Arizona republican., 1911-07-08
OFF POINT ARGUELLO
Apparent Safety of Passen- gers and Vessel Wrecked in Early Morning Was Changed in Evening to Apparent Fatal End.

Santa Barbara, Cal. July Twenty or more passengers and crew of the wrecked steamer Santa Rosa, of the Pacific Steamship company line, were drowned in the surf at dusk while try ing to escape from the vessel which was stranded near Point Arguello, at Q o'clock this morning six miles south of here before dawn. The steamer sail ed from san Francisco yesterday with 200 passengers.
 In two frail life boats they left the ship and plunged into the roaring surf. and in a moment were flounderinS in the boiling waters. The lives of some were bounded out against the rocks, while others sank to the bottom. Sev- craI bodies were washed ashore.
 At 9:3O o'clock tonight the Santa Rosa was almost submerged and frantic efforts were being made to save the rest of the 200 passengers left aboard her At 9 o'clock the government wire less station at Point Argucllo reported that the vessel had broken amidships and immense breakers were dashing over her The ship will be complete wreck and it is practically certain that the number of dead will mount rapidly.
 The doom of the steamer was sealed shortly after 1 o'clock this afternoon when the rising wind stirred up a high sea and forced an abandonment of ef- forts to transfer the passengers of the Santa Rosa to the steam schooner Cen la ephnnnar Helen P. Drew. had previously made abortive efforts to float her. Up to that time no apprehension of danger was enter tained by the officers and crew of the stranded vessel It was thought she would be easily flOatcd. In fact Cap tain Faria answered wireless queries with the statement that his ship was apparently lying easy and would be floated at crest tide tonight. But as the afternoon wore on the danger rap idly increased and bZ nightfal it be- came certain that desperate efforts would be necessary to save any of the ships company.
 Early in the day the Centralia and the Helen r. Drew had passed hauscrs 10 the Santa Rosa but the rising wind was too strong for their limited power and at dusk the Santa Rosa swung broadside to the breakers. Immedi- ately she began to break up. iThe crash of breaking timbers and overstrained steel could be heard by the wireless men at Point Arguello. The first life boat was launched at dark, after every effort had been made to establish boat communication with the Centralia.
 The shore line lay only 200 feet from the broken ship, but the frail craft could not make it. It bobbed like q cork on the crest of the mountainous breakers and the next instant was sub merged under the foaming waves. There were sixteen in this boat, eleven pas sengers and five of the crew. All were dashed to death against the rocks or drowned
 Another boat was launched by the frantic people aboard the steamer but met the same fate. There were about nineteen persons in this boat Fifteen managed to reach the shore alive, bat tered and most of them unconscious.
 In the offing, just outside the fatal breaker line, the steamers Centralia, Helen P. Drew and the oil ship Argyle lay, their decks lined with crews, help less to aid.
 Down the coast, coming as fast as her engines could drive. came the tug Redondo. evidently dispatched some time today to aid the doomed ship. A special train. according to railroad of flcials, has been dispatched from the north to take the survivors south.
 At 11:30 all the passengers were landed on the beach, and the crew is now coming ashore. The list of the dead, announced by the company, is eleven, while from other sources it is said to be nineteen. The full list, with names, probably will not be known be- fore tomorrow.