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Says our Empire City correspondent under date of April 22d:
Sampson Bros new tug building at San Francisco is expected here in six weeks.
On the 15th inst the weekend schooner Jennie Thelin was placed on Luse's [Willian A. Luse] ways for repairs.
The Arago Lodge I.O.O.F. will celebrate on the 27th (today) by a procession and ball.
Twenty Passengers arrived per ----- on the 17th inst. Eight passengers were landed at Port Orford.
The steamer L--p-- took away on her last trip to San Francisco 5200 pieces of last wood, 470 tons of coal and 200 boxes of apples.
The amount of money apportioned to support the several school districts in this county for the year ending March 1st, 1874, was $2 ----/
Bay City [a.k.a. Eastside] is the name given to the new town opposite Marshfield. Improvements are in order and we may soon see wharves, hotels, stores, etc. spring up.
Morning Oregonian, Portland, Ore. April 27, 1874
SURVIVORS OF "BEDA." A Graphic Account of the Disaster by One of the
Survivors.
Three days in an open boat.
Railroad Iron Causes the" Beda" to Spring a Leak — The Vessel Abandoned— A Tale of Suffering— Death from
Exhaustion— List of the Dead so Far as Known
The schooner Gotuma arrived from Coos Bay, having onboard two survivors of the steamer Beda, which wad wrecked
off the bay on the 15th inst. The names of the survivors are John Thurlow, fireman, and Louis Lancett, seaman.
The steamer Beda left Neptune, on the Columbia River, March 14th at 9 o'clock, loaded with railroad iron. She crossed
the bar with a heavy sea and a southwest wind. She got over the bar all right, not making any water, until Sunday
afternoon, when the commenced leaking, which continued throughout the night. The rising water in the hold of the
vessel extinguished the fires at 11 o'clock Monday morning. Steam was put on the donkey engine, and the pumps were
worked until the vessel was abandoned, which was at half-past 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th. A part of
the deck load was tossed overboard while pumping. The boats were in sight of the vessel, after abandoning her,
until dark, the captain's boat fast to a riding spar, and the mate's boat fast to the captain's. At 3 o'clock on
the morning of the 16th the captain
CUT THE MATE'S BOAT LOOSE
Saying that he was afraid that if they continued together it would result in sinking them both. The mate's boat
sighted land at daylight, and made for it in a southwest wind, and pulling the oars. About 11 o'clock a.m. a southeast
wind came up, and the boat hove to at 7 o'clock on the evening of the 16th. On the morning of the 17th they rigged
an oar for a mast and set a blanket for sail. They had a northwest wind, and reached the breakers about 7 o'clock
that evening. They decided to heave to that night, and next morning set sail again, making for the beach. They
reached the breakers about 2 o'clock p.m. on Thursday, the 18th, and all hands decided to run them. The first breaker
capsized the boat, two men out of the seven only reaching the beach. The survivors walked down to Umpqua bay and
signaled the schooner Norman, loaded for Santiago. A boat came from the latter, taking the men on board. Lancett
was taken to Gardiner, where he went on board the tug Fearless, belonging at North Bend, Coos Bay, and was taken,
with Fireman Thurlow, to the bay and there placed on board the schooner Gotuma. On leaving the steamer the mate's
boat was provided with a small quantity of provisions, blankets, a compass and a can of oil. The latter was made
use of to calm the sea. Second Engineer Patrick Murphy and Cabin Boy James Thompson died of exhaustion in the boat
March 18th. Their bodies were kept in the boat until she capsized. Seaman Lancett is one of the survivors of the
lost steamer Tacoma, which was wrecked on the beach at the same place the boat came ashore about three years ago.
It is the opinion of the men that the Captain's boat, containing eight men, will never be heard from, or if so
that it will only be to reveal a sorry story of their loss.
