The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-05-31
THE LOST
Sinking of the San Francisco Of the
Mexican Coast.

ltltSO itGoPolliCilt VI Nv
associated press, telegraphs as follows.
2 p. m: The Pacific mail steamer,
Costa Rica, has just dropped anchor.
She has on board 1877 passengers of the
San Francisco. Mr.. Moses Sargent, a
brother OF Senator Sargent, gives the
following details: The steamer City of
San Francisco left Panama on May IL,
at 4:30 n. H., with 1877 passengers, AS
cabin and 81 steerage, and $50 officers
and crew. The value of the cargo was
three-quarters Of q million dollars, con-
sisting of silks, velyets, laces, etc. On
Wednesday morning, May 16, the day
was bright and atmosphere clear. AT
9:lS a peculiar, indescribable tremor
was felt, the ship having struck upon
some unknown danger, cutting in two
her hull to the length of sixty feet.
The water rushed in with fearful veloc-
ity, and the ship was then six miles
southwest from the Tartar shoals, and
thirteen miles from shore, the Captain
having known her position, by ohserva-
ton at 8 O'Clock. The danger upon
which she struck is not on any chart,
but a document sworn to before the u.
=. consul at Acapulco, by one Perez, and
witnessed w VIM. l.und, of the gum
boat Mexico, deposes that said Perer is
perfectly conversant with the rocks eX-
tending from Point Mathematical. In
a southwest direction the rocks are
| sharp and pointed and covered with
four or five fathoms of water eXtend-
ing in Il nearly straight line southwest,
to the distance of twelve to fourteen
miles from land, and that he tished for
turtle frequently there. The ship was
at once turned towards shore while she
was gradually sinking, and had full
steam on when she grounded on the
sand bank, at 1920 a. III. The captain
and his officers were cool, calm and
clear-headed. As soon as the ship
struck orders were given to get the
boats ready and life preservers on, as
danger of sinking was most imminent.
The soundings between the reef and
sand bank, showed 81, y, 20 and D
fathoms of water and no bottom. Dur
ing this fearful interval, while evident
" sinking, no a cry was heard from
the passengers. There was little con-
fusion, but a silent, anxious waiting,
although there were 1871 passengers, 90
of them small children, and many
Young men who were never before at
sea.
The boats finally started for shore,
thirteen miles away, not q passenger
being allowed n pound Of baggage of
any kind. When reaching the shore
each boat was overturned and the pass
engers thrown i'll the surf-a scene
never to be forgotten. Kind Provi-
dence preserved every life, and all We're
safe on Mexican shore. y stream of
fresh water was found between the
mountains, where, with the stars for
a covering, and roots and branches Of
trees for mattresses, all slept.
The captain at once sent one OF the
officers to Acapulco, eighty miles dis
tant, but fortunately the boat fell in
with the gun-boat Mexico, Capt. Lolar
commanding, and although under Or
ders to get provisions for n besieged
city of inhabitants, starving for food,
the captain at once steamed off to the
relief of the shipwrecked passengers.
They were all taken off safely and
| crowded the deck Of the g%un-boat.
They were next day transferred to the
Pacific mail steamer Costa Rica, Capt.
Whiteberry, commanding.
The officers and crews Of the L. ;.
ships Lackawana and Pensacola acted
most nobly, supplying the passengers
with clothing from their private ward
robes, the U. :. ships taking up sub
scriptions to q large amount for dis
tribution among the women and chill
dren who were entirely destitute.
Capt. Waddeu and his officers behaved
splendidly- brave. humane, unselfish.
Capt. Waddell says sever steam pumps,
of 100 barrels of water per minute
capacity, were absolutely useless, as
the whole bottom was out of the ship.
The steamer has run over the spot re-
peatedly. The only conjecture given is
that the late earthquake, which was
made manifest on the coast by 4 tidal
wave.
She was going ut II knots an hour
when she struck. The Captain was on
the bridge an hour before the steamer
struck, and timed everything by his
watch. Twenty minutes after she
struck the fires We're out. In that
twenty minutes she was running into
shore under q full head of steam, and
ran forty-two minutes, making a dis
lance of nine or ten miles, and then
grounded in thirty feet of water on a
sand bottom.
The next morning the foot of the
stern was seen out of water, with the
whole body of the ship submerged. The
mizzen. mast was gone. The baggage of
Tile passengers, lutilltuic. ett., were
constantly floating ashore during the
day. The money of the passengers in
the purser's hands, the ships money
and the baggage are totally lost. 1t
was q run for life. From inter-
views with many passengers L find
that there is n unanimous sentiment
of the warmest feeling toward the COM
manders and officers. Every nan says
emphatically that the officers could
have done no more. They did all that
men could do. The captain declares
that his officers and men stood to their
duty nobly; he had none but heroes on
board. The best drilled man-of-war
could not have acted with better dis
cipline and responded to every order
with more ability.
The officers of the wrecked steamer
will go up overland, taking Il convey
ance here and proceeding by rail from
Anheim. The Costa Rica remains to
take on board coal, and will probably
not get away from here until to-mor-
row morning She pxpeptS tn arrive nj