FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1908. 



15 



occurred the morning of September 20, when the Alaska Packers 

 Association bark Star of Bengal (Nicholas Wagner, master) , while on 

 her way from the association's cannery at Wrangell with the season's 

 pack and the cannery and fishmg crews, was wrecked on Coronation 

 Island, in southeast Alaska, and 111 persons (15 whites, including the 

 foreman, bookkeeper, and machinist; 67 Chinese, 26 Japanese, and 3 

 Filipinos) lost their lives. The vessel and cargo were a total loss, 

 and of the 138 persons aboard but 27 (17 whites, including the mas- 

 ter and first mate; 7 Japanese, 2 Chinese, and 1 Filipino) were saved. 



The bark left the cannery the day before the wreck in tow of two 

 tugs, which were to continue with her until the open ocean was reached. 

 Shortly after passing out of Sumner Strait a gale sprang up from the 

 south and in a few hours the wind was blowing with terrific force. 

 About 4 o'clock in the mornmg of the 20th the tugs, finding that 

 despite their exertions the vessel was rapidly drifting onto Coronation 

 Island, cut their tow lines after the bark had anchored, and steamed 

 back to the strait for shelter. The bark held her anchors until 9.30 

 a. m., when she began to drag. At 10.26 she struck, and in a few 

 minutes was battered to pieces on the rocks. In the meantime a 

 volunteer crew of 5 white men, led by the first mate, had bravely 

 pulled a boat to shore through the ragmg surf in order to rig up a 

 breeches buoy, but before anything coidd be accomplished the vessel 

 went ashore. Many of those not carried down with the vessel itself 

 lost their lives in the pounding and grinding mass of wreckage and 

 cargo between the outer rocks and the shore, but few getting through 

 this alive. 



The Star of Bengal was a bark with a gross tonnage of 1,877 and 

 a net tonnage of 1,694. She was of iron and was built at Belfast, 

 Ireland, in 1873. When launched the vessel was under the British 

 flag and ship-rigged. Later she was transferred to Hawaiian regis- 

 try, rerigged as a bark, and when the Hawaiian Islands were annexed 

 by this country secured the privilege of flying the American flag. 



HATCHERIES. 



Seven salmon hatcheries were operated during the season of 1907-8, 

 as follows : 



