The Wreck of the Brittain
A maritime expert surveys the remains of a vessel lost on the rocks, detailing the disastrous navigation error that caused the sinking.
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.
Mr. D. H. McEwan returned yesterday on the City of Seattle from his trip to the San Juan Islands to investigate the wreck of the Brittain on the rocks. He examined the site on behalf of the insurance company and proceeded to Anacortes to report. The Brittain struck the edge of the reef about two miles from shore at low tide. The rapid current caught the vessel, and she grounded on a shelf. A hole was torn in her bottom, and she settled on the rocks. Mr. McEwan noted that there was no cargo of value remaining, as the freight had been jettisoned by the captain to lighten the ship. He believes the mate miscalculated the currents when steering across the strait, causing the boat to strike the reef with full force.
“The ship struck the edge of the reef at low tide, and the rapid current caught the vessel so she grounded on a shelf.”
Shipwrecks were a regular, often weekly, tragedy in the inland sea of the Salish Sea during the 1890s, often driven by the intersection of volatile currents and tight maritime schedules. Today, maritime safety technology has largely moved the danger from the rocks to the risks of heavy container traffic.
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