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WRECK OP THU YANKEE SbTXELThe steamship Goliu^, Capt. Haley, arrived at San Franciieo, on Monday morning from the Lowq* Coast, bringing disastrous*tidings. We copy the particulars from the Evening News, of Monday.The following: is the cfficial report of the loss of the Blade, made by Purser Vought:The Independent Steamship YankeeBlade, Henry Randall, Esq., Commander, sailed from San Francisco, Sept. 30th, at 4 o’ dock p. m., with eight hundred passengers, and $153,000 in specie ; passed the Heads at 5 o’clock, and at 9 o’clock the same evening, saw a steamer on the starboard beam, supposed ed to be the Uncle Sam or John L. Stephens.Oct. 1st, at 3 l-2o’dock p. m., being encompassed in a dens* fog, steering a S. E. by S. course, anl supposing ourselves at least ten miles from shore, westruck a reef of rocks of Point Arguella, about fifteen miles above Point Cjncep-tion, upon which the ship ran upwards of sixty feet, while her stern swung in nine fathom? of water, which in less than twenty-five minutes suuk below the promenade deck; but so firmly was the forward part embedded in the rocks,thatup to the time we left the ship (about p. m. on the 2d inst.) she had not receded an inch.As soon as we discovered our danger, the officers of the deck launched and manned the boats, and proceeded at once to get the ladies and other passengers on shore. And here it is but justice to observe, that great approbation is due Capt. Henry Randall for his promptness in going on shore to find a proper place to land his passengers, in taking charge of one of the boats himself, and beaching it successfully, when that of the first officer was stranded,—for the anxious manner in which he urged thehands on shore to return to the wreck with the boats,when they displayed every desire to desert him.While the boat3 were being lowered, the chief setward and storekeeper went below with a gang of men, and broke out large quantities of provisions, which were sent on the upper forward deck. The Purser prepared to save the ship’s papers and valuables left in hi3 possession belonging to passengers, which have all been safely delivered to their owners. But, oq going below about ten minutes after the ship struck, he found the specie covered with five feet of water, and so rapidly was she filling, that the water rose in the stern at the rate of six inches per minute, consequently no one dared descend to the vaultr which he locked,and returned to the deck to save what he could of the express matter, etc., which he succeeded in getting forward, and in company with some stout heartswatched by it all night, while desperadods were rummaging and pillaging the ship, and it was reported, although not supposed to be true, that a man had been murdered on the lower forward deck.Before dark,the promenade deck andhouses abaft the shaft lad all washed a-way, the others were torn down to formrafts in readiness for immediate departure, in case of a sudden crash, for weknew not how soon a gale might strike the ship, and scatter her timbers in piecemeal on the waves.Night coming on, and the fog, whichhad for a short time disappeared, again set in, the boats were stopped running,not being able to find the shore, and the terrors of our situation began to stare us in the face ; for amid the bowlings of the wind, the roaring of the waves as they broke upon the deck, and the hoarse orders of the third officer andMr. Randall, there rose the loud accents of ardent and despairing prayer. Confusion in the wildest sense prevailed, for there were those who had prepared to swim ashore stiffening with the «old— those who had sought to drown their fear in too frequent libations of the ardent— while some with a calm resignation had prepared themselves for the worst, and awaited their fate in peace. Thus we passed the dismal night, made still more solemn by the church-like tolling of the bell, which seemed to beckon us on to our funeral.The scene on shore was equally painful; the boat the first officer commanded, with 31 souls, mostly females, was stranded, and all with the exception of himself and three others, who wore thrown upon the beach apparently lifeless, were lost; and here I would record an instance ef female energy seldom equalled even in the annals of the revolution.—A Mrs. Jane Elwell, who had exerted herself by going into the water alongside of the boats and carrying the ladies ashore, saw the almost lifeless bodies of two ladies, and said to a young man, 44 you take one and I’ll take another,” and she picked up one of the ladies and placed her on her shoulder and carried her up an almost perpendicular bluff to a spot where they found a camp, and built fires, and afterwards, together with many other ladies, stripped off all her under clothes and gave them to the exhausted men.During the night, a number of bodieswashed ashore, among other.' a femalewith a child clasped in her arms, the wife of Mr. Brenau, who, as an extraordinary instance of devoted love, went on shore with spade in hand, dug up his wife and child, kissed them, prayed over them, and then re-buried them.At day-break the boats were again set in motion. At eight, A. M., our heartswere made glad by the appearance of a steamer on our larboard quarter, whichproved to be the Goliab, Robert IJaley, Esq., commander, who, as if by a kinddispensation of providence, appeared sent to our relief, for bad we depended upon our own boats a large number would have been lost,as wa could not have got ashore that day, and that night thewreck wcufc to pieces, so nothing was seen but a shell of the stern, which had separated and turned bottom up.To Capt. Haley wc feel it a particular duty to extend our thanks for hispromptness in sending boats to our rescue, and receiving six hundred of our number on board his steamer, in which we were taken to San Diego, whither she was bound, where 536 were left until a steamer could be sent to bear them on their homeward course.Before leaving the w reck, wc sent on shore all the provisions to be found, awning and poles for tents, bcdclothing, etc. , for the use of thosd that had remained, whom it was found necessary to leave, as the Goliah was too heavily freighted to receive them. 15ut it is to be regretted that the actual sufferers never received the provisions sent them, for a party of the ship’s firemen, insensible to humanity, and holding the advantage of having in their possession a large quantity of fire-arms and amuni-tiou, took for themselves almost everything that went ashore, and