The Ghost Ship of Barclay Sound
A British bark, found abandoned and dismantled, leaves a maritime mystery in its wake.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The British bark Archer, reported to have been picked up off Barclay Sound by the steamer Maude, was discovered abandoned with the crew missing. The Archer arrived in Victoria in February from Liverpool with a general cargo. After discharging, she sailed to Portland for wheat. She left Victoria in the teeth of a howling gale about ten days ago. The hull was towed to Victoria, but the fate of the crew of fourteen is a mystery. Shipping men believe the Archer ran into a hurricane, and through the shifting of the cargo, was thrown onto her beam ends. The crew likely cut away the masts to right the ship, but whether they were lost then or after putting off for shore remains unknown.
“The hull has been towed to Victoria. The fate of the crew is a mystery.”
Maritime disasters off the rugged Washington and BC coasts were frequent in the late 19th century, often resulting in tragic 'ghost ships.' Today, modern GPS, satellite distress beacons, and sophisticated maritime radar make such vanishing acts a relic of the past, though the treacherous currents of the Pacific Northwest remain a constant challenge.
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