THE FIREMAN'S STORY
At an interview with Fireman Thurlow, he said that in his boat were G. Donough, first officer; James Thompson,
cabin boy; one firemen and two seamen whose names he did not know. In the other boat was the Captain, P. Halley;
P. Murphy, second engineer; M. Foley, first engineer, and two sailors, named Dave and Charley, these were all he
knew. These he believed to be lost. He said " We were seventy miles below the bar and forty miles out to sea
when we abandoned the vessel. In one boat we had one half a ham, two dozen crackers, two cans of condensed milk
and three cans of pure milk."
"Did you have any water?"
"None; but we had two cases of Hostetter's Bitters, that we took from the cargo."
"How about the two that died in the boat?"
"They were the second engineer and the cabin boy. They died from exhaustion and cold. It was pretty tough,
I tell you, three days and three nights in a heavy sea. The first day we were afloat we had
A HEAVY HAIL STORM
But we never gave up. We did not talk much. Lancett and I were the only ones that were in good spirits. It don't
pay to get down-hearted. Finally we all agreed to put through the breakers. When they struck us, we went over quick
as a flash, but I hung to the boat; the rest were washed away. Lancett got back on the boat. He got washed off
three times. The third breaker sent us in so we could feel bottom, and then we were safe. There were three men
drowned on the beach with the two that died from exhaustion, and us two that were saved makes seven. That is all
there was in the boat." Fireman Thurlow then related how they hailed the Gorman, and said that they were treated
very kindly by the men on board, being fed and clothed and put to bed. Thurlow's feet were swollen to an abnormal
size, and his hands are beginning to peel; otherwise he is in good condition. He says the Captain did perfectly
right in casting them off, as it might jeopardize all their lives.
LIST OF THE LOST
The list of the lost is as follows, as far as known: P. Halley, master; G. Donough, first mate; M. Foley, first
engineer; P. Murphy, second engineer; Thomas Harty, second mate; James Thompson, cabin boy; one fireman and six
seamen, two of whom are named Dave and Charley. As the articles signed by the seamen were aboard the sunken schooner
it probably never will be known who they were. The Beda belonged to Simpson Brothers of 46 Market street.
Daily Alta California, Volume 40, Number 13360, 26 March 1886
Bandon Recorder -One day last week, while quarrying foundation stone at Two-Mile,
T.W. Crook and Jimmy Averill brought to light a most interesting fossil in the shape of a fish, which was imbedded
in the solid sandstone.
The Oregon Southern Packing company filed articles of incorporation last week. The incorporators are G.W. Loggie,
S.H. Hazard and Fred Schetter, and the capital stock is $50,000. The company intends packing fish, clams, and fruit
of various kinds.
Morning Oregonian, Portland, Ore. December 18, 1886
Killed a Man for 75 Cents
Coquille, Or., Sept. 11.-A. Webster, proprietor of the Ocean House, shot and killed George Fales, a waiter, during
a quarrel about 75 cents which Fales claimed was due him. Threats of lynching Webster are heard.
Aberdeen Daily News, Sept. 11, 1891
Amusement for the Baby
Myrtle Point, Or., - Mr. Waldrige [Waldridge] surprised his baby Sunday night. He didn't intend to surprise it;
he intended to amuse. He had been to church, and on reaching home drew his revolver from his pocket to put it away.
Baby reached for the weapon. If baby wanted it, baby must have it, so papa took out the cartridges - every one
of them - and then to show baby how to operate the toy, he pulled the trigger. That was where the baby was surprised!
It would surprise any baby to see its papa shoot the cook stove on a quiet Sunday night with an unloaded revolver,
when the cook stove was quietly pursuing its vocation and digesting hard wood at the rate of an armful an hour.
Myrtle Point West Oregonian, Dec. 9, 1891
Life Savers Drowned
Coquille City, Ore., April 13 - While the life saving crew at Bandon was practicing yesterday afternoon the boat
capsized and Captain Nelson and three of the crew were drowned.
