The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-06
SAMoOlN lNO NUKE.
The Big Wrecker Shorn
of Strength.
THREE OF HER CREW LOST
Her Bones Strewn Along the
Coast for Miles.
STORIES TOLD BY SURVIVORS.
Mate White Sees Not Why They
Were Left to Perish-Biames
the Lighthouse-Keeper.
OF HER CREW LOST
STORIES TOLD BY SURVIVORS.

The wrecking barge Samson. (which
broke from her moorings and went on the
ruck-ribbed coast of Point Bonita on
Thursday morning last is now simply
matchwood strewn along the coast for
miles.
Some of the unbroken bones of the
formerly stanch craft lie high and dry
upon the sands between that point and
Lime Poiut to the eastward, where they
we're driven bv the Jury of the winds and
waves Oh that terrible night.
Aside from that three of her crew are at
the bottom Of the sea. having been
drowned IN easy sight of help had il been
given when first called for by The men who
knew that they were ioredoomed.
The names of the men drowned we're:
George Baker. diver.
James Pagan. diver.
Louis johnson, sailor.
Baker was married man, with a wife
and family residing AT 517 Seventh street.
The others as far as Captain Whitelaw,
the owner of the wrecker knows. were un-
married.
All day long CAPTAIN Wbitelaw spent in
the vicinity OF the wreck trying to see If it
were possible to save anything, but he
left in the afternoon a very much dis
couraged man in company with John
Roach, one of The divers who was rescued.
The captain slated that there were three
men unaccounted for. and further states
that if all had stay ed on board the barge
they would have been saved.
Maze George White and the crew Of the
boat that was picked up by the tug Reli-
ance are sure that they saw the three men
engulfed in The stormy waters within a
few feet of them
White. the mate. and DON Archer. one
Of the crew. gave thrilling account of
their adventures.
eve knew that the storm was coming"
said White, I'm the forenoon of Wednes-
day. and expected every moment to see
tug sent out by Captain Whtelaw to tow
US in, as the weather indications were
surely known In the city
Gas nothing of the kind came. at noon
we hoisted signals of distress, which were
plainly visible to Brown, the keeper of the
lighthouse. We Launched boat, and row.
ing as near the shore as we could hailed
him and told him of our situation and
asked him for heavens sake to DO some
thing for us. He said that he could only
give the alarm to the life-saving crew on
the other side of the gate by blowing SIX
blasts on his siren. This he did, but there
was no response to it during the day.
''The southeaster stiffened and great
walls of water dashed over us. Four an
chtrs were out, the largest on the Pacific
Coast, one alone weighing 5000 pounds.
Pretty soon the wind rose to i hurricane,
blowing, as l believe, about seventy miles
an hour. You could not open your mouth
against il without almost becoming in
f1ated. Two pilot boats passed and saw
the signals. but of course could render no
assistance. AS night came on we burned
flash lights The lighthouse keeper blew
his blasts. bu' the sound was waited in
opposite direction from that in which it
was desired to go. The keeper might
have jumped on his horse and ridden to
Sausalito which is only seven miles away,
and start the news 10 the city, but no, it
appears that he preferred to enjoy the
rare spectacle of seeing US all drown be-
lore him.
when the cables began to part in the
darkness of that night we felt that our
something. We determined to launch the
boats. Baker was to man one and l was
10 have charge of the other. We got off
the small boat with Baker and Pagan in
it. | was holding the painter as another
man was about to get in when huge
breaker tore it from my grasp and took the
boat with it. never saw the boat or men
again.
1--WE then got off the larger boat with a
number of men in it. OLD jim Hawkins.
the cook, wanted 10 go along with as, too.
A wave took him overheard. when Don
Archer tied a line about his body and
swan 20 bis rescue He succeeded in GET
ting the cook into the boat but just as he
did so billow lifted the little craft back
on the deck of the barge and stove her
bows. This made repairing necessary.
which was quickly accomplished, and the
boat was again launched with myself and
seven men,"
Whom did you leave ON board?" was
asked of the mate.
"There was Captain Harmson, Cbarley
Thompson, Jack Roach and Louis john
son, all of whom were saved except the
last named.
after we got off in our boat he sud
denly became crazed. and yelling, For
Coos sake, save usp jumped into the sea
and was lost. We could not do anything
in the world for him in that weather il We
had tried ever so hard.
'tAll this was about o'clock, and the
tug Reliance with the life-saving boat in
tow was lying under Lime Point. They
picked us up all right, as has already been
published"
White did not seem to think much of the
bravery of the life-saving crew, and as
serted that Captain Whitelaw ought to
have known enough to have sent off tug
to their rescue W ithout even being notified.
The scene of the wreck was visited by
hundreds OF people from SausaIito and
vicinity during the day.
Captain Whteiaw says that his loss is
considerably over $4,000. and that his in
surance is just $4,000