Lillie Grace (bark)

Chilean bark, composite vessel of 545 tons, began leaking off Cape Flattery, December 14, 1886, after departing two days earlier from Port Discovery for Valpariso with lumber. Caught in a terrific gale and heavy seas, she had eleven feet of water in her hold. Captain Charles Wall, the ship master, had the crew construct rafts and trail them astern in case the ship broke up. Finally, the deckhouses, galley, and deck gear went over the side. By December 19, the ship had drifted to a spot a few miles north of Grays Harbor. There, the rafts broke up, and in desperation the captain steered the ship for the beach to save his crew. The wreck stranded amid the breakers. The crew held their perches in the rigging and 24 hours later were rescued by friendly Indians. These survivors made their way to Olympia overland. Jim Gibbs, Shipwrecks off Juan de Fuca, Portland: Binfords and Mort, 1968.

Citation: Tacoma Public Library