Idaho Daily Statesman, April 14, 1892
Recent
high water on the Coquille River in Oregon played havoc with Coos Bay and Roseburg railroad for a distance of eighteen
miles. At last report driftwood was piled up along alone the line of the road the greater part of the way from
Cedar Point to Myrtle Point and in many places only one rail could be seen. It is generally believed that there
will be no trains running to Myrtle Point for a number of months. The flood has damaged the road many thousands
of dollars but the exact amount will not be known until the waters have receded.
Salt Lake Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 12, 1893
Daring Robbery
Two masked robbers extorted $180 from Levi Grant, who lives near Myrtle Point, Coos county, by holding him in a
blazing fire till he disclosed its hiding place.
The Mountain Democrat, Placerville California, February 26, 1898
Farm Employee Killed and Robbed of His Earnings Near Coquille City
MARSHFIELD, Or.- May 23.—News has reached here of the discovery near Coquille City of the body
of E. E. Daly, who evidently had been murdered for his money. Jesse McQuigg while walking on the railroad at Cedar
Point saw a man digging in the "brush, and an investigation later resulted in the discovery of Daly's body,
buried just below the surface. There was a bullet hole in the back of the head. Daly came from Blackwell, Oklahoma,
and had been working several months for a Coos River farmer. He was paid on Thursday, receiving $170. No money,
was found on the body.
The San Francisco Call, San Francisco, May 26, 1901
EXPELLED FROM COMMUNITY
Oregon People Have No Patience With Anarchist Sympathizers
Marshfield, Ore., Sept. 18-John Peterson, a foreigner, who claims to be a Norwegian, was run
out of Marshfield today on account of utterances derogatory of the late President McKinley. A party led by business
men visited Peterson's residence last night with the intention of administering a coat of tar and feathers but
he refused to come out and the attempt was abandoned. This morning he came down town and was immediately taken
into custody by a committee of citizens.
Tar and feathers were in readiness in a warehouse but the committee finally gave him one minute
to make his choice between tar and feathers of leave the country within five hours. He chose the latter. Two men
living on Coos river, are reported to have expressed satisfaction at President McKinley's assassination. A party
has been formed to visit them tomorrow.
Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise City Idaho, September 19, 1901
CAPTAIN OF THE SCHOONER ADVANCE DROWNED ON COQUILLE RIVER BAR
J. Jorgensen Is Washed From the Deck of Tugboat and After a Gallant Struggle for Life in the Boiling Waters is
Picked Up by a Lifeboat Crew Only to Collapse Later and Die in the Arms of His Rescuers
WORD was received yesterday of the death by drowning of Captain J. Jorgensen, commander of the
big schooner Advance and one of the best known skippers on this coast. The fatality occurred October 12, on the
Coquille River. Captain Jorgensen was washed overboard from a tug which was assisting the steam schooner Chico
over the bar. A powerful man and a strong swimmer, Jorgensen made a gallant battle tor life, but when picked up
by the life boat dispatched to his rescue he was terribly exhausted and apparently in a dying condition. He lest
consciousness soon after being taken out of the water and in spite of heroic efforts made to revive him collapsed
and died. His home was at Bandon, Ore., where he leaves a wife and four children. He had been for more than ten
years in the employ of C. F. Doe, in whose esteem the dead sailor stood high. Jorgensen was about 40 years of age.
The San Francisco Call, San Francisco, October 15, 1903
SPARK SETS MINE ON FIRE
Serious Blaze in Coal Workings at Coquille City, Oregon
Coquille City, Oregon, Oct. 8 - Miners just arrived from the Beaver Hill coal mine say that an electric spark from
a motor on the sixth level caused an explosion which seriously burned the motorman and another man and set fire
to the entire mine.
The Beaver Hill mine is one of the richest coal properties in this State, and if the conflagration
is as serious as reported the damage will run in the millions.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1904
Man is Cut in Two by Train
Coquille, Or., Feb. 4. - As he was about to board the train to Marshfield to meet his wife from San Francisco,
J.O. Christie was run over and instantly killed at the depot at 11 o'clock this morning. Christie was superintendent
of the Coquille Coal and Lumber Company and came here from San Francisco. Mrs. Christie was due at Marshfield tomorrow
on the steamer Breakwater.
