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Show ALASKANS PERISH WHENSHIP SINKS CANADIAN 8TEAMER FOUNOERB DURING NIGHT, ALL ON BOARD BEING L08T. Northerner! who Had Left Ice-Bound Region for the States Meet Death I When Storm-Battered Vesael -Strikes Reef Off Skagway. Scntllc, Wnsli. Tlircu hundred nnd forty-thron persons, most of Ilium out-bound out-bound Alttsknns mitl ri-Rlilenta of tho V'ukon torrltorjv lost tliclr IIvom when tho Cnniidlnn 1'itclflc stoiimshlii com-pnny'H com-pnny'H luiHKonRur Rtuumor I'rhicess Soplilit wiw bnttcrt'tl last Tlitirwlny by HtorniK, dniKKt'il iicroHH Viintlfrbllt reef mill dropped to tho bottom of Lynn ciinnl, tin arm of the Inside piiHsugo not fur north of SkiiRWiiy, Ahmkii. AecordliiK to lntt'Bt reports, every ono on hoiird was drowned. .Shipping men Kiihl tho loss of tho .Sophia with all aboard wiin tho worst niarlno (IIhiisUt In the history of thu I'uclllc coast. The vessel, 'JiV20 tons cross, has been plyliiK In western Canadian nnd southeastern south-eastern Alaska witters: since she was built tu lUl'J. Tho voxiel, It was thought, was enr-ryliiR enr-ryliiR a capacity load of pnssenirers, nearly all northerners, who had taken tho last steamboat up tho Yukon river before the Ice and had boarded, tho .Sophia at SkiiKWuy. The passeiiKors wero anioiur tint hundreds who left i Alaska this fall to spend tho winter In tho stales and Canada. They had , come as far as Whlto Horse by river boat and there had boarded trains for the Alaska port. Wednesday the heavily loaded Sophia left Skacway for Vancouver and Victoria. Not niany hours out she ran Into one of tho first snowstorms snow-storms of the year. Harly Thursday, In tho dark of the storm, she ran aground on the Vantlerbllt reef. Distress Dis-tress rails were sent out and tho United Slates lighthouse tender Cedar, Ihe United States government ntenmor Peterson ami several small boats went to her assistance. When daylight eaiiii! It was found the boat was resting rest-ing easy nnd the weather calm, and It was docldeil not to remove the passengers. passen-gers. The storm sprang up Thursday and tho winds whipped down tho long, narrow nar-row Lynn canal with hurricane force. The Sophia, In Ihe path of the gale, was pounded against Ihe rocks. On nc-couut nc-couut of tho danger of stranding, tho near-by ships did not dare to go near her. Lifeboats wore Imposxlble, nl-' though the shore was not many yards away. Thursday night the gale Increased In-creased In fury and ' probably while many of the passengers slept, lifted tho steamer up, dragged her across the roof nnd sent her to the bottom. |