Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1853-05-11
THE GRAND RIVER TIMES.
GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY11, 'is5a.


dence, on the coast of desert island to the
southwest of Lower California Our narrow
limits forbid anything like full detail of the
painful particulars laid before us.
The Independence was running in connection
with the Vanderbilt line, and was on her way
from San Juan del Sud to San Francisco. At
the break of day on the morning of the 10th of
Feb. she struck a sunken reef extending out
from the south point of Margarita island about
a mile from shore. She was easily backed off.
but was found to be rapidly filling, and the on
ly alternative was to beach her. After running
four miles for favorable place, she was put
ashore, and line extended to the beach which
was distant about one hundred yards. A very
heavy surf was running at the time, rendering
communication with the shore difficult The
water seen became so high as to stop the draft
from the lower fues, which forced open the fur
mace doors; the flames rushed forth, and the i'll
fated steamer was instantly on fire.
"And now ensued one of the most narrowing
scenes ever recorded in the history of shipwreck;
the flames leaped rapidly across the after part of
the ship, driving the masses before it, and dozens
Sprang into the water ana were seen struggling III
the surf. All the boats were now gone, and it
was impossible to regain the ship from the shore
or to render any succor whatever; dreadful cries
and screams proceeded from the ship, which, min
ged with the roaring of the sea, the cracking of
the flames and shouting of those on shore, must
have been era of terror in the lives of those
who beheid it from the beach. AS the flames adj
vanced forward the unhappy victims were forced
into the sea, and every surf came freighted with
corpses of exhausted half drowned men, women
and children. Such scene has never before been
witnessed on the Pacific coast. To add to the eX-
element, the flames had now communicated to
the powder magazine which exploded, tearing the
run and stern to pieces and splntering all that por
ton of the ship; the two guns surrounded by the
flames, also sent their solemn booming over the
scene.
"Those who were fortunate enough to get within
reach of their friends on shore, were dragged half
dead out of the reach of the surf, while others
swept around the stern of the steamer out to
sea, there being strong current making seaward
from the ship. AT one moment not less than thir-
ty corpses and bodies of the dying in the edge
of the surf, some of them ~divested Of clothing
Out of party ofeighteen Jews who were on board,
sixteen persisted from the weight of coin it was
supposed which they attempted to bring with them
through the waves. The outward current above
mentioned carried off numbers of persons who
were good swimmers, or foated who would have
otherwise been saved several women thus floating
were swept away, the baggage such as would float,
also went out with the ebb; none of it was saved
by drifting to the shore"
Out of FIVE hundred persons, at least one
hundred and forty persisted. After enduring
the greatest suffering, being for ffty-six hours
on an uninhabited island without water, the sur
vivors were taken on board some whaling ves-
sells and finally conveyed by the ship Meteor to
San Francisco.
1t is said on seemingly good authority that
the Independence was never fit for sea service.
She was an old river boat sent out to run on
the Sacramento, but being found too slow for
that purpose was chartered by Vanderbilt for
passenger boat on the Pacific She has for a
much so, that it was deemed unsafe by her cap
tain to run her out Of sight Of land. This
alone can account for his departure from the
usual route, which resulted in the sacrifice of so
many lives to a spirit of reckless cupidity.
~ We gather the following particulars
relative to the terrible railroad collision, at the
crossing of the Michigan roads, in addition to
what is contained in the telegraphic report pub
lshed in last weeks paper.
According to the testimony of the conductors
and engineers, the southern train, which by the
regulations of the roads should have avoided
the other, was moving at the rate of twenty-five
miles per hour. The central train was moving
four miles an hour without head light, and was
not observed by the engineer of the southern
train until few moments before the catastro-
phe. Had the central train been provided with |
a head light, or had the engineer of the south
ern informed himself in relation to his duty in
regard to avoiding trains on the other road at
the crossing, and acted accordingly, this whole
sale slaughter in all probability would never
have taken place.
On the 9th the coroners jury after thor
ough investigation of the facts rendered the fol-
lowing verdict:
"We the jury affirm and say the following named |
Williamson, Goddess Wagner, S. |
d. Gray, Edward Misener, Thomas Sawler, Jo |
hanna Sidolf, John Hunter, Earle Louisa Scott |
three men, two boys, one woman and one child, |
names unknown came to their death by the col !
lision which took place between the Michigan
Southern and Michigan Central railroads, on the |
night of the 25th day Of April A. ID. 1853, caused
by the gross carelessness and neglect of Moses M.
Tyler, conductor, and Thomas Rackham, engineer
of Michigan Central railroad also Herbert l..
Whiting conductor, and Ed. Davis, engineer on
said Michigan Southern railroad. We find and