GEORGE R WHITE (1894) The 61 foot sealing schooner George R White departed Seattle July 4, 1894 with a crew of 15 men and never returned. The vessel was owned by Paul Polson of LaConner, Washington. She was last heard from in the form of a letter October 25, 1894 out of Unalaska expressing Captain Wheeler’s intention to follow the seal herds south to the tropics and back north in the spring. The George R White was wrongly reported lost during the Great Easter Storm of 1895 when she was mistaken for the sealing schooner C G White. The C G White was lost off of the south end of Kodiak Island near Tugidak Island. It is possible the George R White was lost in the same storm but no evidence of her disappearance ever surfaced. Crewmembers reported to have been lost with the George R White were master J L Wheeler, mate Steve Baretech, cook M Butler, hunter Edward Pomeroy, hunter Andrew Danielson, hunter Justin Chenowith, seaman Richard Redmond, seaman C. Morris, seaman C. Brandt, seaman Louis A Burrell, seaman John Harrison, seaman Chris Swanson, seaman Robert Baxter, seaman Henry Parker and cabin boy James Carton.
Mapping and Location: Unknown
Additional Information: Tonnage 37.6 Gross 35.72 Net, Length 61.2, Breadth 18.4, Depth 6.3, Built 1890 at Port Madison, ON 86084
Sources: 1. Merchant Vessels of the U S (1894) Pg 129, 2. Sacramento Record-Union (May 4, 1895) “Disaster at Sea” Pg 1, 3. The Morning Oregonian (August 21, 1895) “A Schooner Missing” Pg 3
GOLDEN WEST (1918) The 23 ton wooden gas screw fishing vessel Golden West was lost at 6:00 p.m. Monday February 25, 1918 when her engine broke down and she drifted onto the rocks on the west coast of Graham Island, British Columbia. The Golden West departed Ketchikan February 12th with three crewmen bound for “sea fisheries”. The crew had caught 4,000 pounds of fish which were lost along with the Golden West. Anchors were dropped as the vessel drifted ashore but the lines parted in the strong SE wind and heavy seas. The three escaped to the beach where they were picked up by the gas screw Libanon on March 4, 1918. They were then transferred to the gas screw Hilda off Port Lewis, B.C. and taken to Ketchikan March 5th.
Mapping and Location: British Columbia
Additional Information: Tonnage 23 Gross 18 Net, Built 1914, Registered Seattle, ON 212325, Master and half owner Robt Engdal of Seattle, Second Owner Carl Jackson of Seattle, Vessel Value $6,000, Vessel Insurance $3,000, Cargo value $600 no insurance
Source: U S Coast Guard Report of Casualty filed at Ketchikan March 6, 1929 by Engdal