derelict ships

[mmegaera]

Time and place -- Klondike Gold Rush, 1898. I've googled some, but I'm not sure what terms to use -- I've googled a lot about the Klondike in the last few months, and gotten a lot of useful information, but I haven't run across this sort of thing except for a few fuzzy pictures. I also have a fair amount of printed research material on that Gold

Comments

[wpenrose]

The ship:
- wood soft enough to pry chunks out with a knife
- bilge pumps running frequently (if electric or steam)
- moldy smell, especially below decks
- old, flaking paint
- rats (more than most ships; all ships had/have rats)

The sinking:
- likely caused by planking giving way, or striking floating ice
- no one will notice leakage until it's well advanced
- perhaps first indication is that bilge pumps never stop
- some things may begin to malfunction (if this ship has generators and electricity)
- weight of water will cause ship to roll sluggishly; won't rise to the waves as a ship should
- boiler may explode early or while sinking (cold water, hot boiler)
- someone will discover water rising in a lower deck
- general panic; crew likely untrained for emergencies
- lifeboats either missing or rotten; life jackets missing or rotten (most 19th C ships had few lifejackets, usually none at all)
- survivors will latch onto floating cargo and bits of rigging - there will be fights over floating debris
- survival time in cold water is in the range of minutes
- propellor may not have stopped and may drag people in
- ship may sink level or upended; each one is different

Dangerous Bill

[mmegaera]

Thanks very much! This is the sort of detail I can use, and was having a hard time finding.