Standing on the track as the train was backing down to the depot, Christie gave no sign of hearing
the ringing of the engine bell. He did not move until the rear car was upon him, when he tried to leap to safety,
but was knocked down and his body cut in two by the car wheels.
The Evening News, San Francisco, California, February 4, 1905
LETTER FROM L. C. BARGELT TELLS OF QUAKE EFFECT. IT WAS NOT FELT IN OREGON
Former Norfolk Newspaper Man is Now Located at Myrtle Point, Oregon, Where He Has Charge of a Thriving Country
Newspaper Plant.
L.C. Bargelt, formerly a member of The News staff, but lately of Marshfield, Ore., has moved to Myrtle Point, twenty-eight
miles from Marshfield, and is now in charge of the Myrtle Point Enterprise at that place. His letter contains interesting
features concerning the country and also concerning the effect on that section which will be felt as a result of
the earthquake. Following is a portion of the letter:
I am here to take editorial charge of the Myrtle Point Enterprise, having purchased a half interest
in the plant. It is the only paper in a town of 800 or 1,000 people, located at the head of navigation of the beautiful
Coquille river and the terminal of the only railway in this section of country. The line runs from Marshfield to
this place, a distance of twenty-eight miles. It is, I believe, the prettiest little town I ever saw. It is located
on a table overlooking the valley and to the east are splendid fir capped hills. It is the trading center of the
best farming country in this section of the state, besides having gold mines, lumbering camps, saw mills, cattle
ranches and other industries tributary. I like the country and the people and hope I shall be able to build up
a fine country printing plant here. I have been making garden, but started in rather late, most of the gardens
having been planted in February. I hope to have more time from now on than I had in Marshfield. The boys who have
had the paper have been working about six hours a day, and issued quite a creditable little sheet, but I hope to
improve it as rapidly as possible. Much of their material is quite ancient, especially their heading.
Evidence of the generosity and promptness of the people of this section was furnished during
the recent terrible San Francisco calamity. The Breakwater, the largest passenger steamer entering Coos bay, left
the fated city before the calamity and arrived in Marshfield the day following the quake. A meeting of citizens
was called that evening and before the boat left the following morning she was loaded with supplies and provisions
for the sufferers and was one of the first to arrive for their relief. The bakeries worked all night making bread
and many of the housewives did likewise while the committees, with wagons gathered up the stuff. Eight hundred
bags of potatoes, several thousand loaves of bread, a large quantity of meat, bedding, clothing and about $ 4,000
was contributed by this county in the space of a few hours, and it stands ready to duplicate the contribution if
necessary. On the Breakwater, coming in, was a cargo of provision for the merchants of this section, but none of
it was unloaded, the stuff being all returned to the doomed city. The Coast Mail showed much enterprise, getting
a special service and issuing extras, that were taken like hot cakes. I worked all night and am just recovering
from my strenuous experience. This is but an evidence of the generosity of the people who are prompt to relieve
any case of distress.
Of the earthquake, but a very sleight tremor was felt in the Coos bay country, and it is the
nearest port north that was not affected. It is possible that this country will benefit by the Golden Gate calamity.
People who are afraid of quakes will naturally seek a place that has not known them and this is the nearest to
Frisco. All that is needed is a transcontinental line to introduce this country to the world and it will come eventually,
without a doubt, opening up the vast resources of southern Oregon to the world. People who have not been here have
no conception of the value of this country and many who have been born and raised here fail to realize it. The
development without a railroad, has been splendid, but it is not a "patching" of what may be accomplished.
Its advantages are equal to those of Portland and they seem to fear its rivalry up there and are keeping this country
back, but it cannot always do it. I may be considered overenthusiastic but am not different from others who have
come in here from states of the east and mid-west. In the matter of climate I hardly think it could be better.
It is simply splendid. Hunting for bear and deer and fishing for trout and salmon are among the sports.
