The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-02-14
WRECKED ON
The Valencia Goes Down Near Puget
Sound Entrance.
Passengers in a Panic-Scores Of WoInon
and Children Lost-Motbe or Drops
Child Into Sea.

Victoria. British CoEumbia.-The
steamship Valencia Of the Pacific
| Coast Steamship CompanY'S passenger
fleet, which has temporarily replaced
The City Of Pueblo on the San Fran
cisco-Puget Sound route, pending re
pairs to the regular boat. was driven
TO destruction III n dense midnight
fog ten miles east of Cape Beale. which
marks the northern entrance to Puget
Sound. Between sixty Ind Severity
lives were lost.
or the ninety four passengers and
sixty members of the crew on the va
lencia only fifteen are known TO have
been saved.
The steamer Queen arrived back
from the scene. of the disaster in the
evening about 6 o'clock. her place h;tV-
ing been taken by the Topeka, belong
ing to the same company.
The Queen reported that the wreck
was high lip on the rocks, more than
100 yards from the shore, and with the
waves running mountains high. and
the wind blowing a gale right on shore.
On this account it was impossible TO
get within a mile OF the wreck.
With the telescope figures could be
distinctly seen OH the deck and cling
ing TO the rigging, but it was impossi-
BILE, to tell whether these were men or
women.
The tug Car and the salvage boat
Salvor were also lying off the shore,
but they were as helpless rs the Queen,
it being impossible for even the tug to
gel within a mile of the Valencia.
officers of the Valencia thought they
were near Umatilla Reef Lightship
when the vessel drove III on the YAM
couver Island coast. %Soundings had
been taken and thirty fathoms had
been reported a few minutes before the
vessel struck.
When the Valencia hit the rock her
engines were reversed and the steamer
succeeded in backing off into deep
water. She Immediately began to fill,
and the water rose so quickly that the
engineer and firemen were driven
from the engine room, and the only
chance to save the lives OF any one on
board was to drive the vessel ashore.
When the boats were lowered soon
after the vessel struck there was a
great loss Of life. The boats, filled
with women and children, were
smashed against the side of the steam
er and all in them were lost. The
lights had gone. out by this time n
the crew could Lot see to work.
Several boats and three life RATS
were lowered. Only two of them have
been heard from and the survivors say
ut least fifty were drowned alongside
the steamer.
The fifteen persons known to be
saved are +. F. Junker. formerly as
sistant superintendent Of schools at
Santa Rosa. Cal. who lost his wife and
two daughters: j. Richie. fireman;
Carl Sammel, passenger; Mike Hone,
Il. Brown, A. Hosoda, Of Oakland; T..
J. Mccarthy, boatswain; Thomas
Shields, G. Campbell, who lost his wife
and daughter: B. n. Ledhos. fireman.:
Albert Wells u. S. N; John Mark. ".
Goslin. 7. Lampson and G. Brown, q
boy, of San Francisco.
A lady dropped her young child into
the sea in striving to pass it to her nus
band. A little boy Of five was cast
back upon the ship after being swept,
overheard while running about the
deck crying for his mother, whom the
waters had engulfed.