The Mysterious Abandoned Schooner
A local man discovers a waterlogged schooner adrift in the Straits of Georgia with only a dead dog aboard.
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.
Henry Finkbonner, who lives at Sandy Point, reported at the customhouse yesterday that he had found the British Jupiter adrift in the Straits of Georgia, full of water, with the carcass of a dead dog among her outfit. He succeeded, with the assistance of others who were with him, in bailing the schooner out and brought her safely to the point, where she is now at anchor. The fact of the dead dog being found aboard makes it probable that the schooner was upset while at sea with a man, or men, on board, and it is probable that somebody may have been drowned. The collector at this port took charge of the schooner and will retain possession of it until an owner is found.
“The fact of the dead dog being found aboard makes it probable that the schooner was upset while at sea.”
This maritime mystery highlights the perilous nature of the Puget Sound trade in the 1890s. Abandoned vessels were not uncommon, but the grim detail of the dog serves as a poignant reminder of the lives lost to the region's treacherous waters.
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