The Norfolk Weekly News-journal (Norfolk, Neb.) May 04, 1906, Page 8
Our
townsman, Bird E. Nosler, Friday received the sad news of the death of his father, J.H. Nosler, at his home in
Coquille, Oregon, on the 4th of this month. The deceased had been a resident of Coquille since the year 1870. He
was elected county judge of Coos county in 1874, was re-elected in 1878 and held office for eight years, and was
an honored citizen of his state.
Imperial Valley Press, El Centro, California, Saturday, May 11, 1907
Looked to Stars in Murder Scene
Marshfield, Ore. Oct. 13 - Plans for the deliberate slaying of prominent residents of Coos County
with their families were laid by Arthur Covell, 47, a cripple famed as an astrologer, according to his reported
confession to authorities here.
With his 16 year old nephew, Alton Covell, he is held in the county jail after
indictment on a murder charge in connection with the death of Mrs. Fred Covell, Sept. 2, last.
The nephew, it is said by the authorities, has confessed that he killed his
stepmother while under the influence of his crippled uncle. The confession, it is declared, tells how the youth,
hypnotized by the bed-ridden man, crept up behind his stepmother the morning of Sept. 2, while she was at work
in her kitchen, and clamping an ammonia-soaked cloth over her face, smothered her to death.
The astrologer, according to his purported admissions and to the confession
of the nephew, based his schemes for the killing of Mrs. Covell and for wiping out at least a dozen persons of
Coos county, upon the stars.
Fitchburg Daily Sentinel, Fitchburg Massachusetts, October 13, 1923
60-Gallon Still at Marshfield taken
MARSHFIELD, Dec. 16 – (AP) – State prohibition and county officers today raided a 60-gallon
still on the headwaters of Floras creek, near the Coos-Curry line.
One thousand gallons of mash and 85 gallons of finished liquor were captured.
Officers reported that Ed Bleacke, alleged owner, escaped by rolling several hundred feet down a hillside.
The Eugene Guard (Eugene, OR), Thursday, December 16, 1926 -
Contributed by Jim Dezotell
Coos gets Two New CCC Camps
Marshfield, Dec. 5 (Special)- Two new CCC camps have moved into Coos county to spend the winter,
offering citizens much relief from thier fire worries. The enrollies will build permanent fire trails at several
spots in the county where communities may be in danger from possible future outbreaks.
Both companies are from Texas, each containing 160 men. One is at Coos head,
near Coos bay, under Lieutenant Willard D. Barr. The other is at McKinley, replacing a camp that moved out this
summer. Sitkum also had a full company camp.
The Coos head camp, with entirely new men, went into action the day after
the men arrived from Texas, protecting the town of Charleston from destruction after two homes had burned.
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore., December 12, 1936
Oregon District Fears Fire, Flood in Wake of Storm
Portland, Ore.- Road-plows and milder temperatures gave the Pacific northwest partial surcease
from traffic-halting snow today but danger of fire and growing fears of flood hung over the storm-battered populace.
At least six persons have lost their lives in winter's latest assault on the
northwest.
Nine inches of rain fell at Marshfield on Coos bay. Scores of lowland ranchers
were driven from their homes. Streets were turned into rivers throughout the area.
At Bandon, 36 miles southeast of Marshfield, a 3 month old baby was found
alive caught on a tree branch near the roof of the home from which flood waters forced a family two hours previously.
Water had swept the child out a second story window.
Floods swept down on Bandon as it was still recovering from the ravages of
a forest fire which virtually destroyed the little lumber town last summer.
In many communities only main highways were passable.
Appleton Post Crescent, Appleton Wisconsin, February 2, 1937
Woman Marches On
Marshfield, Ore., Mar. 22 - Out dated proponents of a masculine world will shudder at this one- a woman has been
elected president of the Coos and Curry county bar association. At their annual session in North Bend, Ore., the
lawyers chose Mrs. Mable McIntuff of Marshfield as their 1944 chief. The new president has been secretary of the
Oregon American Legion auxiliary for many years.
The Daily Courier, Connellsville Pennsylvania, March 22, 1944
