Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-06-25
The Loss OF the Steamer Active.

~ @$N-S "a Ss-t4ItI active.
The Sm Francisco .ira of tie l":h
inst, publishes a full statement .f ;'c L.,
Of the steamer .iciirc, on IT, III ia,t.
rear Cafo Nondocino. fron, which We con,
dense as follows:
y thick feg prevailed at the time Of the
disaster, and the vessel consequently ran
far out o! her course and finally struck a
sunken rock which cau>cl her to spr.n-
heavy leak. Immediately after the dis
coycry "f this fact the Captain ordered all
forward passengers aft and commenced
shifting cargo aft also. when finding the
water was gaining on the pumps and the
slip was settling by the head, the Captain
sto1d along the shore with the view CT
saving the ship in case the pumps could
gain on the leak. But finding this i'm
possible, the ship was headed straight for
the shore, and everything made ready for
saving the lives Of passengers by prcpar-
ing all the boats for immediate use in case
o' necessity; that extremity did not arise,
aud the vessel was safely bcaclcl ut
quarter to four o'clock p. ".
The boats were then lowered and
mannci-the first by the seconl officer,
J. W. Partridge. the second by the first Of
fccr, j. Carr, and the third by the Chief
Engineer Brown. The la!;cs AMI chill.
drcn were first passed into the boats AMI
landcl without accident Alter which.
the remaining passengers were likewise
landed. also the mails and baggage. with
provisions and water sufficient for the oc-
casion.
When this had been accomplished.
Capt. Lyons dispatched Mr.. Polk, the
Purscr, and Nr. O'Connor, Wells, Fargo
& Co.'S Messenger. to carry the intolli-
scnce Of the disaster to Eureka. They
started on foot at 6 o'clock r, NJ, and after
travelling eight miles under the most trying
difficulties succeeded in obtaining horses,
with which they proceeded to Eureka,
distance Of - miles, where they arrived
at > o'clock =. NJ, just in time to com
municatc with Capt. Sholl, of the steiner
Pacific, who kindly proceeded at oucc to
the relief of the passengers.
The steamer was firmly fixed on a rock
where she had been lifted by Il large wave,
and in settling the rock went through the
vessels bottom and held her there
The passengers when the Parifc ar
rived, had made themselves comfortable,
though of course were very glad to be IA,
ken on the steamer. They were then Ia
ken to Crescent City, where the Pacific
WAS bound when intercepted, and landed
freight and passengers for that place, and
then returned on Friday to the wreck to
take off such freight as could he saved.
When the Pacific returned to the scene of
the disaster, the surf was breaking over
the Ac'iyc as high as her smoke stacks.
and all attempts to save anything more
were considered useless. The Actirc will
prove a total loss beyond all doubt. 1t
is thought that about one-half of the
freight. of which she had about ninety
tons, will be saved in a damaged condi-
ton. Nearly, if not quite all, the baggage
was saved. very little of it being damaged
Wells, Fargo & Co.'S freight was valued
at about $4,000 nearly all Of which is
badly damaged, if not utterly ruined. The
total value of the cargo was probably
worth, according t, estimates put upon it,,
somewhere about 100000
1t is matter to rejoice at that this dis
astcr has been unaccompanict with the
loss Of life. The loss Of property is heavy
and to be dcplorcd, but the other consil-
Grafton, in great measure, reconeiles
this