Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-18
LOSS OF THE STEAMER YANKEE BLADE.
We copy the following particulars of the loss Of the
ulra Rlada the Placer Tmes:

The OF the disaster TO tue Iduhoe
San Fra ncsco soon after o'clock A. NJ Of the 9th Oc
tober The Goliah arrived at hafpast o'clock A. NJ,
and the full particulars Of the wreck and the purser
and the reports Of passengers were
throuohou the city Immediately upon the receipt Of
the intele attention directed to the means OF
giving sco the passengers Of the unfortunate vessel
who are IN destitute situation at San Diego Captain
Garrison ag Of the Nicaragua Company forthwith pre-
pared to dis oatch the Brother Jonathan to San Diego
with orders bring up every man who wished to come
Captain Seab Try took the command of the Brother Jona
than and sailed lat5 o'clock in the afternoon The Carolina
ug-boa is to dispatched this morning to the wreck
srM -EMENT OF PuRsER voUoHT.
'TEAmsHIP GoLIAH, AT SEA, OCTOBER 8.
The Indepsnd mt steamship Yankee Blade, Henry RAN
dali commander sailed from San Francisco September 80
Mt P NJ with eight hundred passengers aud Sl53 0OO
in specie Passe the Heads at p. NJ. At o'clock
sarpo evening pos sed steamer the sarboard beam
October az 31 p NJ, being encompassed in dense
fog ateerinc III by 81 and supposing ourselves atleast
ten railes from ana, e we struck reef Of rocks oil
Point Aroulla abo fifteen miles above Point Concep
tion. on which tie ship run up upward of sixty feet
While ber sayn suun in nine fathoms of water, which in
less than tUentv6va minutes sunk below the promenade
deck hut 40 firmly vas her forward part embedded in
the rocks that up to 10 time left the ship at NJ on
the 2d sbe bad not res :ded an inch.
AZ soon as va ore discovered to be in danger the off,
Gers o the deck apnc ID and manned the boats and pro-
ceeed at once TO ret III ladies and passengers ashore
Aud here it Just to CD that great appreciation is
dne To Captain Randall for his promptness in going on
shore TO fnd proper lace to land his passengers in
taking CHARGE of one of II boats himself and beaching
II successnllv when that Of the first officer strand
"a a for the serions manpe in which he urged the men
shore "a return with hs boats the wreck when they
desre "a 40 sert him. and for sending his
son Henry Randall Jr to Ipply his place tho wreck
IN which nacv he IHenrvl acquitted himself in
ner far bevond is years ins pring all hearts with hope
and preserving much order as couu DC optaneu
Willie tba boots uere heno owered the chief steward,
storekeeper, and some men wei " peioW anu pIohe o
large quantity Of provisions wi nch were sent 10 tnc
nar forward 'dect The nnrsa { prepared to the
ships papers and valuables in hi possession peoheg W
the passengers which have all oeen saiey V
their owners But going beo, ten minutes aer tne
ship struck he found the specie ered wh nve Ioet OF
water, and rapidly she l that the wafer rose
in the stern six inches per minute consequently no oe
dared to descend to the vault whi On ne anu
turned to the deck to save what he couiu ~ he
matter He succeeded in getting T"aru, anu' ~ Con
r,nr witb eoma stont heats yatc he'd by it all night
while desperadoes ranging and aaglng tne en,p
Before dark the promenade deck houses ais u 'o
shaft had al washed away and others were orn uoW ~
form RATS in readiness for immediate departure III
of sudden break, for we knew not now soon gale
might strike the ship and batter her uoers IL piece
meals to the waves
Night coming on, and the fog, which nao lor snor,
time disappeared again setting in the DO as soPp
rnr;nr MT ha;n aha o frd tho bore md the terror OF
or becn n stara ne in the fase for amid the
bowI;no &c tbe Wind tba ro,r;no cf tbs they
broLa no tho ecks and the hoarse orde Of the third
eicer and Mr. Randall there The o "a accents Q,
ardent and desparing prayer Confusion ~ tno wiues'
prevailed for there those who ha
swim ashore sened with the cod those VIII nau
drown their fears in the frequent ibatons0
while some, with calm resignation, had prep Aeu tneln
selves for the worst, and awaad chair fat IN pgaGe
Thus passed the dis,nnl night, made si n s ~ !.
ny tho church like tolng Of the bell, which seemeu
beck to our funeral. @ /,
The scene on shore equally painful Tn DoaI TN
Srst oicer commended with h;rtvone souls iosty fe
elias -ns s.ronJaa ard al ytI The Yconi;o, Of him
sef and threa otbers Who were thrown on the i, ach
..otl,, ,;coIas. rana ,ast n,r;n tha n;chto number
af bo;es ,voobed asbors amonc others ssmale with
A. S.rbrsoL the boata vera ooa;n cot in noon wheI
Mr. Hewitt came board and although much br uiseu
b;s sort beart never forsakno him tht
discharge of his duties with astonishing energy.
AT o'clock A. NJ our hearts were made glad by m VI.
appearance Of steamer larboard quarter WI oi
proved to be ths Golah, Samuel Haley, Esq e
who if by kind dispensation of Providence, ,appea &c
sent to our relief; for, had depended bon S
a large number would have been lost, could y
have got ashore that day. and that night the wrsckwcI
pieces, notAng in the morning but shei
of the stern which had separated and turned bottom up
10 Capt Haley feel it particular duty to extend
thanks for hiss prompness in sending boats to obr
and receiving six hundred of our number on board
his steamer, in which were taken to San Diego whi
her She bound where Eve hundred and thiry-sx1
left until steamer could be sent to bear them on
their homewara vayage. 84 III
Before leaving the wreck shore ell the pro-
visions be found awning and poles for tents beds,
bedding clothing &c. fer the Of those that remain
ed whom it foand necessary to leave the Gohah
heavily feghted to receive them board. But
it is to be regretted that the actual sufferers
ceiyed the provisions sent them for party composed
mostly Of fremen, nsensble to humanity and hodingI
the advantage by having in their possession large guam
y of firearms and ammunition, took fer themselves al
most every thing thatwen ashore and money in
their possession which they could not have got honestly
The Goliah, after making her trip to San Diego re-
turned to about six miles from the Of the
wreck when she received the passengers and and
started at half past o'clock p NJ the 7th, for Mon
terey and San Francisco.
In addition Others particularly indebted to
Capts. W. H. Burt and Matthews for their ndefatgable
efforts get the passengers from the wreck and beach
into the Goiah. !
1t is supposed that about thirty lives lost Their
names with few exceptions could not be ascertained
STATEMENT OF A PASSENGER.
There were passengers drowned the wreck, and
our informant believes that not more than fifty in oil
have been lost Those that pershed in the attempt to
land confined to the first day. When the captain
left the ship in the first boat all board in confu
sion, and not FIVE minutes had elapsed before the hell
hounds were at their work band Of robbers seemed
organized once and began pundcring the cabin They
armed with revolvers and knives and proceeded
oooy to open carpet bags and trunks which they ran
sacked with all possible dspatch II necessary to
hasten through their in that portion Of the boat where
the water rapidly coming in In the steerage they
had full control oil night and dared to enter or
interfere At time cries of murder were heard be-
low, and young called for help to protect his friend
but none were willing to 60 down One passenger sub.
sequenty exhibited cash in the back OF his head
which inflicted while they taking his watch
Some passengers had to draw their pistols and present
them in order get the and children the boats
the first day. The plumber party got possession Of one
of the boats and money exacted from several who
got board. lot Of shore Of the stripe
would give up nothing that they had obtained without
mt ~ u A