The Sentinel=record., 1911-07-09
SANTA ROSA
 TOTAL WRECK
CONFLICTING REPORTS OF oFFl-
 GERS MAKES ACTUAL LOSS OF LIFE DIFFICULT.
Chief Steward Says Only Four of the Crew Drowned, While Specta- tors State Many Passengers
 of Vessel Lost Lives.

300 feet off the sand dunes surround ing the mouth of Honda Creek, the Pacific Coast Steamship Companys steamer Santa Rosa, which stranded yesterday, lies tonight a wave bat tered wreck.
 Somewhere near the broken and Second Officer E. Houson, and three sailors, Fred Johnson, E. w. Feb- son, and John Psiffer, who were drowned last night while rigging tEe life buoy lines by which the passen- gers and crew were transferred to land.
 All of the 200 passengers were sav- ed, according to the chief steward, but contrary reports say many per- ishcd
 'Tsin he wreck of the Santa Rosa occur red shortly after i o'clock in tho af- Sternoon. Several hours prior to that time she grounded, but was lying easily with tow lines run out to the steam schooner Centralia, and Helen P. Drew, ready to be drawn off at high tide last night.
 But at that hour rising wind stir red and angry sea and the vessel soon began pounding to pieces. At first an effort was made to run a buoy line to the Centralia, but the high seas prevented this and it was decided to try to pass the lifeline across the 300 feet of breakers to the short.
 Heuson, the second officer, was de- tailed by Captain J o. Faria to take the line ashore. He and his men launched llfeboat and prepared for the dangerous passage.
 In the meantime a throng of ranch CTS from the hills, and railroad men, gathered on the beach. These saw the life boat mount the crest of a breaker line for an instant and then plunge out of sight. The foaming waters covered the doomed sailors and they were never seen again. The breaches buoy line, however, was washed ashore.
 1t was picked up and made fast and from to 9:30 o'clock the dangerous work of transporting the passengers ashore via slender thread suspend ed over the ranging surf continueds Before ten o'clock the surviving mem bers of the crew were safely ashore with the drenched, weary, and more or less hysterical passengers. and were placed aboard two special trains and sent to Santa Barbar.
 Surf is six miles from the place where the Santa Rosa went ashore. Every one of the meager population hurried down to the sea when the gale rose and sealed the doom of the ship. A lone telegraph operator who could not leave his key was the on- ly person left in the hamlet, but those who returned after viewing the thrilling scenes incident to the res- cue were so excited that they could not remember what they had witness ed.
 Some said they had seen at least 25 drown before their eyes. Three life boats capsized, they asserted, and most of the occupants drowned, bs fore the line was brought ashore.
 The chief steward of the vessel de- elared that dnly Heuson and his three sailors lost their lives. All the passengers were saved, he declared; ; but later qualified his statement Dy saying that all were saved that he could account for.
 Shortly after the gale arose the Santa Rosa began going to pieces. The combined pulling power of the steam schooners, reinforced by the oil steamer Argyll, which arrived lat CT on the scene. could not prevent her swinging broadside to the break, CTS. Then she began pounding on the rocks and her hull parted amid ships,
 Captain Faria, captain of the wrecked steamer, made statement today as he stood on the beach look ing at the fragment of his vesse which remains above water. He plac- ed the blame for the stranding of tho steamer and the known loss of foul lives upon the shoulders of Third Of ficer Thomas. who was officer of tho deck when the Santa Rosa plunged