The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-07-13
SHIP LIES WRECK.
Inflated Santa Rosa Finds Her Grave
on Rocks.

Santa Rosa, which stranded yester-
day, lies tonight wave-battered
wreck. Somewhere near the broken
and submerged hulk are the bodies of
Second Officer E. Heuson and three
sailors, Fred Johnson, E. W. Febson
and John Psiffer, who were drowned
last night while rigging the life buoy
lines by which the passengers and
crew were transferred to land.
All of the 200 passengers were
saved, according to the chief steward,
but contrary reports say many per-
ished.
The wreck of the Santa Rosa oc-
Cured shortly after 4 o'clock in the
afternoon. Several hours prior to
that time she grounded, but was ly-
ing easy, with two lines run out to
the steam schooners Centralia and
Helen P. Drew, ready to be drawn
off at high tide last night.
Began to Pound.
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
prevented this, and it was decided to
try to pass the life lines 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 launch
ed a lifeboat and prepared for the
dangerous passage.
In the meantime throng of
ranchers from the hillside gathered
on the beach. They saw the lifeboat
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 breechesbuoy
line however, was washed ashore.
Brought to Shore.
It was picked up and made fast
and from 6 to $3.50 o'clock the dan
gerous work of transporting the pas
sengers ashore by a slender thread
stretched over the raging surf con-
tinued. Before 10 o'clock the sur
viving members 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
Barbara.
Surf is six miles from the place
where the Santa Rosa went ashore.
Every one of the meagre 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
person left in the hamlet. but those
who returned after viewing the thrill
ing scenes incident to the rescue were
so excited that they could not re-
member what they had witnessed.
Say Many Die.
Some say they had seen at least
Is drown before their eyes. Three
lifeboats capsized, they asserted, be-
fore the line was brought ashore and
most of their occupants drowned.
The chief steward of the vessel de-
clared that only Heuson and his
three sailors lost their lives. All the
passengers 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 combined pulling power of the
steam schooners, reinforced by the
oil steamer Argyll, which arrived
later on the scene, could not prevent
her swinging broad side to the break
ers. Then she began pounding on the
rocks and her hull parted amidships.
Capt. Fapia, commander Of the
wrecked steamer, made a statement
to-day as he stood on the beach
looking at the fragment of his ves-
sci which remains above water.
Blames Third Officer.
He placed the blame for the
stranding of the steamer and the
known loss of four lives upon the
shoulders of Third Officer Thomas,
who was officer of the deck when the
Santa Rosa plunged upon the rocks
before dawn yesterday morning.
Thomas, in defense, stated that he
"over-read" the ships log and
thought he was off Point Conception.
Capt. 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.