Whitehorse, June 18 - (Special to the Star) - An official report of the
foundering of the steamer Klondike of the British Yukon Navigation Co. fleet released by officers of the company, states that the ill-fated vessel struck a reef at a point five miles below Hootalinqua about 8:30 a.m. on last Friday, the force of the impact throwing the stern of the vessel against a rock bluff and demolishing the wheel and rudders. Drifting along hopelessly out of control through the loss of the rudders, the craft finally sank about two miles below the point where she first struck.
The thirty-one passengers who were aboard were taken safely ashore in
the life boats, where they were made as comfortable as possible by members of the crew, and a temporary camp was established for them until the arrival of the steamer Whitehorse
shortly before midnight of the same day.
The Klondike was laden with 250 tons of general cargo and while every
effort is being made to salvage as much of the freight as possible, success of the work depends to a great extent on whether the water, which is now at a very high stage, drops
before the housework of the vessel is carried away.
The Klondike was built by the British Yukon Navigation Co. in their
Whitehorse shipyards in 1929, Dimensions of the vessel were 210 feet in length with a beam of 42 feet.
The loss of the steamer is estimated at $100,000. No figures are available as to the value of the cargo carried.
It is understood the entire personnel of the Canadian Geological Survey
party headed by J. R. Johnston lost all their belongings besides all scientific instruments and records.
J. R. Mertie, Jr., of the U. S. Geological Survey and his party also lost
their belongings and instruments, and the survey may have to be cancelled for this season.
Messrs. King, Carmen and Watson, commercial travelers, also lost everything including their samples and order books and it is said they are taking down orders in Mayo on brown wrapping paper.
