The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-13

STEAMER SENT
UP SIGNALS
Rumor of Disastsr on the Coast
of California.
SEVERAL VESSELS MISSING
NOTHING DEFINITE KNOWN AS
TO NAME OF VESSEL.

/ CAN FRANCISCO. March 12.-Great
} mystery attaches to the dis
appearance and identity OF a
steamer which is reported to have
sent up signals Of distress OF Point
Reyes last night and which sud
denly disappeared as if swallowed up
by the sea. Just before her disappear
ance, the observer says, the steam siren
Of the distressed vessel sounded three
long blasts and lanterns were swung
on the port side I'm a frantic manner,
indicating the great excitement which
must have prevailed on board the yes
sci. To the watchers at the Point
Reyes lighthouse 10 looked as If those
on board were preparing to disembark-
Captain JOrgensen of the lighthouse
ordered his crew to get a life boat
ready. and with his men launched the
boat and spent several hours cruising
I'm the vicinity of the spot where the
ship was supposed 10 have gone down,
but nothing TO indicate that a vessel
had gone to the bottom was found, ana
the search was given up. In the mean
time the tug boat Defiance was sent
out from this port by the Oregon Rail-
way & Navigation company acting on
a rumor that the steamer in distress
was the steamer Columbia, from Port
land. Ore. but after search Of the
coast of Point Reyes, returned TO port
her captain reporting that he had OBJ
served nothing 10 indicate recent dis
aster Scarcely had the Defiance re-
turned before the lookout at Point
Reyes signaled that the steamer Co
lumbia was approaching this harbor.
She has since arrived. and her COM
mander saw nothing of any Wreckage
or any other indications that vessel
had gone to the bottom.
The Columbia had hardly locked be-
fore the steamer Corona, from Eureka.
Cal, signaled that she had passed
through immense quantities Of wreck
age at $3.50 o'clock this morning at
point about thirty miles southeast Of
Point Arena. Investigation Of the Co
rOna's report, however, indicates that
the Wreckage she passed through was
a portion of the deckload of the steam
schooner Alcatraz. from Greenwood
Landing, Cal, which was lost during
a storm on the morning of March 8,
together with some of Der rigging. The
Alcltraz suffered some minor damage,
but arrived in port safely several days
ago.
There can be no connection between
the Wreckage reported by the Corona
and the alleged disaster reported By
the lighthouse keeper al Point Reyes
last night. and the consensus OF opin-
ion around the Merchants exchange is
that there was so disaster of Point
Reyes, and that while the Point Reyes
neonle NAV have seen signals ~ song
s0rs tina the signal asa not nd lEIHs
not intended Ia indicate that be cls-
sci sending hem up was I'm grave dan
ger.
Observer Thomas of tie weather bureau
station AT Point Reyes. who was the first
TO report the sudden disa ppearance OF a
vessel, after blowing three blasts and
firing rocket is accounted a most re-
liable authority among an captains and
ship owners. but many Of them are OF the
opinion thar i'm this instance he mistOOk
the meaning Of the ship whistles and
signals.
The only vessel unaccouuted for IS the
steamer Meteor. from Eureka 10 TOp9lOb-
ampO, loaded with railroad ties
The agents OF the Meteor are OF the
opinion that she is safely on aer way 10
TapOlObampO They believe that the
lights and signals seen were those OF the
Meteor. given 20 attract attention so THAI
the vessel would be n ported. The three
blasts are Interpreted by them as being
the usual salute TO signify that all Is
well
Heavy gales from the southeast and
southwest have prevailed along the coast
for the last two days. The Columbia.
from Portland, bucked the tempest from
until she entered the Golden Gate She
made slow Roadway ana reached port
nearly day late. The James Dollar was
~ hours coming down from Seattle.