, 1875-11-25
Capt. Jefferson b. Howell.

10 the steamer fdcapc was borne to Us
spon the wings Of the lightning. in this
community aud all over the Sound. one
asure stood out more prominently than
al the others a. an object of popular
grief; that was her young. chivalrous
and noble commander, JEFF. Howell. Of
whom it may be said:
'None knew bin bus to love him.
Noae named him but to praise"
When the news of his death was told
70 Capt. Jones, of the Salvador. one OF
the oldest and ablest commanders in
the eervice of the P. M. 5. S. Co., he
burst into tears and exclaimed: JEFF.
Howell was the best sailor and nobfest
gentleman that ever wall ed q quarter
deck" That was the testimony of all
who had ever travelled upon his steamer.
Uniformly his passengers. of every
grade. have spoken Of him as the most
careful. attentive and vigilant CON-
nlander they had ever travelled with.
He was in the employ Of the orposi-
tion line OF stevmers, and we have frs
qnsntly heard the agent Of the r NJ. 5.
4. Co.. express the desire and deter
znination to secure his services to that
Company if possible. Though the ship
which be commanded was known TO be
be old and its appointments and accom-
modations inferior 10 those Of the other
line, the personal merits of the Captain
alone commanded more than an average
portion of the freight and passengers
between these ports and Sau Francisco.
Captain Howell was the youngest
brother of Mrs. Jefferson Davis. At the
age Of II years he entered the Confed-
crate service, under Capt. Raphael
sepmes, and served until the close Of
the war. At the time of his death be
was about 80 years of age, and more
accomplished gentleman and nobler
type Of manhood it was never our good
fortune to meet. He was one of those
rare characters who under the most sd-
verse surroundings never forgot that he
was gentleman, or deemeu it neces-
sary to assert the fact by any airs or
assumption of superiority. but COT
manded the respect of ALL upon the sea
OF upon the land. by the gentleness and
total absence Of pretension in his man
aers- toward all, gtptle and simple
alike. He maintained the stric,est DIS
eiplins nj On his ship without the use
Of any rough or boisterous language;
wss untiring in his Efforts. aleepless in
his vigilance while on ship beard. and
never. under any circumstances. in
aulged in intoxicating drinks while on
duty. He rarely undressed between
this port and San Francisco. the little
slsep he obtained upon the VOYAGE be-
Ing generally taken, an hour or two at
. time. upos a.leungs in his room. and
only, then in plain sailing. when no
danger was to be anticipated or appre-
hended. Such was the case at the time
Of the collision. which no seamanehip
on the part Of the steamer could have
anticipated OF avoided. The sailing
vessel, when first seen. displayed its
green light, and had it kept on its
course, according to The rules Of the
road, would have passed the steamer
without collision. But. the captain Of
the sailing vessel was evidently seized
With panic and commenced taeking.
Arst one way and then~the other. show
ing to the steamer alternately its red
and then Its green light. leaving its
purpose in doubt whether it would cross
tho bows or tka stern, Of the steamer.
Just As the steamer tackled to ALLOW the
vessel to cross AE bows. the -'essel
tackled in the same direction, which in>
svitably brought themrin collision. The
sailing vessel. without receiving any
material damage. then passed on and
vas wrecked uron q rock many miles
out of : it, regular course, while the
steamer was broken IN two and went
down within the hour.y The steamer
had two hundred and fifty souls aboard.
ninety of whom were miners from the
Cassiar mines, nearly all of them rough,
and many of them, desperate chsrsc
ters, With this understandable and un
disciplined crowd, We did not believe.
when We heard of the accident. that il
would be possible for the officers to
maintain such order as would ssvc any
Of the passengers. Itsappears. how
ever. from the testimony Of the sur
viving quartermaster, that oil got clear
Of the wreulz. in boats and upon RATS.
and that Captain Howell was the last
man to leave the ship The steamer
was in the bsoad ocean. IN its regular
track and with q smooth sea, nj the
time, and the Captain deemi, g all safe.
had removed his outer garments, and
was asleep in his stsss' room. from
which he WAS aroused by the fatal COL
Esion. After doing all that man could
do during 80 short time, to save his
passengers. and remaining upon the
wreck until every passenger and every
one of the crew had left, he reached q
.aft IN the CONDITION In which he came
from his berth, with no other clothing
than shirt and drawers. and nearly three
days afterwards perished from expes-
ure and exhaustion and ives swept into
the ocean.
Immediately after the casualty fear
fui storm arose and no vessel crosse
the track of the disaster until nearly
three days after it occurred. during
which all of the boats and all but two
Of, the passengers and crew, found upon
floating RATS, had disappeared leaving
no record of the manner in which they
aeverally persisted.