Thursday, November 19, 2020

Capsized in a Hurricane -- November 19, 2020

 

San Francisco Call, 09-February-1899

William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the San Francisco Call.

ONE MYSTERY
OF THE DEEP
CLEARED UP

Nomad Capsized and
All Perished.

CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER LOST
MADE A TRIP WITH HER
FATHER FOR HER HEALTH.

December, '97, the Vessel Left China
for This Coast and Drifted
Ashore Bottom Side Up on
Hawaii Last Month.

The fate of the missing schooner Nomad has at last been solved, and another mystery of the sea cleared up. All that was left of the vessel washed ashore on the island of Hawaii last month and conviction will now be borne in on a widowed and childless woman, who has persisted in hoping against hope for nearly a year. Mrs. McAllap of this city had her husband, two sons and daughter aboard the schooner and all of them perished in the wreck.

The Nomad was built by Hall Bros, of San Francisco at Port Blakeley, and was launched in August. 1897. She was rigged as a four-masted schooner and her tonnage was 485 net. She was 168 feet 4 inches long, 37 feet 6 inches beam and 12 feet 8 inches deep, and as handsome a craft as ever sailed out of Puget Sound.

She was loaded with lumber and early in September sailed for China in command of Captain John W. McAllep. The captain's daughter. Miss Helen McAllep, had been ailing for some time and it was decided that she should make the trip with her father. Mrs. McAllep disliked to part with her daughter, but the welfare of the child outweighed the mother love. With Captain McAllep also went his two sons, Weston C. McAllep, who shipped as carpenter, and George H. McAllep, seaman. The entire family, with the exception of the mother, was therefore aboard the Nomad when she capsized.

The other members of the schooner crew were: C. W. Soderstrum, mate; Charles Looman, second mate; Fred Holmes, cook; R. Visentini., R. Thompson and G. Olsen, seamen, and L. E. Bloodgood, cabin boy.

The Nomad made a quick run across the Pacific and from Shanghai Captain McAllep wrote, saying he was going to bring the vessel home in ballast. On December 7, 1897, the schooner sailed and a year ago, this month, when nothing had been heard from her. The Call exclusively pointed out the fact that she was overdue and at the same time published a cut of the vessel. This picture was worked up by Mr. Coulter from the plans in Hall Bros.' office, and is the only one of the Nomad in existence.

In June, 1898, when the schooner was given up for lost, the hull, bottom up, was supposed to have been seen off Coos Bay. On June 23, In latitude 43.15 north, longitude 129.50 west. Captain Christenson of the schooner Eliza Miller sighted a large vessel bottom up. From the description he furnished Hall Bros., the builders were satisfied the wreck was that of the Nomad, but nothing was known for certain until the hull went ashore on the Island of Hawaii.

Ship captains think that when making this run to the Sound from Shanghai Captain McAllep followed the great circle. This would bring him off the coast of Alaska, when the storms, of January and February were doing so much damage to shipping. The schooner being lightly ballasted turned turtle in a squall and all hands perished.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 09-February-1899


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