The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-08-15
A CALIFORNIA STEAMER BURNED
Total Loss of the Golden Gate.
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY LIVES LOST,

one III NDRED AND EIGHTY LIVES LOST.
The steamship Golden Gate which left San
Francisco July Dist, for Panama, with $50
passengers, and Sl,ll4,000 in treasure for
New York, and $4,000 for England, was
burnt at sea, July 9th, and one hundred and
eighty lives lost. All the treasure was also
lost The interruption of the California tel
egraph line east of Salt Lake, has prevented
the reception of the full details of this terri
bic disaster, bu; it is understood the accident
occurred off Manzanilla. The following pri-
vate dispatches concerning the affair have
been received in New York -
San Francisco, august 6.-To William l..
Halsey, No. Wall street, New York; was
saved from the burning ship by lashing my
self to the forecastle's ladder, and jumping
overheard, passed under way, and received
serious injury. Was picked up by the ship s
boat, remained in it 20 hours before reach
ing Manzanilla. Poor Flint was lost. |
will send by overland telegraph to nv family,
about my safety and health.
BENJAMIN HOILADAY.
Edward Flint, formerly of New York, went
out in February, 1861; left wife in New
York. Was middle aged man.
San Francisco. August To Allen Nc
Lane. presdent-The Golden Gate was burn
ed at sea, near Manzanilla Two hundred
passengers and crew persisted. The ship is
a total loss. Particulars as soon as possible.
FORBES 4 BABCoCk.
San francisco, IHgWt To Eugene
Kelly X Co. New Iork-The steamship Col
den Gate, which sailed hence on the 2ist of
July. took fire - niles Off Manzanilla. and
was burnt to the waters edge Abou, 200
passengers were lost. ruwaru rItnr IS ZONE,
Ben Holiday and Captain Whitney are
saved. 1t is thought the treasure will he
saved, as the ship was beached.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
The destruction of the Golden Gate hv
fire at sea. and the loss of $50 lives and a vas,
amount OF treasure, takes us all BY surprise,
and nils many hearts with anxiety and sor-
row. Our minds have been SO engrossed hv
the war, and accidents of this kind have
been 50 rare of late, that We had almost come
to suppose them impossible: or rather. we
though nothing about them at all. \ man
starts for Europe or California with a feel
ing of security as great as though he was on
II going to the next town, and friends an,ici-
pate no danger in his behalf And this feel
ing of security is we'll founded. Navigation
and the art Of shipbuiding have reached
such point of perfection. that man NAV
well be said TO be master of the waves and
winds; and it is only occasionally that a dis
aster like this, which all knowledge and care
fui,.ess are sometimes unable to guard
against, comes. In the last decade. howey-
er, only four similar disasters have occurred.
on anywhere near the scale with the destruc
ton of the Golden Gate. These are. the
steamer Arctic, sunk by collision in III.
year 1851, with less of 100 lives. the Cen
tlal America, sunk in 1857, with loss Of
30 lives, the German steamer Austria. de-
stroyed by fire in 1858, with 45G lives. and
the more recent wreck of the British steam
er Hungarian. on the Atlantic coast. with a
loss OF about 10 lives. On the whole. con-
slderng the vast increase in the number Of
ocean steamers, and the number of p;.ssen
gers carried, the tewness of disasters is re-
rather than the contrary.
The Golden Gate was splendid, large
steamer, built at New York in 1850. She
was one OF the finest steamers on the route.
was IN good repair, and by the meager tel
egraphic dispatches which we have been able I
to obtain, no cause is given for the disaster. (;
winch has caused the loss Of so MANY lives !!
and SO much property. But on the books of !
the underwriters, she is marked as deficient
in securities against fire.