The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-09
ZAP TAIN PUTS
BLAME ON MA TE
Third Officer of Santa Rosa
Makes Fatal Mistake in Read
ing Ships Log.
NUMBER OF VICTIMS
A NATTER OF DOUBT
Rumor That Some of the Pas
sengers We're Lost in Effort
to Reach Shore.

SURF, Cal, July s.-Captain }, u
Faria.. commander of the wrecked
steamer Santa Rosa, made statement
today as he stood ON the beach looking
nj the fragment of his vessel which re-
mains above water. He placed inc
blame for the stranding OF the steamer
and the known loss of four hives upon
the shoulders of Third Officer Thomas
VINO was officer OF the deck when the
Santa Rosa plunged upon the ROCKS ne
fore dawn yesterday morning.
Thomas, in defense. stated that ne
Overhead" !" the ships log and thought
he was of Point Conception, miles
south of the point where the steamer
grounded
Captain Fara said the current sets
hard ashore near Saddle rock. where the
steamer struck. and that Thomas neg
lcctcd TO call him, as is customary,
when soundings we're taken.
Fourteen Missing.
Fourteen passengers of the steamer
Santa Rosa, which broke up last hieht
on the rocks al Point Arguello. are un.
accounted for tonight on the lists OF
Purser w. +. Carlton. :.
While some of those may be alive
and probably left the scene of the
MINES, Carlton believes that the list
of the four known dead will be length
ened.
The wreck OF the Santa Rosa occurred
shortly after / O clock in the afternoon
Prior TO that time she was lying easily,
with tow lines run out to the steam
schuoners Centralia and Helen p. Drew,
ready to be drawn of ut high tide last
night. But at that hour a rising wind
stirred an angry sea and the vessel soon
began pounding to pieces. At trst an
effort was made to run buoy line to
the Centralia, but the high seas pre-
vented this and it was decided to try to
pass the life line across the 500 feet OF
breakers to the shore.
Life Boat Is swalnped.
Heuson, the second officer. was de
tailed by Captain j, o. Faria 10 take
the line ashore. He and his men
launched n life boat and prepared for
the dangerous massage
In the meantime throng of ranchers
from the hills and railroad men gath
cred on the beach, These saw the life
boat mount the crest of breaker for
An instant and then plunge out or sight.
The fonming waters covered the doomed
sailors and they were never seen again.
The brooches buoy line, however, was
washed ashore 1t was picked up and
made fast, and from o. CLOCK until $50
the dangerous work of bringing the
women passengers ashore via the slen-
der thread suspended over the raging
surf continued Before 10 o'clock the
surviving members Of the crew also
were safely ashore, and with the
drenched. weary and more or less hys-
terical passengers were placed aboard
two special trains from the north and
sent to Santa Barbara.
surf is six miles from the place
where the Santa Rosa went ashore
Every one of its meager ponulation hur-
ried 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 only one left in
the hamlet. but those who returned
after viewing the thrilling scenes Incl
dent to the rescue were so excited that
they could not remember what they had
witnessed. Some said they had seen at
least twenty-five drown before their
eyes. Three life boats capsized, they
asserted. before the life line was
brought ashore. and most of their occu-
pants drowned