The record-union., 1894-04-23

telegraph office, but III the face OF the IN
formation telegraphed from Cayucos
| yesterday that the steamer had sailed on
time and was due here at midnight.
But all doubts were soon set at rest. and
the intelligence quickly spread that the
| Los Angeles had been wrecked on a
treacherous hidden rock only few miles
from her destination.
Early this morning John Gilkey. a
farmer living some twenty miles from
/ here, brought the news that the steamer
had made her last trip, and was at the
bottom Of the sea in the most ragged and
rough stretch of country on the California
coast. A party of citizens from here i'm
mediately started to render whatever as
slstance was III their power. The steamer
Eureka, going south, arrived here yester
day, and on her way down picked up
several Of the passengers Of the sunken
steamer who had sought refuge OH raft.
| The Eureka then steamed to the scene of
the disaster and completed the work of
| rescue, Immediately turning back for the
north. She arrived here at l o'clock
with all the passengers and small
quantity of wreckage. Captain IL. ID.
| Leland of the Los Angeles was among
those on the Eureka, but to all questions
asked him regarding the wreck, he gave
| the answer, Il don't know anything
about it,"
His brother, Captain Leland of the
Eureka, profanely refused even the
! smallest courtesies to the reporter, and
positively com manded the people on his
! ship to deny information to every one.
The following particulars from one of
| the crew of the Los Angeles are the first
bits of reliable information obtained here
of the wreck. He said: AT Z:27 yester
/ day afternoon we left San Simon, our
crew mum pering thirty seven officers and
men. We mad ABOUT thirty-fve pas
I L
| best we have had for some time. Gem
orally we encountered strong winds after
/ leaving San Simon, but this trip was an
! exception to the rule, and we all counted
on getting ahead OF time on that account.
| About $50 | was on deck having a smoke,
and | remarked TO the watchman that we
were making exceptionally good time.
! Yes says he, I'VE will make Point Sur
! by halt-past 81 l said | thought we would
surely get there before then. l then went
down to the saloon and helped the treig hit
! clerk in his work, and remained there
until S:45. Just as we got through we felt
! a shock like light bump. This was fol-
! lowed by pretty stiff crash, that threw
the ship on her side. We all rushed out
on deck, and orders were given to lower
| the boats. AS you may well imagine, all
was confusion. Everywhere women and
children were all screaming, and our ii fst
labor was to quiet them. They were all
! in their night clothes, and we wrapped
them all in blankets so as to make them
as comfortable as possible, and put life
| preservers on them. After having pro-
vided the women and children with room
| in the liieboats, we all had to rustic for
ourselves, and directed our energies to-
ward saving all that we could of our
| effects. The most any of us saved was d
! little trinket such as combs, razors, ETC.,
and some of US lost everything we had.
| ''By this time nearly ali the passengers
were off the steamer, including the stew
ard and Chief Engineer. All the other
officers and crew were still on deck eX
cept the mate, who had gone in charge of
one OF the boats. When [ returned from
/ below, where l had gone to save what |
could of my effects, all the boats and the
raft were gone, and those of US who were
then aboard had no earthly chance Of es-
cape, seemingly. Then the second mate,
who had proved himself the hero Of the
occasion, called out: All hands to the
rigging, and every man for himself
Mind you, at that time the stern of the
boat was all under water and sinking
fast. The water was just rushing for
ward. | ran forward, and the Captain,
who had hold of two of the stays, pulled
himself upon one and gave me the other.
We all pulled ourselves as far up as we
could. l went as far as the boom and
rested there awhile. The water then was
| about up to my waist, but | kept on GO
! ing. There were two others ahead of me,
and we were all so exhausted it was very
slow work. The Captain and first assist
ant were behind me. and so exhausted
they could not move. 1t was at this
time that three of the untortunates were
drowned. One of them was Fireman
/ Nolan, and the other two were passengers
/ whose names l do not know. At the
same time a sailor named Johnson, who
was at the top of the aftermast, lowered
rope and secured the second mate, saving
him from a watery grave. The sight of
/ the poor men drowning before my eyes
was simply horrible.
I'VE all would have given anything to
save them, but 1t was not our lot to do so.
l can hear yet the despairing words of
the men struggling for a position on the
ropes to escape from the waves. All the
/ boats were still in sight, and all of us on
| board the ship were yelling for some of
| them to return after US. one of them
/ heard us and was returning for US, when
! the cruel words of one of the crew who
/ had been saved, Harry Hall, a porter,
rang out: Don't mind them. Let them
go, and save u.s. The boats left US where
4 we were, and had it not been for the mi
raculous settling of the steamer on q rock
we all would have been drowned. We
all (seven of u.s. hung on to those ropes
/ for two hours, which seemed a thousand
years. When we had given up all hope
we saw boat approaching US in charge
/ of Captain McGinniss of the wrecker
! Whitelaw, who was a passenger on the
/ Los Angeles. Had it not been for him
we all would have been dead by this
time.
After all of US were saved from the
! forward boom we rowed to the aftermast
and took two others aboard. In doing
/ this we came near upsettlng our boat
several times. We then started for the
shore. and landed at the foot of Point
Sur lighthouse. In attempting to land
! our boat it was nearly swamped, but we
/ finally reached land, and many were the
prayers OF thanksgiving we raised to
heaven. One of the passengers we
/ thought we had saved died a few
moments after landing had been
/ affected. The poor boy was almost dead
! when we rescued him, and as we could
/ do nothing for him until we reached
land he was too far gone when we nnally
tried to do something for him, and he
died in my arms. Finding we could do
nothing more for this unfortunate young
/ man, several of US started TO climb up to
the lighthouse. l was treated hand
somely by the folks there, but L must say
that God Almighty never made a more
! possible place for wreck than this Point
! Sur"
Z. S. Tunison of Dallas, Texas, came
up from the scene of the wreck at 7:l5.
| He took the steamer at San Pedro and was
| i'll all day, and was lying i'll his berth
when the steamer struck. He said: zone
woman with child in her arms rushed
into my stateroom and fell in faint and
was carried TO the deck with difficulty.
The passengers all behaved in a cool aud
| orderly manner, but the crew were much
excited and eager TO get of. l was in the
first officers boat, which had twenty-five
persons. l rowed out ABOUT 400 or 800
yards and put some passengers INTO an