Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-04-16

(From the Evening Expressly
Tho Newport Disaster.

The Newport Disaster.
A Full Circumstantial Account Of the Drown
ing Of Captain Pierce and his Three Sea-
en-The Captain doubtless injured SO se-
verely that he could not swim-Floating on
his back few moments and then going
dowa---A chain Of Thrilling Adventures by
all who escaped or were engaged in the
affair.
From Mr.. j. McFadjen, one OF
the proprietors of the steamer New
port, we gather q full cireumstan.
tial account of the casualty at New.
port Landing last Thursday, which
resulted in the drowning of Cap.
tain Pierce and three of his men
AS this account corrects number
Of erroneous statements which
have crept into former reports
and gives number of new
details not presented heretofore we
take occasion to present it entire,
reviewing some points already we'll
known.
About daylight Thursday morn.
ing, the Newport dropped anchor
about half mile off the breakers
at the Landing, the roughness of
the water preventing q nearer APP
proach. The first boat-a large
wooden one-was then put out,
manned by the Mate, Mr.. Miller
ton, and four sailors, named re-
spectively Charles Anderson, Geo.
Fear, Antonio Silva and Frank
-. This boat did not attempt to
reach the shore as heretofore stated,
but went out simply with the object
OF picking up a line floated out
over the bar from the lighter.
1T WAS THE INvARIABLE RULE
OF the owners to prohibit the
sailors from crossing the breakers
or attempting to do so, as they had
surf-men employed on the lighter
who were adopts in this dangerous
undertaking and who were held
constantly in readiness for it. The
custom was, when the steamer APP
peared in the otfing to tie line to
q large wooden fender and set it
adrift from the lighter. The tide
being.at ebb, would carry this fen
der out over the bar, and, n boats
crew sent out from the vessel would
catch it, make the line fast to an
anchor which they dropped and by
this means the lighter could be
pulled through the surf.
1t was for the performance OF this
service that the boat under the
Mate was sent out. When It'll put
of, Captain Pierce particularly
charged the Mate not to venture
too far SO as to get caught in the
surf, and provided him with an ad-
ditional line to use should that at
tached to the floating fender not
prove long enough to answer the
requirement. This caution, it
seems, the mate failed to observe.
Going too far upon the bar the
boat was caught by wave and
capsized and the men were seen
struggling in the water.
CAPTAIN PIERCE,
Upon witnessing this disaster,
manned the metallic life-boat with
himself, the fireman and, Mr.. Cash,
the Clerk, and started 10 the res
cue. The life-boat being built to
meet just such emergencies, is so
arranged with internal air COM
partments, that, if upset, it will
Immediately right itself, or, if the
plug is withdrawn from the bot
tom, and the boat allowed to fill
with water, it cannot be upset or
sunk. Captain Pierce was fully
aware of this fact, but, owing to
the excitement of the moment, no
doubt, he failed to take the precau'
ton OF letting water into the boat.
AS o consequence, when he APP
preached the rough water his craft
was Immediately capsized, just as
the Mates had been. There were
now two parties struggling in the
water instead of one as before. The
meli who had charge Of
THE LIGHTER
Observed the first accident, and,
simultaneously with the depai ture
OF the Captains boat from the ship,
they started out from the shore
with their clumsy craft to brave
the breakers and render what as
sistance they could. They cut their
shore line and drifted out with the
tihn hnNH CT n nj IN,
side foremost, aecelerating their
speed as well as they could by push
ing on the bar with poles. The
lighter was most skilfully managed
by Jimmy Purvians, a Norwegian,
who was assisted by four men, in
GLIDING Mcmillan, two Spaniards
and one Portuguese. When the
party saw the Captains boat go over
they almost despaired of rendering
assistance in time for all.
1t was then that Mcmillan dis.
tinguished himself by leaping into
the surfboat attached to the lighter
and starting out for his desperate
venture, fraught with the question
of life or death to himself and a
fOrlorn hope of rescue to the men
struggling in the water. The boat
was half full of water when Nc.
MILAN boarded it, but he had no
time to lose in baling it, so he
took the venture with this addi-
iional circumstance against him.
Pulling out for dear life he quickly
reached the spot where the men
were swimming and picked up in
turn the Mate, the Fireman and
the Clerk. With these, he made
through the breakers and, after a
desperate struggle, reached the land
in safety.
Meantime the lighter was