The Fiery End of the Steamer Gem

On Thursday morning, the side-wheel steamer Gem left Seattle for intermediate points. She was freighted with 800 sacks of flour, various goods, furniture, and miscellaneous freight. Her entire cargo was worth $2500. The passengers on board included F.C. Vickery, his wife, and his sister. At a quarter to 4 o'clock, steaming in the face of a stiff breeze, a cloud of smoke began issuing from the hold aft of the boiler. The fire spread rapidly. Captain Williamson ordered the lifeboats lowered, but confusion reigned and the fire leaped higher. One boat was lowered, and two deckhands and the Chinese cook jumped into it, and two of them were drowned. As soon as the Captain realized his boat was on fire, he turned toward the shore, nearly three miles off, but the tiller ropes burned off, and she became unmanageable. F.C. Vickery, a young married man on his way to Snohomish to succeed A.T. Hartell as industrial teacher, jumped overboard with his wife, who fainted as she struck the water. The husband swam to her, and they sank amid the waves in each other's embrace. After an hour of suffering, two small boats rescued the survivors. The steamer Addie came alongside, but soon after, the Gem sank forever. The list of the lost: F.C. Vickery and his wife, R. Raisback, George Gowan, and Ah Bung the cook.