Drowned in the San Juan Islands
A sailing excursion from Victoria to Anacortes ends in tragedy when an experienced sailor vanishes during a sudden storm.
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.
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, the 26th inst., the sloop yacht Odd Fellow left Victoria bound for Anacortes. On reaching Roche harbor, the wind shifted and began blowing from the southwest. Captain Anderson, an excellent sailor, thought there was no danger, but after getting out into the passage, he found it was blowing harder than he had anticipated. While trying to lower the jib, Anderson found the downhaul did not work properly and he gave the helm to Miller and went forward to clear it. In the darkness and confusion, Anderson somehow missed his footing and fell overboard. Miller and Mitchell tried to throw him a rope, but his cries soon ceased to be heard. The men eventually struck the beach of Lopez island, near the residence of Judge Thacker, who took them in.
“In the darkness and confusion, Anderson somehow missed his footing and fell overboard.”
Marine safety and the treacherous nature of the San Juan currents remain a reality for mariners in the Puget Sound today, echoing this 1892 tragedy that took place in waters still frequented by recreational boaters.
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