The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-03
WRECK OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.


Ero,, the san francisco Alta, oct 70.
The Sierra Nevada left this port in charge
of Captain j. @. Bogert, on Saturday last,
Oct. 1G, with 124 tons of freight and ~
passengers bound for San Luis 0bispo and
way ports.
THE PASSENGERS.
Among the passengers on board was Gov
ernor Wood, of Illinois, together with his wife,
two sons and brother-in-law Governor Wood
has visited Oregon, Washington Territory,
and other portions of the Pacific slope, and
was on his way TO see for himself the special
advantages and beauties of nature to be found
in the southern portions of our State There
were also on board the following passengers,
viz..-C. j. Arbuckle, E. F. Walker, Rev. A.
H. Burton, p. Page, L. @. Hayes, Il. f. Tay-
lor, w. Pool, A. Pool, r. Pool, 7. Bayer, d.
Magnet, W. l.. Carroll, r. Kleiner, j. OBrien
M Dore Miss Mary Hollister, Mrs. Dies, Mrs.
Ransom, two daughters and son, ]. Holmes,
s. j. Lynch, +. Delaty, +. +. German, j.
Atkins, and fourteen Chinese. The officers
and crew numbered forty-eight, making in
all ninety souls on board at the time of the
wreck.
THE VOYAGE.
After leaving this port everything for a
time went as merry as a marriage bell"
Santa Cruz was soon reached where way pas
sengers and a portion of the freight were
landed. About II o'clock on Sunday Monte
rey was made, and at o'clock in the after
noon the steamer proceeded on her voyage,
there being at the time a thick fog and
heavy sea swell. No fear, however, was felt
on that score, as it was known that Captain
Bogert was well experienced in all the dan
gers of the coast and was accustomed to
make similar trips in all kinds of weather.
When seventy-fve miles south of Monterey,
the captain and chief officer compared reckon
ing, and agreed as to their opinion of the
exact position of the ship. The captain then
said he would "turn in" But before doing
SO he took the preeaution to see show the
ships head was, and found she was being
kept her true course, namely, s. u. by e.
He then, at 10 p. NJ, went into his cabin
and laid upon his lounge, smoking cigar
As the vessel was ahead of time, and as a very
low rate of speed would be sufficient to bring
her to San Luis Obispo by daylight only
the extremely low. pressure of eight pounds
of steam was kept up, and the speed did not
exceed six and a half knots per hour at the
outside.
THE WRECK.
The captain had been in his cabin Just
twenty minutes, when the chief officer rushed
in and reported that he could hear the surf
The fog was SO intense at the time that 'you
could not see your hand before you" The
captain ran on deck, and instantly ordered
the man at the wheel to put the helm 'hard-
a-port, and cried to the engineer ''to stop
her" These commands were only Just obeyed
when the vessel struck with moderate force
against a reef. Orders were then given to
''back, the Captain hoping (although he felt
almost certain o hole had been made in the
ships bottom) that he might yet be able to
beach her, and so save passengers, freight,
and the ships hull. Not more than two re-
volutions, however, had been made when the
heavy swell lifted the ship on to a rock with
tremendous force, knocking her bottom sn
lifting the boiler bodily off its bed and break
ing it so that the steam escaped into the sea
through the aperture. All on board were
thrown off their feet and into state of mo-
mentary CONSERVATION perfectly natural under
the circumstances At that instant there was
one great, pressing, and all-important require
ment-fortunately it was at hand in the per-
son of
COOL AND BRAVE CAPTAIN,
who, in a moment, and with great force and
clearness of intellect that deserved and has
obtained the warmest praise of all on board,
comprehended all that was demanded by the
exigencies of his position. He saw that the
vessel was irretrievably lost, and that it only
remained to save the lives of passengers and
crew. The great danger to be apprehended
was that the ship would go bodily down.
The vessel, too, having keeled over consider
ably, there was much risk of the lights set
ting fire to her, and so adding that most
alarming of calamities of a ship on fire to the
other horrors of the hour. To prevent this
the captains first order was to extinguish all
the lights, and his next and almost
simultaneous command was to lower
the quarter boat, In charge of which he
placed the chief officer and two seamen,
with instructions to anchor at q short
distance clear of the reef and of the ship.
The boat was so placed for two reasons
First, if the ship went down, the passengers
would have chance to make to the boat and
if she did not, it was intended to place the
passengers in the other boats, and then fasten
to the one that was SO anchored, in order to
prevent them from separating until day.
light should appear. This plan, admirable as
it was, was conceived and put in execution III
less time than it takes us to describe it. By
this time the GOODNESS and sef-possession of
Captain Bogert had made its influence felt by
all on board. The first trying moment being
past, and the captains manner having re-
stored confidence, all danger of panic was
at an end, and under the magical INFLUENCE
which commanding mind at such a moment
always exercises, they all-passengers and
crew-fell to work. each in an appropriate
way, to execute the rapid yet confident or
ders that were being issued by Captain
Bogert
THE PASSENGERS LEAVING THE SHIP
The large quarter boat having been an
chored as previously described, the starboard
quarter boat was then lowered Into this il
was proposed to put the eleven ladies. two
children, and the ''old men" who. were on
board. To successfully and safely accom-.
plish this was task of much difficulty and of
oyraat Daril u, consauuance of the darlnaoe