1894 –~Sep 30, American ship Ivanhoe from Seattle lost in storm off Columbia Riv.?, WA– 23

— 24 McCurdy. “Ocean Tragedies…Northwest….” Overland Monthly, 34/202, 10-1899, 298.
— 23 Baltimore Sun Almanac for 1907. Jan 1, 1907, p. 155.
— 23 Gibbs, Jim. Shipwrecks off Juan de Fuca. 1968 (Magellan – The Ships Navigator.).
— 23 Marshall, Don. Missing at Sea, Oregon Shipwrecks. 1984, p. 183-186. (Magellan)
— 23 Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Pubs., 1984, p. 185.
— 23 The Mail, Medford, OR. 11-9-1894; excerpt in: Lloyd. Chinook Observer, WA, 3-6-2020
–>19 Boston Globe. “Sunk in Gale. American Ship Ivanhoe Lost Off Oregon.” 10-17-1894, 16.

Narrative Information

Lloyd: “….Sad mystery of the Ivanhoe. The worst winter for North Pacific storms before the turn of the 20th century seems to have been 1894.

“San Francisco, Oct. 15 — The gale which has prevailed along the Northern Pacific coast since Saturday last has undoubtedly caused widespread disaster to shipping. At least three schooners are known to have been wrecked. There are grave reasons for believing that the American ship Ivanhoe has been lost with all on board….The American ship Ivanhoe, coal laden from Seattle for this port [San Francisco], which has now been out twenty-one days, is almost certainly lost ….

“Washington [D.C.], Oct. 19 — [U. S.] Secretary [of the Treasury] Carlisle to-day ordered the revenue cutters Corwin, at San Francisco, and Grant, at Port Townsend, to proceed at once to Cape Flattery to hunt for any boats or wreckage of the missing vessel Ivanhoe … [The Weekly Gazette-Times, (Corvallis).]

“The tug Pioneer today [Oct. 24] returned from a cruise along the west coast of Vancouver island in search of the ship Ivanhoe. The shore line was scoured, but no fresh wreckage was observed. All hope for the safety of the Ivanhoe seems abandoned…

“Seattle, Nov. 2 — The lumber schooner Fanny Dutard, Captain Peterson, arrived at Port Blakely yesterday. She reports that the missing Ivanhoe, with F. J. Grant, ex-minister to Bolivia [and co-owner of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer], on board, probably sank on the afternoon of Sept. 30:

‘We left Port Blakely,’ said Capt. Peterson, ‘on Sept. 26 last, bound for Santa Barbara with lumber. We sailed out under a light wind and arrived at the cape on the 30th, where we found a strong southeast wind blowing. We saw a tug tow out a ship that same evening and drop her off the cape. That night it rained very heavily, and there was about a 60-mile-an-hour wind coming up over the ocean.

‘About 12 o’clock I think it was, that same night we saw a ship to leeward of us. It continued blowing heavy from the southeast all night, and kept on till about 11 o’clock of the morning of the 30th, when it moderated. A ship was in company with us, but too far away for us to make out her name or what her cargo. She appeared to have a terrible list to starboard.

‘At about 12:30 o’clock I was on the port tack and the other vessel was on the starboard tack, distant, I think, about four miles. She was apparently hove to with lower topsails. We could see that something was wrong with her, for her list was in the wrong direction … I expected we would run nearer together soon, and, having been up most of the night before, I went below about 1 o’clock and turned in.

‘Twenty minutes later … my first mate, Harry Staunton, came below and calling me said that the ship had disappeared. I hastened on deck at once. The horizon was clear, and the ship had disappeared as if by magic. After looking for her from the deck without seeing her, I ran up into the rigging and swept the horizon in the direction the vessel had before occupied, but there was not a sign of her presence visible. I then kept the schooner off for 20 minutes to see if any ship’s boats appeared on the water, or if any wreckage of any kind could be sighted. We could see nothing of this kind … and hove the schooner to again in double-reefed sails, but while we were in the vicinity we could see nothing of any boats or wreckage.

‘The latitude we were in … was 47.53, longitude 127.01 west, Cape Flattery [WA] bearing N. E., ½ E., and distance 95 miles.’ …” [The Dalles Daily Chronicle.] ….

‘News has been received [Nov. 9] of the loss of the ship Ivanhoe with all on board. The Ivanhoe left Seattle Sept. 27 for San Francisco and encountered a heavy gale. On the 30th she went down. The passengers aboard the vessel were: Frederick J. Grant, editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Allen P. Folger and two ladies, Mrs. Mamie L. Bara and her friend, Mrs. D. B. Leese Mullen; stowaway Edward Aliardice, who had people living in San Francisco. Besides these, 18 members of the crew were drowned.’ [The Medford, Oregon, Mail.]

‘San Francisco, Nov. 27 — The revenue cutter Rush again left port to search for the survivors of the wrecked ship Ivanhoe. In view of the fact that recent telegraphic dispatches from Victoria, B.C., announce the finding of life preservers and other wreckage, there is every likelihood that someone remains alive to tell the story of how the Ivanhoe went down. It is expected that the search of the Rush will continue for a full month.” [The Morning Astorian.]

