Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-09-28
MARINE DISASTER.
A Ship Totally Wrecked on the
San Mateo Coast.
TEN MEN FIND WATERY GRAVES.
Graphic Description cf the Unfortu-
nate Occurrence.
ESPECIAL BY rrsrenAyu 70 1un snconD-unos.l

nate Occurrence.
| ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO TIE REcoRD-Us1os.l
| SPAHIsHTowN, September 27th.-The ship
Alice Buck, six months from New York,
| loaded with railroad iron for Oregon, struck
on the rocks at Haven's Beach at midnight
Monday and went to pieces. The crew con-
| sisted of twenty-four persons Nine men,
| with the Captain. were drowned, and one
boy, aged 13 was also lost. Their bodies have
not been recovered as yet. The steamer
Salinas rendered aid to the distressed.
tSpanishtown is in San Mateo county, sit
uated at the south end of Halfmoon Bay.
The Alice Buck was commanded by Captain
Henpingser aud was laden with railroad iron
for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company,
and consigned to Allen Il Lewis, Portland.
She had a registered tonnage of L. 425 tons.
tsECoND. DIsPATcHI
SPANIsHTowN (Halfmoon Bayl Septem-
Der 27th.-The ship Aliee Buck, about six
months ont from New York, loaded with
railroad iron. struck on Horace Rock. two
miles below here, at ten minutes past IL
o'clock this morning, and is now total
wreck, strewn in fragments along the shore
for distance of miie, and ten Of the
twenty -four men on board are drowned. The
following is
ONE OF THE STORIES os THE WRECK,
Told by survivor: The ship had been leak
ing for two days, and the Captain sigualed
for tug, evidently intending to Put in at San
Francisco for repairs, although bound for
Portland with railroad iron for the North
Pacific Railroad. On Monday we spoke the
steamer Oceanic, from whom we got the course
to San Francisco. At o'clock Monday after
noon Captain Herman Henningser thought ne
was southwest Of the FaralloIes about 6fty
miles, and steered northeast. Shortly after
midnight the sky became clear and starry,
with pretty good sea running. We struck
with terrible force and an awful crash on the
rocks, not over 1,5O0 feet from high bluff.
The two mates and part OF the crew vera
instantly panic-stricken and jumped from the
ship into the waves That is the last we saw
of them. The Captain and the rest OF us
provided ourselves with life preservers, and
only left the ship when there was not enough
Of her t-breaking hull to stick to. Some
reached the shore, assisted by people ON the
bluffs, and the rest were picked up by ths
steamer Salinas.
RESPONSE TO CRIES ron HELP.
A rancher named A. G. Markham, whose
place is near the bluffs below which the
wreck occurred, while milking cows this
morning, heard wild cries beyond the bluff.
He ran to the edge of the bluff, and was horri-
fed to see in the surf several bodies, some
ifeless and others calling wildly for help, and
beyond them dismantled wreck. He had
mounting horse, he rode as fast SIS possible
to Spanishtown and gave the alarm to the
citizens and then rode on to Amssport Land
ing. three miles north os here, where the
Pacific coast steamship Salinas was loading
with grain. Captain Smith, of the Salinas,
Immediately steamed out for the scene of the
wreck, and Justice Pringle, James Wiley and
other citizens drove from here to the bluff.
DESPERATE STRUGGLES FOR LIFE.
This people on the bluff. which is about 100
feet high, lowered ropes, by means of which
six lives were saved.
enough to raise man with, but was caught
and held in the teeth of one sailor, who held
on desperately until stronger line waa Sc
cured.
One sailor was seen battling in the surf
amidst drifting debris, attempting to save
boy, George Parker, but a heavy wave threw
a piece of timber against the boy and
knocked him from the sailors arms.
The boy was not seen again.
Another sailor managed to reach the mar
row slip of beach at the foot OF the cliff, and
after recovering breath struck out into the
waves again and brought safely to land an
other shipmate. He again brayely struck
out, and succeeded III rescuing another sink
ing sailor, but third attempt proved fatal to
the gallant fellow, for he sank beneath the
water, and was seen no more.
STEAMER TO THE RESCUE.
While these efforts were being made from
shore. the Salinas approached and assisted in
the work of saving the sailors. A boat was
lowered, and after desperate and dangerous
work seven men were picked up out of the
water and taken to the steamer. Seeing no
further opportunity of rendering assistance,
the steamer started back for Amesport
Landing.
George Wymans on the lookout from the
bluff, discovered another man showing faint
signs of life in the debris near the wreck.
Wymaps took off his coat and waved it over
his head as signal to the steamer. The sig
nal was fortunately seen, and the steamer
put back towards tho spot indicated by
Wymaus. A boat was again lowered. and
the man, who proved to be Captain Hen
ningser, was picked up aud taken aboard.
He had been in the water nine hours, sup
ported by two life-preservers, and in addition
TO being very much exhausted, had received
severe contusions from floating pieces of the
wreck. The steamer then returned to Ames-
port Landing to which plIce the sailors res
cued on the beach were also taken. After
being supplied with clothes by citizens. the
steamer finished loading, and about o'clock
this afternoon, with all of tina rescued iaen on
board. left for San Francisco.
EFFoRTs TO RECOVER THE BoDIEs-NAaEs OF
TIE LOST.
A great many people left here this after
noon for the bluff above the wreck, and at
tempted to bring ashore the bodies which
could be seen dashed ab9ut with the broken
timbers in the surf. The recscing tide took
the bodies out Of reach Of the rude appliances
the men had TO work with, and only one body,
washed ashore some distance below the wreck
about sundown, hss yet beer recovered. The
search will be continued in the morning.
The following were lest VIM. Barry West,
mate; ID. Crocker, second mate; George
Parker, boy of IA; David Black, Charles
Reader, Patrick Welsh and John Mouriss,
seamen, and two Chinamen-cook and stew
ard.
ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS. q
When the sun set this evening only
ragged line of ribs could be seen above the
water. The hull, which is held down by the
iron cargo, is breaking up. The rocky char
acter of the shore line, aud the high sea run
ming when the ship struck. combined, sctu-
ally ground ard splintered everything above
the water line, SO that nothing of the ship
larger than barrel is adrift.
Among the recovered articles was trunk
full of costly female wearing apparel, some
of which was marked Mrs. A. Q. Dunbar.
Oae of the sailors said the trunk was in
charge of the lost boy.
L L 81. 1-.1h hr.flrr