Nebraska advertiser., 1877-06-07
PERILS OF THE SEA.
Graphic Account of the Loss of the
Steamship City OF San
Francisco.
FHEFIRsT INTELLIGENCE.

The san Diego correspondent OF the
California Associated Press telegrephs
as follows: The Pacific mail steamer
Costa Rica has just dropped anchor.
She has on.board 1871 passengers, Ofthe
San Francisco. Mr.. Moses Sargent,
brother of Senator Sargent, gives the
following details The City Of San
Francisco left Panama May IL, at 4 80
a. NJ, with 137 passengers, forty-siX
cabin and ninety-one steerage, and $50
officers and crew. The value of the
cargo was $3.50, 600, consisting of silk,
velvets, lace, etc. On Wednesday
morning, May 1G. the day being bright
and the atmosphere clear. at :lS
o'clock, peculiar and indiscribable
tremor was felt, the ship having
STRUCK AGAINST AN UNKNOWN DAN
GER,
cutting into the hull the length of six
ty feet, the water rushing iii with fear
ful-velosity. The ship was then six
miles southwest from Tartar shoals
and thirteen miles from the shore, the
captain having known by observation
her position at O'Clock. The danger
upon which she struck is not on any
chart, but the document sworn to be-
fore the United States Consul at ACa-
pulco by one Perer. aud witnessed by
William Lund, of the gunboat Mexi-
can despOses that said Perer is perfect
ly conVersant with the rocks extend
ing from Point WaldonadOcia in a
southwesterly direction, sharp point
ed, and covered with four or five faith
Oms of water, extended In nearly a
straight line southwest, to the dis
tance of twelve to fourteen miles from
land, and that he fished for turtles
frequently there. The ship was at
once turned towards the shore, gTadu
ally sinking, with full steam on, when
she grounded on sandbank at 10 30
a. IN. Fortunately, three compart-
ments did not burst,
THE CAPTAIN AND HIS OFFICERS
WERE COOL, CALM, AND CLEAR HEAD
ED.
AS soon as the ship struck, orders
having been given TO get the boats
ready, life-preservers were put On.
AS danger of sinking was most immi-
nent. sounding between the reef and
sandbank showed five and q half, sew
en- and half, twenty: and twenty
two fathoms of water, and no bottom.
Dnring the fearful interval, while eV
identity sinking, not a cry was heard
from the passengers. There was little
confusion, but silent, anxious waiting
although there were 1877 passengers.
twenty of them small children, and |
many young men who were never be- !
fore at sea. The boats started for shore |
three miles away. Not a passengers |
was allowed pound ofbaggage of any |
kind. and when reaching shore each |
boat was overturned, and
THE PASSENGERS THROWN INTO THE |
SURF.
The scene was one never to be forgot |
ten, but kind Providence preserved |
every Hf-, and all weEa safe on the |
Mexican shore. Fortunately stream |
of fresh water was found between the |
mountains, where, with the stars for
a covering and roots and branches of |
trees for mattresses, ell slept. The
Captain at once sent one of the offia !
to Acapulco, eighty miles distant but
the boat fell in with the
gun boat Mexican. Captain Lalor com
manding, and although under orders
to. get provisions for the besieged city,
THE INHABITANTS OF WHICH ARE
STARVING FOR FOOD,
the captain at once steamed off to the
relief of the shipwrecked passengers.
They were all taken Oft, safely crowd
ing the deck OF the gunbOat, and next
day transferred to the Pacific Mail
steamer Costa Rica, Captain White
berry commanding. The officers and
crews Of the Quilted States ships Lack
awanna and Pensacola acted most no.
bly,. supplying passengers with cloth
ing from their own WardrObeS, and
taking up subscriptions to a large
amount for the women and children,
who were entirely destitute. Captain
Waddell and officers behaved splendid
y-bTave, humane, unseltish. Cap
ain Waddell says seven steam pumps
If 260 barrels of water per minute
we're absolutely useless, as the whole
potion was out OF the steamer. He
las run the steamer over the spot re- !
The only conjecture is
hat
THE LATE EARTHQUAKE
which was made manifest on the 7
coast by a tidal wave, may have up |
leaved q submarine rock. In one
lour and two minutes the ship was
lnder the waves. She was going at
leven knots when she struck. The
aptain was on the bridge an hour be-
ore the steamer struck, and timed ,
by his watch. Twenty
after she struck the fires were :
ut. In that twenty minutes she was
unning In shore under full head of
team, and ran forty-two minutes,
naking distance of nine or ten miles
nd there grounded in thirty feet of
Vater on sand bottom. Next morn
ng foot of the stern was seen out of
1ater. The whole body of the ship is I
u ubmerged and the mizZen-mast gone.
he baggage of the passengers, furni-
1re, ETC., was constantly floating
shore during the day. The money
fthe passengers in the purser's hands
be ships money, and all the baggage
J totally lost. +
IT WAS RUN FOR LIFE.
From an interview with many pas
engers 1 find that there is a unani- =,
lOus sentiment of waFmest feeling y
oward the commander and officers.
very man says emphatically that
lie officers could have done no more. l
hey did all that men could do. The
lptain declares that his officers and
len stood to their duty nobly, and
one but heroes on board, of the best
rilled man-of-war could have acted Oh
ith better discipline and responded ed
every order with more fidelity.
aptain Waddell, Purser jerome, Mr.. s.
. b. Parrott, E. Ascall, /. Stewart,
Id K. Sutton 60 up overland, TAX
q conveyance here and proceeding 6S oS
? rail from Anahelm. The Costa =,
lea remains to take on board coal, u
Id will probably not get away from
IRE until tomorrow morning.
&.
IL