The Ill-Fated Final Voyage of the J.C. Ford
After battling leaks and heavy seas for days, a lumber schooner goes down at the mouth of Grays Harbor as a passing collier ignores its distress signals.
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.
Victoria, B.C., Feb. 21—The sealing schooner Brenda returned from the coast today with news of the three-masted lumber schooner J. C. Ford, of San Francisco, which sank off Grays Harbor Saturday morning. Captain Brown of the Ford recounted a harrowing struggle: after leaving San Francisco on February 9th, the vessel hit the south sand spit at the entrance to Grays Harbor on February 14th during squally weather. Though they freed the ship, she lost her rudder and keel, taking on water rapidly. For three days, the crew pumped desperately, but the leaks overwhelmed them. To add to their plight, the hold caught fire as water reached the lime cargo. A passing collier, believed to be the Keewenaw, saw their signals but refused to slow down. Finally, the schooner Brenda spotted them and rescued the crew of eight. The J. C. Ford sank shortly after 4:00 a.m. Saturday.
“A big collier, I think the Keewenaw, coal laden from Seattle to San Francisco, passed right by us, in plain view of my signal, but never even as much as slowed down.”
The treacherous bar at the mouth of Grays Harbor has claimed countless vessels throughout history, defining the maritime danger of the region. Today, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains a constant presence there, reflecting the same unforgiving conditions that destroyed the Ford over 130 years ago.
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