The record-union., 1897-10-25
There Remain But Two Known Sur
YVOrS.
Captain Anfndsen and Sailor Lar
sen Owe Their Lives to Two He
roes, Adolph Peterson and
Henry Anderson, Who Faced
Almost Certain Death to Save
Them-The Great Need of Life
Saving Station There.

POINT ARENA, Oct 24-CIose un-
| der the rocky cliffs where she met her
doom lies, bottom upward, the torn and
! battered hull of the ill-fated steam
schooner Caspar, wrecked early yester-
day morning on a treacherous reef. OF
the crew of fifteen, there remain but
two known survivors, Captain Anfind-
sen and Sailor Chris Larsen. A boat
from the steamer Alcazar was observed
from shore to take in two dark, floating
| objects. The watchers on land could
not discern whether two men, or mere
! ly some ships fittings had been picked
up, although it was thought one OBJ
| ject resembled the body of a sailor
whether dead or alive cannot yet be
| ascertained. The Alcazar is lying off
| Greenwood Brig unable to make a land
ing, owing to the heavy sea running.
| SO far but one body has been found
1t was cast up on the rocks mile from
| the scene of the wreck. and Coroner
Ainsley subsequently brought the re-
mains to Point Arena where they were
! Identified as those of Chief Engineer
! George Offerman. An inquest will be
held here tomorrow Kelp abounds
where the wreck occurred, and the
thick sea weed is likely to prevent
bodies from being washed ashore for
| several days. Meanwhile a sharp look
out is being kept for floating corpses.
| The wrecked steamer has been strip
ped by continuous pounding against the
| rocks of maSts and decks and the keel
| is battered as if by mighty hammer.
| The CaSpar struck the reef inside the
Whistling buoy only a few yards from
that danger signal. After capsizing
the ship was carried over the rocks
to the shore, nearly a mile distant, by
! the force of the heavy waves This
reef has long been considered danger
Gus fee by all mariners, several vessels
| having struck on it in the past few
years. It is a narrow projection run
ming far out into the ocean. The steam
er Point Arena once went over it, dam
aging her considerably. The Alcazar
also struck it years ago, beside scores
Of other vessels. but none were ever
wrecked. The ocean happened to be
calm
! The Caspar might also have escaped
! destruction but unfortunately a heavy
wave cast her down with such force
that the vessel refused to respond to
the wheel and was dashed against the
reef and capsized. When the crew was
/
distress We're uttered by the men. but
no help came. For hours many of them
clung to floating timbers until exhaust
ed they fell one by one into watery
graves.
| The alarm was not given in the town
| of Point Arena until IL o'clock, ten
hours after the disaster. Unfortunate
ly all the boats here had only the day
before been dashed to pieces by a sud
| den storm, and little could be done
| toward succoring the hapless crew. 1t
was a life-saving station that was
needed, for a night patrol no doubt
would have seen the distressed steamer
and every man could have been saved.
| At 11:30 men were still seen clinging
| to the floating timbers, but no boats
being obtainable they finally sank.
| Adolph Peterson and Henry Anderson,
| two laboringmen, took their lives in
their hands, and in a river boat braved
| the sea- 1t was only by a miracle that
| they reached and rescued Captain An
| findsen and Sailor Larsen. When these
rescuers started out sea-faring men
| conceded two more deaths, but they
bravely and successfully performed
| their mission
| At this time two additional men We're
seen struggling in the water, but be-
fore the rescue boat could reach them
they, too. had disappeared
Many bitter comments are heard at
the failure to establish a much-needed
life-s saving station here. Such a pre-
cautionary measure would tend to min
imize these frequent nautical disasters.