Columbia gazette. [volume] (Columbia, Tuolumne County, Calif.) 1852-1855, 1854-10-14
WRECK OF TIL YANKEE BLADE


arrived at San Franciico, on Monday
morning from the Lower Coast, bring
ing disastrous : tidings. We copy the
particulars from the Evening News, of
Monday.
The following is the d6cial report Of
the loss of the Blade, made by Purser
Vought:
The Independent Steamship Yankee
Blade, Henry Randall, Esq, Command
er, sailed from San Francisco, Sept
30th, at 4 O. clock P. M, with eig ht hun
dred passengers, and $l53 900 in spe-
Gle passed the Heads al 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. Ste
phens.
Oct. LIST, at 3 l-2 o'dock P. NJ, being
encompassed in dens. fog, steering a
S. Z. by S. course, AMI supposing our
selves at least ten mile, from shore, We
struck reef Of rocks of Point Arguella,
about fifteen miles above Point C 1ncep :
ton, upon which the ship ran upwards
Of sixty feet, while her stern swung in
nine fathoms Of water, which in less than
twenty-five minutes sunk below the
promenade deck; but so firmly was the
forward part embedded in the rocks, that
up to the time we left the ship (about
P. NJ. on the I'd inst. she had not re-
ceded 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 passen-
gers on shore. And here it is but JUS
tice to observe, that great appreciation
is due Capt. Henry Randall for his
promptness in going on shore to find
proper place to land his passengers, in
taking charge ofone of the boats himself,
and Bleaching it successfully, when that
Of the first officer was stranded, for the
anxious manner in which he urged the
hands on shore to return to the wreck
with the boats, when they displayed every
desire to desert him.
While the boats were being lowered,
the chief setward and storekeeper went
below with gang of men, and broke
out large quantities Of provisions, which
were sent on the upper forward deck.
The Purser prepared to save the ships
papers and valuables left in his posses
sion belonging to passengers, which have
all been safely delivered to their owners.
But, on going below about ten minutes
after the ship struck, he found the specie
covered with five feet of water, and so
rapidly was she filing, that the water
rose in the stern at the rate of six inches
per minute, consequently no one dared
descend to the vault 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 hearts
watched by it all night, while desperadods
were rummaging and pillaging the ship,
and it was reported, although not sup
posed to be true, that man had been
on the lower forward deck.
Before dark. the promenade deck and
houses abaft the shaft had all washed a.
way, the others were torn down to form
RATS in readiness for immediate depart
ure, in case of a sudden crash, for we
knew not how soon gale might strike
the ship, and scatter her timbers in piece
meal on the waves.
Night coming on, and the fog, which
had for 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 howlings of
the wind, the roaring of the waves as
they broke upon the deck, and the
hoarse orders Of the third officer and
Mr.. Randall, there rose the loud accents
Of ardent and despairing prayer. Con-
fusion in the widest sense prevailed, for
there were these who had prepared to
swim ashore stiffening with the cold
those who had sought to drown their fear
in too frequent lbations of the ardent
while some with calm resignation had
themselves for the worst, and
awaited their fate in peace. Thus we
passed the dismal mig ht, 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 pain.
full; the boat the first officer commanded,
with 81 souls, mostly females, was stran-
ded, and all with the exception of him
self and three others, who were thrown
upoa the beach apparently lifeless, were
lost; and here 1 would record an instance
Of female energy seldom equalled
even in the annals of the revolution
A Mrs. Jane Elwell, who had exerted
herself by going into the water along
side Of the boats and carrying the ladies
ashore, saw the almost lifeless bodies of
two ladies, and said to a young man,
=" 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 ex-
hausted men.
During the night, number of bodies
washed ashore, among others a female