The Princess Sophia Sinking

A Canadian steamship carrying miners from Yukon and Alaska became stranded on Vanderbilt Reef. Rescuers were unable to remove the 268 passengers and 75 crewmen due to a strong northerly gale. The next day, weather conditions worsened and the ship sank killing all on board. Several weeks after the disaster, a warning buoy with gaslight and bell is placed on Vanderbilt Reef, replaced years later by a steel tower.