The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-09
Witnesses Say Twenty-Five People Were Drowned
 Before Their Eyes
STEWARD DECLARES
 ONLY FOUR ARE DEAD
Says All the Passengers "He Could Account" for Were Rescued. The Captain Blames the
 Third Officer


 feet off the sand dunes surrounding the mouth of Honda creek, the Pacific Coast Steamship company's steamer Santa Rosa, which stranded yesterday, lies tonight 8 wave-battered wreck Somewhere near the broken and sub merged hulk are the bodies of Second Officer E. Heuson and three sailors, Fred Johnson, F. W. Febson and John Phiffer who were drowned last night while rigging the life buoy lines by which the passengers and crew were transferred to land.
 Fourteen passengers are unaccounted for tonight on the lists of Purser G. W. Carlton.
 While some of these may be alive and others probably left the scene of the wreck without stopping to give their names, Carlton believes that the list of four known dead will be length ened. /
 All of the 2OO/passengers were saved, according to /the chief steward. but contrary reports say many perished.
 The wreck of the Santa Rosa oc- cured shortly after o'clock in the dlI6TnOOn. otNeTdl IOuIS pilol lO iiid time she grounded, but was lying cas- fly with tow lines run out to the steam schooners Centralia and Helen P. Drew ready to be drawn off at high tide last night.
 But at that hour rising wind stirred an angry sea and the vessel soon be- gan pounding to pieces. At first an effort was made to run a buoy line to the Centralia but the high seas pre- vented thig and it was decided to try to pass the line across the 300 feet of breakers to the shore.
 Heuson, the second officer, was de- tailed by Capt. J. o. Faria to take the line ashore. He and his men launched a life boat and prepared for the dangerous passage.
 In the meantime 6 throng of ranchers form the hills and railroad men gath cred on the beach. These saw the lifs boat mount the crest of a breaker lin' for an Instant and then plonge ont Q sight The fosmins waters covered tn' doomed sailors and they were nevel seen again.
 The brooches life buoy line however was washed ashore.
 It was picked up and made fast ant from to 9:90 o'clock the dangerous work of transporting the passengers shore over the slender thread sus- pended over the raging surf continued Before 10 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 the two special trains and sent to Santa Barbara.
 Surf is six miles from the place where the Santa Rosa went ashore Everyone 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 only per son left in the hamlet. but those who returned after viewing the thrilling scenes incident to the rescue were so excited that they could not remember what they had witnessed.
 Conflicting Accounts Some said they had seen at least 25 drown before their eyes. Three life boats capsized, they asserted, before the | line was brought ashore, and most or the occupants drowned.
 The chief steward of the vessel de- clared that only Heuson and his three sailors were drowned All the passen- gers were saved he declared, but later qualified his statement by saying that all were saved that he could account for.
 Shortly after the gale arose the Santa Rosa began going to pieces. The com bined pulling power of the steam schooners, reinforced by the oil steam CT Argyll, which arrived later on the scene, could not prevent her swinging l. l.x. began pounding on the rocks and her hull parted amidships.
 Captain Faria, commander of the wrecked steamer, made a statement to- day as he stood on the beach looking at the fragment of his vessel that re- mains above water. He, placed the blame for the strandings of the steam CT and the known loss of four lives upon the shoulders of, Third .aOfficer Thomas, who was officer of the deck when the Santa Rosa plunged upon the rocks before dawn yesterday morning
 "Over Read" the Log
 Thomas in defense says that he over read' the ships log and thought he was off Point Conception. Captain Faria said the current sets hard ashore near Saddle Rock, where the steamer struck, and that Thomas neglected to call him. as is customary when soundings are taken Whether there was loss of life among the passengers is still in doubt. Some of the ships company say positively ! that from three to eight pershed. AS l the passengers left here on various l trains, a complete check hardly will be possible.
 Superintendent Allison of the Pa cific Coast Steamship company, who arr rived today, said the vessel was total l loss. Little of the cargo was saved.