#OnThisDay #July30th 1865 #156Anniversary #BrotherJonathan was a paddle steamer that struck an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of #CrescentCity, California, on July 30, 1865. The ship was carrying 244 passengers and crew, with a large shipment of gold. Only 19 people survived, making it the deadliest shipwreck up to that time on the #PacificCoast of the United States. Based on the passenger and crew list, 225 people are believed to have died. Its location was not discovered until 1993. On its last voyage, the ship had been heavily loaded and according to Captain DeWolf's widow, he felt that the ship sat too low in the water, even without the passengers, but he was told that if he did not set sail, he would be fired and replaced by someone else. Within hours of leaving #SanFrancisco Bay for #Portland and #Victoria, it ran into a gale. Most of the passengers became seasick and stayed in their cabins. Early on Sunday morning, the steamer anchored in Crescent City harbor on the first leg of its trip. After leaving the safety of the bay that afternoon, the ship encountered more stormy conditions. The seas were so bad near the California / Oregon border that the captain ordered the ship turned around for the harbor of Crescent City. Fifty-five minutes later on that return and close to port, the ship struck a rock, tearing a large hole in the hull. Within five minutes, the captain realized the ship was foundering and ordered the passengers and crew to abandon ship. Although there were enough lifeboats to hold all of the people on board, only three boats could be deployed. The rough waves capsized the first lifeboat that was lowered and smashed the second against the vessel's sides. Only a single surfboat, holding eleven crew members, five women, and three children, managed to escape and make it safely. For its final voyage, crates of #goldcoins had been loaded on the vessel, including the annual treaty payments in gold for #IndianTribes. #WellsFargo shipments consigned for Portland and Vancouver, and gold carried on board by the passengers. The gold alone was valued at $50 million in today's dollars. (at Brother Jonathan Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR-6DuAr0_Q/?utm_medium=tumblr
