, 1853-04-23

We pulled until ten O'Clock that night, |
when, not being able TO see any vessels, and
not knowing in what direction to pull, /
landed on the north shore of the entrance TO
Magdaena Bay, hauled up the boat, and
waited until daylight, when start d again
10 pull across the bay after pulling an
hour and half, ! discovered vessel close
in TO the main land, pulled for and reached
her at | O'clock, A. NJ. found her to be
/ the schooner A. Emery, Capt Gordon The
! Captain and most of the crew were ashore
looking for water; set a signal, and they
came on board.
Capt. Gordon said that he had been in the
bay five days, and that there were no other
vessels in the bay. After stating the cir
/ cumslanccs of the wreck TO him, be consent
ed to get under way although he had but
sixty gallons on board at the time), and
take the survivors 10 San Jose or Cape St.
Lucls, where they could get the neccssaries
of life until other assistance could be render
ed them; and he Immediately got under
way and commenced beating out. at day
| light of the 18th, il being calm, and the
schooner being long distance from the
wreck, ! took 20 gallons of water and
sack Of bread in the boat, and started for the
camp, expecting 10 fud the people suffering
for water, as there was none on the island
fit to drink. Arrived abreast Of the wreck
at ?. NJ, having been gone from there 81
hours. The surf was breaking very heavily,
making it dangerous 10 land. The male
came down on the beach and said that the
passengers had gone across the island, and
that l had better pull round the south end
of the island TO the other side, which did,
and found the boats crews from the whale
ships Omega, James Murry, Meteor and
bark Clement, busly at work taking passen-
gers on board the ships, which lay about l2
miles distant from the point Of embarkation
in the lower bay. While was away in the
boat the mate and engineer bad gone across
the Island, seen the ships and boats and
signalized to them, and so obtained relief
| then took boat and crew and started off 10
meet the schooner and take her back into
the bay, where we arrived on the morning
of the ooh. then went on board the ships
and mustered a party Of men aud went
across the island to the wreck to save and
bring over oil the provisions we could find.
While at work getting provisions from
the wreck, We saw steamer bound down
the coast, about six miles distant. We
made signals for her, but she did not notice
them. Launched a boat and took two men
in and attempted to get off 10 speak her, but
the surf, which was breaking very heavily
at the time, swamped the boat and broke
one of the oars, and when reached the
shore again was so much exhausted that !
could not make another attempt.
After getting oil the provisions that had
been saved, which occupied Two days,
chartered the ship Meteor, Capt. Jeffries, TO
take US all TO San Francisco, TO sail as soon
as the vessel could be made ready While
the ship was being fitted took boat and
crew from the ship Omega and lay off and
on the Island on the look out for a steamer,
hoping 10 speak one on her passage up and
get some assistance from her, but none came
in sight Of US.
On the Sd of March, everything being
ready and the passengers al on board, (ex-
cept few who chose 60 to the Sandwich
Islands in the other ships we sailed for
this port.
was on the larboard paddle-box when
the steamer struck, and had been on deck
the whole night. If the steamer had not
taken fire, not a soul would have been lost,
for they could all have been landed safe il
there had been tine.
The reef on which the steamer struck is
about two miles long, making off in south
easlerly direction, and is mol laid down in
any Of the charts that have ever seen.
Yours respectfully,
+. L. SAMPSON.