The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-07-13

| 'ii' snip - olncerS TO the contrary, the
passengers OF the wrecked steamer
santa Rosa, who arrived here earIv
| today after thrilling battle with the
breakers that smashed the stranded
| snip, declare that more than four
sailors lost their lives.
The known dead are:
J.. HEUSON, second officer. Berke.
| ley Cal.
FRED JOHNSTON, seaman.
JOHN p. SIt'FER, seaman.
f. w. JEBSEN. seaman.
Many Not Accounted For.
one hundred and n1nety-two pas
Fengers are all that have been account
ed Tor so far, say the survivors. There
were 200 on the steamer and many OF
the rescued declare today that the
missing. ones went down to death
when the surf battered life RATS went
to pieces.
Few OF the shipwrecked voyagers
nave recovered from the strain of the
battle with the breakers in the dark
last night Many of the rescued
women are still hysterical Those
hat were able to continue the journey
| south boarded regular trains this
morning and the first was due to ar
rive at Los Angeles at S:45 o'clock.
Denounoc tho Captain.
Many OF the passengers were bitter
IN their dcnunciation of the ships Of
Gcers who refused to land the pas
| sengers soon after the Santa Rosa
grounded near Point Arguello.
captain Faria declined. they say, tn
| SSten 10 the passengers who desired
! % be put ashore before the gale arose
yesterday evening. He Is said to have
replied to entreaties with the state
| ment that he had received instructions
rom the Pacific Coast Steamship
company to permit no one to go ashore
until IT became absolutely necessary
The relief train bearing the rescued
| passengers of the wrecked steamer
santa Rosa arrived in Santa Barbara
| Early today and discharged pitiful
freight of hysterical women and half
clad, shivering men.
Victims in Bad Shape.
Suffering and privation were writ
,en plainly on the faces OF all and ir
will be weeks, and in some cases
| months, before some of the victims re-
cover All had been drenched to the
skin in coming ashore in the breeches
buoy in the high surf. and none had
| Aad anything TO eat since the noon
neal yesterday on board the ship, ex-
| cept hasty lunch and q cup of coffee
| provided by the sympathetic farmers
who thronged to tho beach from their
nearby homes when the vessel began
to break up.
Many We're too weak to leave the
cars unassistcd and half dozen had
% be carried from the train on
stretchers. Hardly a one OF the pas
:ongers was fully clothed. The great
~ portion were wrapped in blankets.
Feared No Loss Of Life.
When the boat landed the injury did
not appear to be serious and Captain
Fariar. believing he would be able
again to float the Santa Rosa. made no
| attempt to land the passengers A
! sharp wind rising soon after O'CLOCK
Threatened to rack the boat to pieces
and hasty preparations We're made ia
AXE the passengers and crew ashore,
! AT $50 o'clock heavy swell cracked
| The vcss@i amidships and at O'clock il
split in two. There We're 275 persons
On board, most of whom. mad taken
refuge in the forward section, as the
| stern OF the boat had received the
| brunt of the attack Of the waves.
The coast is bleak ana uninhabited,
| and the signals of distress shown an
| hour previous still We're unheeded. The
! breakers rose dangerously. and il was
| with great difficulty that the first boat
| was launched soon after o'clock. In
It were Third Engineer c. w. Brown
and a woman passenger. Brown car
lied line to shore, and when he had
| affected a landing, after q desperate
battle with the waves, aid had arrived
IN shore.
Taking Passengers OF.
y net was rugged on the shore line
! and the passengers, women and chill
| dren first. were taken from the floun-
| aering ship, three and four at a time
The disaster In which Second Officer
| HeuSton and three seamen lost their
lives occurred just before the vessel
| yielded to the assault of the waves
| and burst in two. A life boat, carry
| .ng five men, had just put out. Heavy
seas sent it carcening back to the ship
and mountainous wave sent it crash
ing against the hull of the vessel.
Oscar Patterson, a seaman, sue
,eeded in swimming to shore. but his
iour companions persisted. Efforts had
| 0een made earlier N the day by tho
| officers Of the steamer Helen p. Drew
| 20 induce the captain of the Santa
! Rosa to land his passengers and the
| Drew still stood by in an attempt to
aid the distressed vessel A lifeboat
| was launched. but it had hardly been
| caught by the waves before it was cap
| sized and it is believed that First Mate
| W. d. Johnstone was lost.
Many Heroic Deeds.
| The landing of the passengers of the
| santa Rosa, Il large number of whom
were women, was attended with the
| utmost danger. and acts OF thrilling
| heroism were performed by the crew
In taking their helpless charges to
| shore.
\ life raft containing 20 women cap
sized off the bow OF the Santa Rosa.
| Darkness has fallen, and the search
| lights OF the shore lighted the scene
| imperfectly SO that it could not be
! clearly determined whether all the
! women were rescued.
When news of the disaster spread.
! special trains We're rushed from San
| Luis Obispo. surf and Lompere, carry
| ing food and blankets for the suffer
| crs. Fires were built from drift wood
| along the beach. and when the
| drenched survivors were landed they
| were given coffee and restoratives
Train Dispatcher G.. Merritt, Of the
| coast vision OF the Southern Pacific
railroad. reached the scene OF the
wreck with the wrecking train. and
special cars for the injured. The train
, men joined the rescue and aided IN
landing the terrified and flaming sur
viVors.
Captain Fl. ". II udcrsor master Of
the Point Arguell1 light house, vas
one OF the first meu To reach the scene
| of the wreck. H expressed astUnsh-
mcut at the grounding of the vessel
| "The weather was calm and condi-
tions wero ideal for the most careless
navigator" hp said. II don't See how