The Podcast: Gettin' Wrecked (Part 1)
Gettin’ Wrecked (Part 1)
Or…. Gettin’ Shipfaced? Anchors away?
The Wreck of the Bark Union, 1875
Summary
In this episode we explore the wreck of the bark "Union" of 1875 near Lummi Island and Bellingham Bay in the Pacific Northwest, and take a deep dive (pun intended) into deep dives, that is the history of diving and salvage operations both in general and specific to this shipwreck. This is part one of two (and probably more later) episodes about shipwrecks that occurred in the vicinity of our hamlet. For those so inclined, you could make it a drinking game - one for every bad maritime pun or new vocabulary word! Beware, you just might get shipfaced... Anchors away!
Listen
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Be sure to check out:
Coast Salish Place Names of the San Juan Islands. Samish Indian Nation.
The Deep One (1930). (YouTube Video) British Pathé, April 13, 2014.
Loads more References and Resources
Mosquito Fleet. David B. Williams, History Link Essay 869 Feb 2, 2021:
Did the Age of Sail End? Part 1: Sail Gives Way to Steam. Erin Conner, Marrch 18, 2021. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park California.
Barque. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Aug 10, 2023.
What Makes a Ship a Barque? (YouTube Video) Navis Nanoq. January 21, 2022.
Ships Knees. Hardwick Post & Beam. 2022.
Knee (construction), Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Aug 29, 2023.
Clark Island (Washington) Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Aug 1, 2023.
A History of Lummi Island. Beth Hudson. Welcome to Lummi Island. January 20, 2015.
United States Code: Piracy and Other Offenses Upon Seas, 18 U.S.C. §§ 481-504. Library of Congress.
Barratry (admiralty law) Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, January 14, 2023.
Plump. Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Lewis & Dryden's Marine History Of The Pacific Northwest. The Lewis And Dryden Printing Company, Portland, Oregon 1895 Page 328.
A Volume of Memoirs And Genealogy Of Representative Citizens Of The City Of Seattle and County Of King, Washington. The Lewis Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1903. Pages 336 - 339
Men of the Pacific Coast: Containing Portraits and Biographies of the Professional, Financial and Business Men of California, Oregon and Washington. 1902-1903. Pacific Art Company, San Francisco, 1903.
Diving Helmet. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, July 29, 2023.
A Brief History of Diving: Free Diving, Bells and Helmets. Alex Brylske. Dive Training.
Steamer Idaho Wreckage. Historical Point of Interest, Seattle, Washington. Historical Marker Database.
1917 Bark Union Salvage Attempt. Saltwater People Historical Society Blog.
Naval Shipworm (Teredo Navalis). Texas Invasive Species Institute. Texas State University.
Washington Salvage Company Discovers Location of Famous Shipwreck Nearly 150 Years Later. King 5 News Staff, December 5, 2022.
Newspaper Articles
Accessed via various websites, both free and subscription, as well as ye olde microfilms at either the B-ham Public Library or at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, WWU.
Wreck of a Bark and Schooner. The New York Times May 9, 1875
The Rock Island Argus, May 10, 1875
Wreck of the Bark “Union.” The San Francisco Examiner, May 10, 1875
British Columbia. The “Glenora” Reported Lost. The Santa Barbara Daily Press, May 11, 1875
The Puget Sound Dispatch, May 13, 1875
Marine Disaster. The Weekly Pacific Tribune, May 14, 1875
From British Columbia. The Weekly Oregon Statesman, May 15, 1875
The Puget Sound Dispatch June 10, 1875
A Terrible Charge. The San Francisco Examiner, July 3, 1875
California. The Fort Scott Daily Monitor, July 4, 1875
The Capital, Washington D.C., July 4, 1875
Trial of Capt. Lindell for Wrecking the Bark Union. The Morning Oregonian, July 10, 1875
The Wrecking of the “Union.” The San Francisco Examiner, July 10, 1875
The Captain’s Crime. The San Francisco Chronicle, July 11, 1875
Foul Play. The Detroit Free Press, July 13, 1875
Bellingham Bay. The Puget Sound Dispatch, July 15, 1875
San Francisco. The Puget Sound Dispatch, July 15, 1875
Decision in the Bark “Union” Case. The Nanaimo Daily News, August 7, 1875
Wrecking of the Bark “Union.” The San Francisco Bulletin, October 2, 1875
Captain Lindell’s Trial. The San Francisco Examiner, December 8, 1875
Captain Lindell’s Trial. The San Francisco Bulletin, December 9, 1875
The Bark “Union” Trial. The San Francisco Bulletin, December 10, 1875
San Francisco Items. The Daily Evening Express, December 10, 1875
Acquitted of Guilt. The Weekly Pacific Tribune (Olympia, WA) December 18, 1875
Going to the Bottom. The Tacoma Daily Ledger August 7, 1888
The Aberdeen Herald, September 7, 1893
Diver Benjamin Works on Lake Bottom. The Bellingham Herald, July 27, 1916
The Seattle Union Record, August 18, 1920
Seeks Sunken Ship. The Seattle Daily Times, August 11, 1932
Frank Wright, Packer, and Diver Will Seek Coal Sunk In Straits. The Bellingham Herald, August 12, 1932
Coal Is Recovered. The Bellingham Herald, September 5, 1932
Coal Is Recovered. The Bellingham Herald, September 22, 1932
Ocean Yields Coal. The Bellingham Herald, September 24, 1932
Rites Held Saturday for Captain Benjamin. The Bremerton Daily News Searchlight, Monday February 1, 1943
Bronze Cannon Diver’s Mystery. Seattle Daily Times, April 8, 1951.
Neah Bay Gun Links State to Paul Revere. The Tacoma News Tribune, November 9, 1958
Divers Discover Wreck of Sailing Ship Sunk Off Clark Island in ‘75. Pat Wetherell, The Bellingham Herald, September 2, 1963.
Sea Scouts Donate Historic Anchor to Sehome. Jack Carver, The Bellingham Herald, June 5, 1969.
The Anchor. The Bellingham Herald June 9, 2002.
In this episode we discuss the early history of Bellingham’s historic Hotel Leo, aka the Leopold Hotel. From its earliest days as the Byron House through its take-over and expansion under PNW beer baron Leopold Schmidt. And since it’s spooky season, we include stories about some “potential ghosts” that might be wandering the halls…