1905 — Nov 13~ storm?, WA fishing schooner Nellie Coleman lost off Cape Yakataga, AK->30

— >30 Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A – Z.” “N”*
— 2 Captain Johnson and his wife
–20 crew**
–>8 passengers (“…as many as 8 passengers.”)
— 30 Cobb (Bureau of Fisheries, Dept. of Commerce). Pacific Cod Fisheries. 1916, 108.
— 28 Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.”
— 12 AK Bur. Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg., Enforce. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.
— 12 U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…1906, p. 384.
–8-10 Seattle Star. “Schooner Maid of Orleans Leaves Seattle to Search…Nellie Coleman…” 2-8-1906, p. 1.
— 9 The Evening Statesman, Walla Walla, WA. “Schooner Nellie Coleman Lost.” 2-5-1906, 8.

* Writes that “some 15 bodies washed up on Yakataga beach (presumably from the Nellie Coleman and names nine victims.)

**Such a crew size was not unusual for a cod-fishing schooner in Alaskan waters. On Jan 8, 1908, the cod-fishing schooner John F. Miller was driven onto a rocky beach during a gale. There was a 23-man crew, ten of whom drowned. (Alaskahistoricalsociety.org. “Last Voyages of the Alaska Codfishing Schooners Glen and John F. Miller, 1907-1908.”)

Narrative Information

Alaska Bureau Ocean Energy Mgmt.: “Nov 1905. Schooner Nellie Coleman. Lost. Off Cape Yakataga, Gulf of Alaska. 12 (all hands). (AK Bur. Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg., Enforce. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.)

Alaskashipwreck.com: “1905…Nellie Coleman…SC [south central area]…97 Foot…2 Mast Cod Schooner…28 [lives lost].” (Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.”)

Alaskashipwreck.com: “Nellie Coleman (1905). The 160 ton 97 foot wooden two masted cod fishing schooner Nellie Coleman departed Squaw Harbor sometime between November 7 and November 10, 1905 bound for Seattle. Aboard were 20 crewmen, Captain Johnson and his Wife and as many as 8 passengers. She was reported to be carrying 65,000 codfish. The Nellie Coleman was out in the same storm that sank the Mary Ann at Unga November 13th and did severe damage to the codfish stations in the same area (S F Call). Several days later, 15 bodies washed up on Yakataga beach and were discovered by minors (The Daily Colonist). No sign of the Nellie Coleman was found. Some rumors of murder and foul play circulated because of a crazed Frenchman found on Unimak Island wearing a dress that had belonged to Captain Johnson’s Wife (Grey River Argus). Included in the list of those lost were Captain Andrew Johnson (45), Mrs. Andrew Johnson (30) (Miss Oune of Green Lake) newlywed, Martin Berg (35) of Seattle, Peter Peterson (25), Henry Otterlie (21) of Seattle, I Gibson (25), Arthur Jensen (22), Emil Peters (27) and Ole Waller (26) (Seattle Times).

“Mapping and Location: South Central Alaska 58 36 45 N 137 39 30 W Chart 16016.

“Additional Information: Tonnage 160 Gross 122 Net, Length 97, Breadth 25.7, Depth 9.5, Built at Lemoyne MA 1883, Registration Seattle, ON 130285, Vessel Value $20,000 with cargo, Owner Seattle and Alaska Codfish Company of Seattle.

“Sources: 1. U S Customs Wreck Report, 2. The Daily Colonist (February 13, 1906) “Fifteen Bodies Washed Ashore From Wreck on Alaskan Coast” Pg 1, 3. San Francisco Call (March 13, 1906) “Storm Plays Havoc at Unga” Pg 11, 4. Grey River Argus (December 3, 1906) “Queer Tales of Sea Murders” Pg 4, 5. Seattle Times (February 12, 1906) “Bodies are Cast on Beach” Pg 13.”
(Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A – Z.”)

Cobb: The Coleman was a fishing boat of the Seattle & Alaska Codfish Co. fleet, based out of Seattle. (Cobb 1916, p. 108.)

