Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-04
PACIFIC COAST.
The Tacoma Disasser..Number OF Iiyes
LoSf

> EMPIRE CrrY, Or. Feb. S.-On We'd
ncsday evening, when the first news o,
; the wreck of the Tacoma Was received
, here, requiring assistance of the life
! boat to rescue the men then .on the
l wreca, crew of eight men volunteered
their services, and proceeded that nigh,
4 after dark to the life saving station al
:. Cape Gregory. distance from here O:
5 about nine mules. where they arrived at
2 about ii O'Clock that night and inform.
! ed tue keeper of the station of the
wreck, and that they came as a volun-
teer crew and that the steam tug Escor;
/; No. would be off the station at day.
light to take them to the wreck, and
teey, under ths direction of the said
keepe: OF the life station. proceeded to
: put the boat III condition for the trip.
with the keeper il charge they went
/; about two miles to ssa to practice the
, crew I'D pulling the boat, and then back
to the station. When the tug Escort
: arrived OF the station to take them to
the wreck the keeper refused to 90. or
allow the men to take the boat. Three
OF the men then got small boat from
the lighthouse keeper and went of to
the tug Escort, which was waiting 70
take them to the wreck. and informed
captain Maaee that the keeper would
NOT go or allow the boat to go. His only
excuse for such conduct was that he
Wou;d not go without an experienced
crew, as the tug would not be able to
render any assistance without the life
boat, SO Capt. Magee came back to En-
pre- City. Capt. Hill, OF the tug Fear.
less, returned from ike wreck today,and
thinks that if tho lifeboat and the gan
Ter throwing lines had been at the place
OF the disaster on the day that the vol
unteer crew went to the station for the
boat, ali those lost ON the ili-fated Ia
coma would have been saved.
Further Account Of the Tacoma's
| Loss.
EMPIRE Cry, Feb. 2.-The steamship
Tacoma, Captain Corts, from New Ia
coma for San Francisco, went ashore
four miles above the mouth of the Ump-
| qua river, about 3 o'clock pm, on the
18th of January, and is a total wreck.
Charles IL. Wells, of San Francisco. who
was On board, gives the following reiia-
bic account of the disaster: She sailed
on Sunday morning last from Port
| Townsend, with n full crew, two pas
senger5 and a cargo OF 300 tons of coal
captain korts went well 10 sen, remark
Ing that he did n n)t care to ses land ua-
I'll ne was ready to enter San Francisco
harbor, consequently her course was
such as to keep her well at sen. 81 IL
O'Clock Am. on Monday last shs was -
| or ~ miles from shore, with /. br.sk
wind on the starboard quarter and
| weather fair. The course WAS then
slightly changed to the south in order |
| to sight the light at Cape Arago, About |
o'clock pm. they were an estimated |
distance of ten miles of shore, weather |
fair. The captain turned in a few min |
utes before o clock with no apprehen- !
sion OF danger. About 3:20 she struck |
the sand, and in about seven seconds |
struck again. 1t was then apparent |
that they were aground, end all not on |
duty came at once on deck, when it vas /
found they were agroand and III heavy |
breakers. Third Officer Wilioughby, |
who was on watch, declared to MIR. |
Wells afterward that he neither saw |
nor heard breakers before striking. The |
sea was not very rough nor the weather |
very thick. and Capt. Korts has no the |
ory fer the cause os tho disaster except |
possibly the arrangement OF the COM |
pass. all remained en- board until |
tuesday afternoon, when, at the earnest |
request and urgency of Er. Wells and |
others, the captain and six others went |
ashore to get help as their signal whis-
tie had brought none. After she first |
struck it was only few minutes until |
the boats wore all washed away or bro
ken, except one, which the captain |
manned. When ashore no attempted to |
send the boat back, but it was capslzed |
and the oars washed away, waich de-
fsated their efforts to rescue the forty
flvs men in peril. The vessel was nearly /
quarter of mile of shore, tho decks
swept clean of all lines, provisions and
everything. and the crew taking refuge |
on the lee side of the pilot house while
every wave wet them through. The
steam tug Sol Thomas was notified and
Immediately steamed to the scene. but
could do nothing, and the news only
afternoon, which is about twenty-six
miles from the scene of the wreck, and
no rescue has vet been made. In the
meantime, men from Gardiner were
gathering on tho beach, but could do
nothing owing to the heavy surf, which
was washing over the wreck. A crew
at Empire City volunteered to assist in
getting out the life-boat from the sta
tion, and the tug Escort No. 2 agreed tu
tow it to the wreck. The boat, which ia
about eight miles from this city, was
safely launched, but a sudden fear took
charge of Desmond, the keep. of
the life saving station, and he refused
to allow 1t to go. In the ear..-.ie. the
crew and the two passengers were con-
structlng RATS from doors, bucket racks
and so on, and by Wednesday evening
all but seven had reached shore. Mr..
Wells, who reached here last night,
thinks the rest must have been rescued
yesterday, though we have no definite
word to that effect. The weather had
been very cold and stormy, and the i'm
inperiled men had only a few crackers
and keg of water to sustain life, while
the waves, constantly breaking over
them, rendered their situation desper-
ato o-'e q vessel was broken
IN ts9, ...4i there was no pos
sible chance to get below decks.
The cause of the disaster is and, psr-
haps, will always remain a mystery, but
all agree that no blame can possibly at
tach to Captain Korts, and that he is in
every way deserving of praise and con-
fidence. as are also First Mate Simmons
and others. The cargo was consigned
to the Pacific improvement Company,
of San Francisco. All here agree in
eensuring Desmond, the keeper Of the
life-saying station at Cape Arago.
Finding Ont What They Want.
HAxroaD, Cal, Feb. "A large meet
ing was held today for the purpose of
considering tho best means to present
the wants of the district toHhe Lepis-
lative Committee, which viii visit this
sscyion on Tuesday.
To BE Investigated.
SAN Francisco, Feb. 3.-Col. Fred
Crocker, of the Central Pacific, received
official notice of the loss of the Tacoma
this morning, also a request from Capt.
Korts for instructions. He Immediately
replied for further particulars of the
wreck, and as to the possibility of say-
ing anything, IN the event Of which be
would send wreckers to the scene at
once. 1.-THE condition of the vessel ID
such that no relief can be afforded, the
captain is ordered to proceed to Port
land at once. and come here with the
crew. An investigation of the causes
leading to the loss Of the Tacoma will |
be made at the EARLIEST possible moment.
Deciine IN harley.
Saw Epaxrrsco Feb 3-RaYley fu-