The Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1852-1872, 1853-04-09
TREMENDOUS CATASTROPHE.
one HUNDRED AND FlFTY LIVES Losr!!


| TO San Francisco, when off the south point of
| Margarita Island, and within three hundred
| yards OF the shore struck rock and Immediate
| ly commenced to fill with water The accident
befell the steamer early i'll the morning, between
| daylight and sunrise. Nearly all of the passen-
gers were quietly enjoying their repose when
| they were suddenly aroused from their slumbers
by the severity of the collision of the boat upon
the rock. In this state of affairs, instead of
fusion, excitement and alarm, the most complete
| camness reigned supreme.
All around the running high and forbid
ding, yet with awful and portentious future
staring us in the face unless the ship could be
backed off and beached in more prepossessing
waters than now. Immediately the order TO
back off was given, when she Withdrawn,
| and every energy and every effort made by the
use of buckets TO keep her from sinking.
Despite the exertions of the hands and passen-
gers it found impossible to keep her from
sinking, and after running her not to exceed |
| three quarters of mile, increasing the volume |
of steam by more than ordinary means, on ac-
count of the water filling in up to her boilers
and cooling them rapidly she was headed for
| the beach, which she would have gained but for
the layers of rocks against which she finally
struck. The water rushing forward previous to
this second collision. checked the draft through
the chimneys, driving the flames out of the fur
mace doors, and at igniting the ship.
Now was the agonzing time. The flames
spreading rapidly, parants embraced their fond
children, impearlng their cheeks with warm
gushing tears, devoted husbands embraced their
tender wives impressing their lips with atfec
TONS sweet kiss, relying upon God and their
| own exertions for salvation from the fiery and
watery abyss that yawned to receive them.
Some men now began to jump overheard, and
| by swimming hoped to gain the shore. The
breakers running high with heavy sea, the
act seemed inevitable death, as it proved to
many an unfortunate soul. The remaining boats
! were lowered, and for want of management,
| were filed with more men than women, and suc-
ceeded in reaching the shore. In vain did Cap
tain Sampson and Purser Freedom cry for these
boats to return to the ship; in vain were the
warm appeals of Captain Steele to induce the
crew to return with them. After leaving the
| first time, only got off by the interchangeable
exertons OF Mr. Heron, the steward, returned.
In the meantime, on board the ship, Purser
| Freedom worked admirably, as did Mr.. Collins,
the engineer, and Capt Sampson, we'll as
many of the passengers. Men of wealth were
offering large fortunes to be saved. Men and
women, as the flames were spreading, screamed
frantcally, the former shifting their breasts, the
latter tearing their disheveled hair The scene
beggared description. Wealth and poverty were
on equality, and sank together to rise no
more. Females could be seen clambering down
the sides of the ship clingng with deathlike te-
nacty to the ropes, rigging and larboard wheel.
Some were hanging by their skirts, which, |
unfortunately, i'll their efforts to jump overheard
had caught and thus swung, crying piteousy |
and horribly, until the flames relieved them
from their awful position by disengaging their |
clothes, causing them to drop and sink in the |
brny deep. Mothers going to meet their fond |
husbands, threw their tender offspring into the
waves, rather than them devoured by the
fury of the flames. Many eye spoke the gen.
tie goodbye, though the lips moved not. All.
how terrible were the lamentations of the dying
as they were contending between hope and
watery grave. AS l passed through the surf, /
how horribly sounded their piteous means for /
help All around me were the sinking and |
drowning bodies of the passengers and crew of
the steamer Independence o God what sit
uation 10 be in! Planks, spars, trunks and !
coops covered with human beings struggling |
energetically for life, some waited to the shore,
others out to sea, some sinking others being mi
raculously preserved. Here l saw females and |
children providentially rescued-there lost
Here kind husband, who had sworn be-
fore God to protect her whom his soul loved,
struggling for her safety; there father
bearing his afectionate in safety to the shore,
looking around but to the wife OF his love
dashed from the position in which he had left |
her, by the mad and unthinking men jumping
upon her and driving her to the bottomess deep |
On the shore, what scene. At time when |
money had no value, could be the sacrali- |
gious pillaging and pundering the dead-old |
men and young men were stripping the bodies |
of the clothing, securing the contents of their |
pockets, and actually quarreling, yea fighting |
over corpse for the plunder But this is too |
horrible; suffice it to be said that in less than |
one hour from the fatal collision, not less than |
$50 of the 400 souls on the Independence had |
found a watery grave.
Here we are asked the cause for this destrue |
ton of human life, this waste of property, this
sunderng of the ties which God had put to-
gether, and we answer by stating the facts as
we have them from persons knowing them, and |
whose statements are now IN our possession.
at was not hazy" morning, but as clear
as every broke upon the earth. For ten or ff
teen minutes previous tn the steamers striking, !
the rocks could be seen. The breakers for a |
long time before were plainly visible, as well as
the land. At halfpast in the morning the boat
was heading straight for the island, and there
was no change in her till she was stayed
in her mad career by striking upon the rocks.
There is reef extending into the sea in a
southerly direction from the island. The rocks
against which the Independence struck are laid
down upon the charts.
For the truthfulness of all these statements, we
have the veracity of over twenty-five men, who
saw what we have narrated.
E. Drown.
lIen. DrOWn, IN auuiuon W lne dDo'c, Has
published an article, signed by $50 Of the sur
viving passengers in which they charge the loss
of the steamer to the " carelessness mismanage-
ment, or wilfulness of Capt. Sampson. But as
all these $50 persons were fast asleep at the
time of the collision, and for eight or ten hours
previous, they have, we think, exhibited, to say
the least very plentiful lack of modesty, in at
fixing their names to that paper. The charge