs. J.H. Flickinger was assisted into a life boat by her husband, local agent for the Alaska Steamship Co. here and Mrs. Charles C. Weybrecht, widow of Col. Weybrecht, world war veteran, sustained minor injuries as she scrambled over the rail into a life boat. The women scarcely had time to throw overcoats over their night gowns before taking to the boats.

So rapidly was the Aleutian sinking. Captain Miller, who is said to have been at the wheel when the vessel struck, leaped overboard with Captain Nord’s orders to abandon ship. Contributing to the preparedness of the crew was the fact that the men were up handling cargo, and the ship’s officers had changed watch an hour and a half before the time of the disaster.

PROVIDED NECESSITIES

The local quartermasters department of the U.S. Army co-operated in taking care of the southbound survivors to the extent of providing a large number of cots and blankets which will be returned on the next Admiral liner.

Thru the local Alaska Steamship Co. agent J.H. Flickinger, the crew was given requisitions on local stores for clothing.

It is estimated that 110 tons of cargo went down with the Aleutian, most of which comprised cannery supplies; the remainder of the tonnage was three carloads of ore which had been loaded on at Cordova for the Tacoma smelter.

It is now estimated that it was closer to 10 minutes than seven from the time the ship struck the uncharted rock to the time it dove to the bottom of the sea.

BRAVE STEWARDS

Barefooted and lightly clad members of the stewards department performed their duties bravely by bursting into every stateroom on the fast listing ship and rousing out the occupants and rushing them to the decks and overside.

It is stated that at least a dozen people were picked up from the water into which they had jumped.

LAST BOAT OFF

Miss Miller of Latouche hung by one hand on a rail suspended 40 feet in the air and going higher every second as the stern of the vessel kept rising. Finally she let go, falling into the water beside a lifeboat.

Captain Nord and his 17 officers presented the following testimonial to Captain Lukens of the Surveyor:

“We the undersigned officers of the ill-fated SS Aleutian, desire to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for the very excellent treatment and courtesy extended to us by the officers and crew of the Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel Surveyor.”