“On Dec. 13, the Lincoln County Leader of Toledo, Oregon, reported,

‘The United States revenue cutter Richard Rush has returned from her cruise along the west shore of Vancouver island in quest of news concerning the missing collier Ivanhoe which sailed from Seattle for San Francisco, Sept. 27. At Nettie Island a life buoy belonging to the Ivanhoe was obtained from the natives, who found it several weeks ago. The stern end of a ship’s dingy boat and some other small fresh wreckage were found in the same vicinity of Barclay sound, but nothing further than the buoy to indicate that it belonged to the Ivanhoe. …’

“And, finally,

‘Tacoma, Dec. 20 — A special to the Ledger from South Bend says: ‘A report comes from North Cove, Washington, that a board bearing the name Ivanhoe … has been found on the ocean beach near that place. The wife of the keeper of the Willapa Bay light, found it partially buried in the sand, the gilt letters of the name having attracted her attention.’ ” [The Morning Astorian.]’”

(Lloyd, Nancy. Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA, 3-6-2020.)

Magellan: “Ivanhoe. November, 1894 American ship, 1563 tons, built at Belfast, Maine, 202’x 39’x 27’, owned by the Black Diamond Coal Co., bound from Seattle under Captain Edward D. Griffin. The ship went missing in a hurricane off the Columbia River. Lost with the ship were Frederick J. Grant, editor and part-owner of the Seattle Post Intelligencer, mates James J. Toohig and Charles Christianson; carpenter William Andolin; Hans Stephenson; M. Stewart; Frank Saariner; H. Johnson; Emil Lowenroth; George Cordner; Sam Hart; J. Johanesson; McGunderson; Lenart Holm; W. Herman; John Anderson; Martin Jacobson; two Chinese cooks and three unknown passengers.” (Magellan – The Ships Navigator. )

“Ivanhoe. American ship, 1,610 tons, vanished off Cape Flattery after departure from Seattle for San Francisco with coal, September 27, 1894. Lost with the ship were 19 crewmen and 4 passengers. The ship was commanded by Captain Edward D. Griffin.” (Magellan – The Ships Navigator. )

Marshall: “Ivanhoe 11/1894 American ship, 1563 tons…bound from Seattle under Captain Edward D. Griffin. The ship went missing in a hurricane off the Columbia River. Lost with the ship were [we break Marshall narrative out into single lines]

Frederick J. Grant, editor and part-owner of the Seattle Post Intelligencer;
Mates James J. Toohig and
Charles Christianson;
Carpenter William Andolin;
Hans Stephenson;
M. Stewart;
Frank Saariner;
H. Johnson;
Emil Lowenroth;
George Cordner;
Sam Hart;
J. Johanesson;
McGunderson;
Lenart Holm;
W. Herman;
John Anderson;
Martin Jacobson;
Two Chinese cooks and
Three unknown passengers. [Including Captain Griffin, this comes to twenty-three.]

McCurdy: “The American ship Ivanhoe…left Seattle in the fall, with a full cargo of coal, for San Francisco. Besides her crew of twenty-one men she carried three passengers, one of whom, Mr. F. J. Grant, was editor and part owner of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. After being cast off by the tug Tyee at Cape Flattery, she was never seen again. One of her life buoys was picked up in Barclay Sound [BC], and her name-board was discovered sticking in the sand at Willipa Bay [WA]. These were the only tidings ever received from the missing vessel.” (McCurdy. “Ocean Tragedies…Northwest….” Overland Monthly, 34/202, 10-1899, 298.)

Newspaper

Oct 17: “San Francisco, Cali., Oct 17 – The gale which has prevailed along the north Pacific coast since Saturday last has undoubtedly caused widespread disaster to shipping interests. Three schooners have been wrecked. There are grave reasons for believing that the American ship Ivanhoe has been lost with all on board…. The Ivanhoe has now been out 21 days. She carried a crew of 18 men. Fred Grant of Seattle, ex minister to Bolivia under Harrison, and editor of the Post Intelligencer, was a passenger on the Ivanhoe, having embarked on her to enjoy a sea voyage. A mast and yards painted yellow, and believed by seamen to be part of the rigging of the Ivanhoe, have been sighted off the Oregon coast. A floating deck house painted as was the Ivanhoe’s was also seen in that locality.” (Boston Daily Globe. “Sunk in Gale. American Ship Ivanhoe Lost Off Oregon.” 10-17-1894, 16)

Sources

Baltimore Sun Almanac for 1907. 1-1-1907, p. 155. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=mBoXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Boston Daily Globe. “Sunk in Gale. American Ship Ivanhoe Lost Off Oregon.” 10-17-1894, 16. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=161083049

Gibbs, James A. Shipwrecks off Juan de Fuca. Portland, OR: Binfords & Mort, 1968.

Lloyd, Nancy. Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA, 3-6-2020. Accessed 4-18-2020 at: https://www.chinookobserver.com/life/this-nest-of-dangers-where-the-weather-begins-1880-1910/article_0baa6e4e-5ff1-11ea-ae9c-fff7974bc2e2.html

Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Publications, 1984.

McCurdy, James G. “Ocean Tragedies on the Northwest Coast.” Overland Monthly, Vol. 34, No. 202, Oct. 1899. Pp. 291-300. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=otNUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false