Newspapers

Feb 5, 1906: “Seattle, Wash., Feb. 5. – The schooner Nellie Coleman, 87 days out from Unga island, with a cargo of fish for Seattle, has been given up for lost with hr crew of seven. Captain Andrew Johnson had his bride on a wedding tour. The vessel was owned by the Seattle-Alaska Fisheries company.”

Feb 8, 1906: “The fishing schooner Maid of Orleans left Seattle Tuesday for Squaw Harbor, Unga island, in search of the schooner Nellie Coleman, believed to have been lost near the Aleutian islands about the latter part of November, with eight or ten persons. The Nellie Coleman was owned by the Seattle-Alaska Fishers company, and was last heard of when she cleared from Unga island November 10, for Seattle, with 150 tons of codfish. Captain Johnson, her skipper, was an old sailor and well acquainted with the Alaskan coast. He was married only a few days prior to his sailing north to Hensene Aune, and she accompanied him on the voyage….” (Seattle Star. “Schooner Maid of Orleans leaves Seattle to search for schooner Nellie Coleman…” 2-8-1906, p1.)

Feb 12, 1906: “Seattle, Feb. 12. Fifteen dead bodies were washed ashore at Yakataga beach on December 1, and they now lie buried there, unidentified. They are thought to be members of the crew and fishermen of the long overdue schooner Nellie Coleman, now 94 days out from the fishing station at Unga Island. The miners worked all day digging graves for the unfortunates, marking each one with a slab of wood.” (The Daily Colonist, Victoria, BC. “Fifteen Bodies Washed Ashore From Wreck on Alaskan Coast.” 2-13-1906, p. 1.)

Sep 26, 1906: “…when the schooner Nellie Coleman sailed for Seattle…she had a full load of cod-fish. On board besides the crew were five or six miners returning to the States…” (Victoria Daily Colonist, BC. “Strange Tale of Wholesale Murder.” 9-26-1906, p. 5.)

Sources

Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/alaskas-worst-all-time-shipping-losses

Alaska Historical Society. “Last Voyages of the Alaska Codfishing Schooners Glen and John F. Miller, 1907-1908.” Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/last-voyages-of-the-alaska-codfishing-schooners-glen-and-john-f-miller-1907-1908-2/

Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.” Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://alaskashipwreck.com/alaska-shipwrecks-1729-2012/alaska-shipwrecks-1900-1925/

Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A – Z.” Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://alaskashipwreck.com/shipwrecks-a-z/alaska-shipwrecks-n/

Cobb, John Nathan. Pacific Cod Fisheries (Appendix IV to the Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1915 – Bureau of Fisheries [Dept. of Commerce] Document No. 830). Washington: GPO, 1916. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=SGEZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

Seattle Star, WA. “Schooner Maid of Orleans Leaves Seattle to Search for Schooner Nellie Coleman, Believed to be Lost With All Aboard.” 2-8-1906, p. 1. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/seattle-star-feb-08-1906-p-1/

The Daily Colonist, Victoria, BC. “Fifteen Bodies Washed Ashore From Wreck on Alaskan Coast.” 2-13-1906, p. 1. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/victoria-daily-colonist-feb-13-1906-p-1/

The Evening Statesman, Walla Walla, WA. “Schooner Nellie Coleman Lost. Captain with Bride and seven Men Believed to have perished.” 2-5-1906, p. 8. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-evening-statesman-feb-05-1906-p-8/

Ukiah Republican Press, CA. “Many Drown in Alaskan Wreck.” 2-16-1906, p. 2. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-republican-press-feb-16-1906-p-2/

United States Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce and Labor. Thirty-Eighth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…For the Year Ended June 30, 1906. Wash.: GPO, 1906. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=ROEYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:LCCNsn88028129&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Victoria Daily Colonist, BC. “Strange Tale of Wholesale Murder.” 9-26-1906, p. 5. Accessed 11-17-2021. Accessed 11-17-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/victoria-daily-colonist-sep-26-1906-p-5/