The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-02-10
A Steamer Wrecked.

The steamer Tacoma went ashore |
Monday night, the 29th of January,
four miles north of the mouth of the
Umpqua river, and ten of her crew
were lost.
The Tacoma is large 5000 ton
steamer and was built in Philadelphia
fer the Central Pacific railroad compa-
~ and cost $250,000. She sailed
from New Tacoma on Saturday, the
9th of January, for San Francisco,
laden with 3,700 tons of coal Capt.
Kortz, the master of the vessel, some
how lost his reckoning and at noon
Monday stated that they were 25 miles
from shore. At 9 p. M the vessel
stranded in l8 or 90 feet of water,
about Of mile from the main land.
The second mate was on watch at the
time the ship struck but did not see or
hear the breakers A heavy sea was
rolling At the time and the vessel broke
amidship. The passengers and crew
were on the wreck for fosry-eight
hours. Tuesday morning Captain
Korts landed OH the beach to 60 for
assistance. He got the tug Sol. Thom-
as, at Umpq4a river, to so to the
wreck, but could not get to the vessel.
Captain Korts and men made every
effort Tuesday afternoon to return to
the wreck, but the heavy sea ON the
beach prevented them doing SO. On
Wednesday the boat succ eled in
getting to the ship, and when Mr..
Wells left all but seventeen had been
landed.
A dispatch from Empire City dated
February Sd, says: The steam tug
Fearless has arrived from the wreck of
the Tacoma Nine Of the crew were
lost, and First Assistant Engineer
Grant died after getting ashore. The
ship is completely broken up. Moth
ing can be saved from the wreck. Five
bodies were recovered, and will be
buried to-day Engineer Grant was
buried yesterday. Nothing can be
seen Of the wreck but the top of the
cylinder at low water. Seven me1
were lost off the fore yard when the
mast went overheard.
Captain Hill, of the steam tug Fear
less, reports that he, with the tug, lay
in twenty-eight feet of water and could
hear the men on the ship calling te
them, but could not tender them any
assistance, as they had no boat that
could live in such sea as was running
at that time. He saw boat put of
from the beach, but it was capslzed be-
fore it got to the wreck and after being
washed to the shore they righted tlt
boat and made the attempt second
time, with like result. The sea was SC
heavy that 40 boat such as was there
could do any good. Captain Hill saw
Eve men. on the fore yard. The names
of the boats crew that did such heroi,
deeds in trying to save the men on tht
wreck we're Breckman, Dexter, Par
sons, Breen, and one Of the ships crew
and they deserve great credit for thei
heroic efforts to save life under the adj
verse circumstances in which they weri
placed by not having boat that wa
suitable for such work in such sea al
was running at the time. AS Captain
Hill could do nothing to render any as
sistance with the tug he then went int
the Umpqua river; and on the mex
morning he started TO 60 to the life
saving station at Cape Gregory for the
ife-boat and the gun for throwing line.
on board the wreck; but when he got
ont of the Umpqua river and in sigh
of the wreck, the foremast en- the Ia
coma, with the men on the for yard had
gone overheard and all were lost. As
there was nothing more to be done he
returned to the Umpqua river and
came here tLis morning. The tug Sol
Thomas will bring Captain Kortz end
crew here Tomorrow. The wreck will
be sold to-day.
INHUMAN LIFE STATION KEEPER.
An Empire City dispatch of February
Srd says. On Wednesday afternoon
when the first news of the wreck of the
Tacoma was received here, requiring
assistance of the life-boat to rescue the
men then on the wreck, crew of eight
men volunteered their services and pre-
ceeded that night, after dark, to the life.
saving station at Cape Gregory, dis
saace from here Of about nine miles,
where they arrived at about eleven
o'clock that night and informed the
keeper Ct the station Of the wreck that
they came as volunteer crew; that the
steam tug Escort No. would be off the
station at daylight to take them to the