Years of Blood

World War I had ended and Vancouver rejoiced. 100,000 people resided in the town at that time and the only ones not watching the parade on November 11, 1918, were either marching in it or the motormen and conductors on the street cars. Which, by the way, were stalled for three hours.

A prominent, notoriously tight fisted, financier stood on the curb in a fur-collared overcoat, watching the parade pass. One hand waved his bowler hat while the other held a cheap tin horn, which he was blowing vigorously as he danced  a jig.

"Where'd you get the horn?" someone asked.

"Last one in town," the financier answered. "Had to pay a feller a dollar and a half for it." His face took on a puzzled expression. "... an' you know, it ain't worth two bits." On the street, drums pounded and trumpets blared as another band went by. The tycoon yelled and tooted on his horn before saying to his friend "...but what's a dollar on a day like this?"

As the parade went by and the crowd began to move on, the financier wiped the moisture off the mouthpiece, carefully put the horn in an inside pocket and put the bowler in place on his head, giving it a firm tap on the crown. He solemnly looked at his acquaintance and said,

"You know, George, it's the first time in my life I've ever said anything like that."

The celebration went on for hours but by the evening, it had spent itself. 

On the waterfront, every flag was at half-mast as the Princess Alice glided slowly into her berth at the CPR's Pier D.

At 7 a.m., November 12, her ghastly cargo was unloaded. 157 roughly shrouded bodies that were laid in long rows on trestles in the gloomy, cavernous wharf-shed. At 9 a.m., small groups of men and women filed through the improvised morgue to identify the bodies. 

These were not soldiers killed in war but victims from the wreck of the Princess Sophia in Lynn Canal, the worst marine disaster in the history of the Pacific Coast.  Many of these victims are buried in Mountainview cemetery and I wrote about this disaster in 2011 if you want to check it out.

World War I was over and "at the going down of the sun, and in the morning," the city honoured its dead.

Thanks to the book Vancouver, from Milltown to Metropolis by Alan Morley for the above information. I think I cried through most of this entry from being overjoyed imagining the excitement on November 11 with everyone partying then the heavy hearts the next day as the real world intruded with the delivery of those 157 corpses.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill

A Princess Lost At Sea

I want you to sit back and listen (or I should type read) my story. Tomorrow, October 25, 2011, will be the 93rd anniversary of the sinking of the Princess Sophia.

The Princess Sophia was built by Bow, McLachlan and Company of Paisley, Scotland in 1911 for the Canadian Pacific. She was 245 feet long, 44 feet wide and 2300 gt with a single screw triple expansion steam engine. She was launched on November 8, 1911 and did 14 knots on her sea trials. The Princess Sophia left Scotland on February 19, 1912 and arrived in Victoria three months later.

The Princess Sophia was built for the Alaskan run. She wasn't fancy but she did have comfortable accommodations for 375 passengers in first and second class. Her maiden voyage was on June 7, 1912.

The Sophia left Skagway, Alaska on Wednesday October 23, 1918 under the guidance of Captain Louis P. Locke. She carried 343 people, passengers and crew. The passengers were mainly Dawson people and Alaskans from the interior who were looking forward to getting out of the area for the winter. Four hours into her journey, around 3 am, she ran into a blinding snowstorm.

It is thought that the Princess Sophia got off her course slightly and piled up on Vanderbilt Reef in the Lynn Canal  midway between Skagway and Juneau. It was thought that she wasn't in any danger and that a high tide would dislodge her. The Sophia was hard and fast on the reef with her bottom badly damaged but she wasn't taking on any water. Lighthouse tenders and gasboats responded to the call for assistance and the Princess Alice departed from Vancouver to take the passengers. And the storm continued to rage.

The ship sat on the reef for over forty hours while the storm blocked any attempt at a rescue. The US lighthouse tender Cedar got within 400 yards of the Sophia but her anchors would not hold on the rocky sea bottom. The waves were so violent that life boats could not be used. Then the weather worsened - the wind increased and the air was filled with snow. Darkness fell and the Cedar picked up the last message sent from the Sophia. "Taking water and foundering. For GOD's sake come and save us." (that is according to one report I read)

The Sophia had been driven across the reef into deep water and her damaged bottom couldn't support the vessel any longer. She quickly filled with water and went down. The Cedar rushed to the vicinity but could see nothing of the other ship. Morning light revealed the Sophia's foremast visible above the water but there was no sign of life of the wreckage. Bodies that hadn't gone down with the ship were scattered. It was the inside passage's worst disaster.

66 victims from that tragedy are buried at Mountain View Cemetery.  Here are a few of them.

- Captain James Alexander was one of the owners of the Engineer Mine located on the east shore of the Taku Arm of Tagish Lake.

- John R. Young was the chief engineer of the British Yukon Navigation Company. He and his wife were both on the Sophia.

David Robinson was the wireless operator and he stuck to post right up to the end. This is another version of messages sent from the Sophia.

4:50 pm "Ship foundering on reef. Come at once."

5:20 pm "For God's sake hurry. The water is coming into my room.) (The wireless room was on the top deck of the ship next to the bridge.)

A wireless operator suggested Robinson only transmit if necessary to save his batter too which Robinson replied:

"All right, I will. You talk to me so I know you are coming." That was the last that was heard from the Sophia. Not as dramatic but still heart wrenching.

John and Rosabel Chisholm moved to Dawson City sooon after their marriage on January 31, 1912. John had been a noted pioneer Dawson wood contractor in partnership with his brother, Jim Chisholm.

John Zaccerellin had been born about 1880 in BC. He had a store in Dawson City which he opened around 1901. He sold everything from books to bananas.

A letter from John Maskell to his fiance found. He had written it while the ship was marooned along with a last will and testament.

So as you go about your day tomorrow perhaps you could take a moment and send a prayer for all those souls who perished in the icy waters in Alaska.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Princess Sophia, Vancouver, Princess Alice, Skagway, Alaska, History, Dawson City