money was seen in their possession which they could not have obtained honestly.The Goliah, after making her trip to San Diego, returned to a cove about six miles from the scene of the wreck, when she received the balance of the passengers and crew, and started at 4 p. m. on the 7th iust., for Monterey and San Francisco. tIn addition to others, we are particular ly indebted to Captains W. II. Burt and Mathews and to Purser John II. Fleming of the Goliah, for their indefatigable exertions to get the passengersfrom the wreck and beach into the Goliah.It is supposed that about thirty lives are lost, whose names, with the exception of a few, could not be acertained. The following is a list of persons known to be drowned:Four children of Mrs. Logsdale;Frances Mitchell;One child of Mrs. Moore;Wife and child of Thomas Brennan;Mrs. Sumner and child.Sami.. Vougiit,Purser Yankee Blade.The following account of the disaster, we take from the Los Angelos Star, of the 5th instant:“The Yankee Blade left San Francisco at half past 3 o’ clock, r, m. , Sat-turday, 30th ult., for Panama, with 1200*passengers. From Captain HenryAnsley, a passenger, wo learn the following particulars of her loss; TheBlade had foggy weather coining out of the harbor, but the fog somewhat lightened up on Sunday afternoon, and was not thick when the accident happened, according to our informant. About half an hour before she struck, he observed himself what lie considered to be land, and asked the Captain of thesteamer, Henry Randall, Esq., if it was not land. The Captain replied in the negative, saying that they were then twenty miles from land, and there was no danger. About an hour afterwards she struck. There was no wind at the time, and the sea calm as possible.The place where she struck is calledPoint AguePa, fifteen miles above Point Conception. The crash is represented as horrible. The engine was backed instantly, but she was fast. The land then could be seen distinctly. For a moment an intense excitement prevailed among the mass of passengers. One of the boats which they thronged, had to be let down so suddenly that all went into the water; but were picked up and sent on shore, Capt. Randall being in this boat. She filled almost immediately, so that the passengers in the cabin lost everything. The officers at once went ashore,except Capt. Randall’s son, the purser and third mate. Left without control, the crew and some of the passengers betook themselves to pillaging the boat and their companions in distress. The vault with the treasure could not be got at, and remains in the w reck.The accident hapencd about half-past three o’clock on Sunday after noon, just as arrangements were making to sit down to dinner.Capt. Randall attributed the accident to some current operating at that point which carried him to the shore. We understand that much ill-feeling was expressed against him by the passengers, and it has been intimated, but we trust without foundation, that he will be in danger of bis life, on arriving at San Diego. There is Said. also, to be much — ■■ -bad feeling among the passengers ihem-selves with reference to one another.The following account of the disaster is given by the Southern Californian, of October »th:The Yankee Blade left San Francisco at half-past 4 o’clock, P. M. Saturday evening, for Panama, and on the passage down the coast struck a rock at the point about 16 miles above Point Conception at half-past 3 o’clock Sunday evening.Immediately her stern went down, causing the loss of some fifteen persons ;one of whom had lately come across the plains with his family and stock of cattle: having disposed of them, was on his way home, but, lamentably to say, lost the companion of his life, together with all the money lie had, in attempting to make good the shore. He finally got on board the steamer Goliah.The vessel has become a total wreck, causing considerable loss ; also individuals have sustained considerable loss.Some thieves commenced pillaging the ship as soou as the passengers began to embark. Shame on them !The loss of this steamer is lmt another instance of the destruction ofproperty and valuable lives through the utter recklessness of those having thepower to put men able and willing to discharge their duties.The utter incompetency—the careless villainy of the Captain is to be seen in the fact that he recklessly turned his back to every advice—was toldand told the course lie was pursuing would be destruction to the ship and passengers. But no matter, on he went —unhnedingly and wilfully causing tlu* loss of lives and property—irretrievably forcing hundreds into misery and ruinThere is but one way for the community to protect themselves against thesehorrible calamities—that is to be the judges of their own wrongs and the executioners of outraged justice—no more to allow grave jurymen to examine a palpable, damning offence by adding, as always has been the case heretofore, injustice to unpardonable injury.Doubtless the Yankee Blade was heavily insured : and steamboating business on the Pacific lias not been of late so lucrative as in times past, and withlittle future prospects .of its ever becoming what it has been ; it therefore suggests itself to us that this running of steamers on rocks—far away from their due and proper course, is a ready m^ans of turning ships into money, regardless of tbe loss of human life.L'arther Particulars —Capt. Bell,passenger by the Goliah, states that from the best information that he could learn from reliable sources, was that 1200 passengers sailed on the YankeeBlade.Capt. Haley stated to him that hehad taken from the wreck and on shore seven hundred passengers, and left 150 on the beach as per statement of Capt. W. II. Burt, who had charge of theonly boat that returned on shore to the relief of the passengers. If 1200 sailed,350 or thereabouts are lost; but we feel almost sure that out of the whole number 850 have been saved.To Captain W. 11. Burt and Mr Charles Mathews many hundred passen -gers are indebted for their lives. Theywere both passengers on board the Goliah. To Capt. Haley, of the Goliah, they owe every thing— lives, fortunes and all. He did all humanity and the case required. lie has only added one act more to the nu mber to fill out in full the measure of his J une of a gentleman, a sailor, aud a friend to humanity.]]1(11
Newspaper Details
Columbia Gazette
Columbia, California, US
Sat, Oct 14, 1854
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 23 Dec 2022
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