1920 — Nov 26, gale, schooner-barge W. J. Pirrie, driven onto rocks ~Cake Rock, WA–18-20

— 20 U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report…for 1921, p. 16.
— 18 AP. “Coming Home From The Sea…” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-16-1997.
–>18 NOAA. “The W.J. Pirrie Shipwreck.”) [Eighteen bodies found and buried.]
— 16 Bruzelius, Lars. W.J. Pirrie. 1996, 9-12-1997 update. Webpage accessed 6-22-2022.
— 16 San Pedro Daily Pilot. “Survivors of Pirrie Washed up on Beach.” 11-30-1920, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Bruzelius: “1920 November 26. Lost off La Push, Washington, (north of Cake Rock) under tow of the SS Santa Rita from Tacoma, WA, to Antofagasta, Chile, with a cargo of lumber and oil. Of the 18 on board only 2 survived.” (Bruzelius, Lars. W.J. Pirrie. 1996, 9-12-1997 update.)

NOAA: “The W. J. Pirrie was built in 1883 in Belfast. She was an iron-hulled, four-masted bark 308 feet long. In 1904, while unloading coal in Chile, she was gutted by fire. The hull was abandoned until World War I when she was purchased by the W. R. Grace Company and refitted as a schooner-barge; capable of sailing, but more often towed behind other ships carrying lumber along the coast.

”November 24, 1920 the steamer Santa Rita left Tacoma for San Francisco, towing the Pirrie. The following evening they rounded Cape Flattery and encountered such severe weather that the Santa Rita was forced to cast off the tow line and return to the Straits, leaving the crew of the Pirrie to fend for themselves. Sails were raised, but they were shredded by 85 mph winds. The starboard anchor was lowered, but couldn’t find bottom. At the mercy of the storm, the Pirrie was driven onto a reef near Cake Rock, where she broke in half. Before lifeboats could be launched heavy seas washed over the decks carrying off the crew, the captain, his wife and small child.

”Only two crew members survived the wreck. They swam to shore near Cape Johnson where they wandered about without food or dry clothing until they were found by Quileute searchers who helped them to safety in La Push. In the following days searchers recovered the bodies of 18 victims, including those of the captain’s wife and child. They were buried in a common grave at Big Bay, southwest of Cape Johnson, at a site now known as Chilean Memorial.” (NOAA. “The W.J. Pirrie Shipwreck.”)

U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service: “On November 24, 1920, the steamer Santa Rita with the barge W.J. Pirrie in tow left Tacoma, Wash., bound for San Francisco, Calif. At 1:10 p.m. Friday, November 26, it became necessary for the Santa Rita to cut the W.J. Pirrie loose, owing to the heavy seas and southwest gale. The barge was driven on the rocks, resulting in the loss of the vessel and crew, consisting of 20 persons.” (U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1921, p. 16.)

Newspaper

Nov 30, 1920: “Seattle, Wash. Nov. 30. The bodies of Captain A. B. Jensen and Mate P. Hohmann of the schooner W. J. Pirrie, lost in last Friday’s [26th] storm off the Quillayute river, were found today by Indians, washed up on the beach at Cape Johnson, according to a message received here today. Two sailors were found alive.

“The Pirrie has been missing since the steam schooner Santa Rita which was towing her, was forced to cut her adrift to save herself from destruction on the rocks of James Island, off the Quillayute river.

“The Pirrie was reported ashore Friday night and until today her fate had been a mystery. Early this morning a wireless message reported a vessel answering her description had been sighted riding safely at sea. The message raised hopes that the Pirrie, with her crew of 15 and Captain Jensen, his wife and infant child, were safe.

“The first message to the local weather bureau read: ‘A party of Indians found two sailors alive and one dead on the beach at Cape Johnson, four miles north of Lapush [La Push]. No sign Pirrie. Survivors now at Lapush.’

“Lapush is an old Indian settlement at the mouth of the Quillayute river and just opposite James Island where the Pirrie is supposed to have struck and gone down. The survivors are believed to have been too exhausted to talk when found. That they should have survived .the tempest and reached the mainland through the pounding seas is considered a miracle.

“There is no telephonic communication with Lapush, where the sailors are being cared for today.” (San Pedro Daily Pilot. “Survivors of Pirrie Washed up on Beach.” 11-30-1920, p. 1.)

May 16, 1997, AP: “…the 308-foot WJ Pirrie hit the rocks on Nov. 26, 1920, and…18…crew members died.” (AP. “Coming Home From The Sea…” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-16-1997.)
Sources

Associated Press. “Coming Home From The Sea. Chilean Relives Her Father’s Shipwreck.” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-16-1997. Accessed 6-22-2022 at: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/may/16/coming-home-from-the-sea-chilean-relives-her/

Bruzelius, Lars. W.J. Pirrie. 1996, 9-12-1997 update. Webpage accessed 6-22-2022 at: http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Ships/Fourmast_ships/WJ_Pirrie(1883).html

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. “The W.J. Pirrie Shipwreck.” Accessed 6-12-2009 at: http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/living/history_and_culture/shipwrecks/pirrie.html

San Pedro Daily Pilot. “Survivors of Pirrie Washed up on Beach.” 11-30-1920, p. 1. Accessed 6-22-2022 from University of California at Riverside Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research, California Digital Newspaper Collection, at: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19201130.2.6&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–1

United States Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspection Service to the Secretary of Commerce for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1921. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1921. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=oafNAAAAMAAJ