| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Carrier Pigeon |
| Namesake | Carrier pigeon |
| Owner | Reed, Wade & Co.,Boston |
| Builder | Hall, Snow & Company,Bath, Maine |
| Launched | 18 October 1852 |
| Fate | Sunk on maiden voyage, 1853 |
| Notes | Wreck sold, with cargo, forUS$1,500 (equivalent to $56,700 in 2024) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Medium clipper |
| Tons burthen | 843 |
| Length | 175 ft 5 in (53.47 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft 5 in (10.49 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m)[1] |
Carrier Pigeon was an Americanclipper ship that was launched in the fall of 1852 fromBath, Maine. Her value was estimated atUS$54,000 (equivalent to $2,041,000 in 2024). She was wrecked on her maiden voyage off the north coast of what was thenSanta Cruz County (and is nowSan Mateo County) in the state of California.
On January 28, 1853,Carrier Pigeon leftBoston. The clipper was bound forSan Francisco on her maiden voyage. As a commercial ship, she was to deliver general merchandise. The ship and her cargo wereinsured forUS$195,000 (equivalent to $7,370,000 in 2024)[citation needed]
In the mid-19th century, thePanama Canal had not yet been constructed, and thus the only way to reach thePacific Ocean from theAtlantic Ocean was to sail aroundCape Horn, an area infamous for its shipwrecks. Theprevailing winds in the vicinity of Cape Horn and south, blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties". Despite this,Carrier Pigeon encountered no difficulties rounding the Cape.[2][3]
On June 6, 1853, the clipper was sighted atSanta Cruz, California. San Francisco is located only about seventynautical miles (81 mi; 130 km) north of Santa Cruz. The coolCalifornia Current offshore, enhanced byupwelling of cold sub-surface waters, often creates summerfog near the coast, and June 6, 1853, was no exception. As night approached, so did the fog. The captain ofCarrier Pigeon, Azariah Doane, believed that the ship was far from shore, and so he gave the order to sail eastward toward the shore. In a few minutes the clipper hit the rocky bottom.[citation needed]
Heavy waves rocked the helpless clipper from side to side. Thehull was opened to the incoming tide. After seven feet (2.1 m) of cold Pacific water rushed into the ship, the captain and the crew had just a few moments to escape with their lives. Because the ship was wrecked only 500 feet (150 m) from shore, all the members of the crew were able to reach the shore safely.[2][3]
The news about the wreck reached San Francisco by the evening of June 7. The U.S. Coast SurveysteamerActive was sent to the wreck. Later on,sidewheel steamerSea Bird joined the efforts in trying to save some cargo and whatever was left ofCarrier Pigeon.
SteamerSea Bird's salvage operations were under the command of the well-known"Bully" Waterman, formerly ofSea Witch. The crew ofPigeon was initially occupied with landing their own baggage through the surf, and wanted to remain ashore. However, Captain Waterman, with his characteristically forceful personality, set the listless crew members to work in the salvage operation, and kept order on the pitching decks as boxes of liquor came to light. The cargo included cases of shoes and footwear, and although it was to the locals' advantage to drop boxes over the side whenever possible, so that they might be scavenged later for personal use, Capt. Waterman put a stop to this.
The following morning, near daybreak,Sea Bird found herself in troubles of her own. As the wind picked up from the northwest with heavy swells,Sea Bird's twoanchors began to drag. The ship broke free and started drifting towards the very same rocks that just a day before had wreckedCarrier Pigeon. The owner ofSea Bird, Captain John T. Wright,[4] had detailed knowledge of the area, and was able to maneuver his ship so that it beached a few miles south, on the sandy shore of PointAño Nuevo. This savedSea Bird from being wrecked, and she was refloated a few months later, in October.[5]
One more ship,Goliah, was sent to help out to salvage as much merchandise as possible from the wreck.Goliah first checked on the safety ofSea Bird before coming toCarrier Pigeon.Goliah was able to transport both the crew ofCarrier Pigeon and 1,200 packages of her merchandise north to San Francisco. On June 10, 1853,The Daily Alta California reported aboutCarrier Pigeon:
Her bows lay about 500 feet from the beach, and she rests amidships on a ledge of rocks, which have broken the ship's back. The tide ebbs and flows in her, and is up to her between-decks.[6]
The salvage operations continued for a few more weeks, but by July,Carrier Pigeon was breaking apart.
Both wrecks appear to have left an impression on this sparsely populated stretch of theSan Mateo County coastline. Despite Capt. Waterman's efforts, several local stories remain regarding the disposal of the cargoes ofCarrier Pigeon andSea Bird.
According to a guidebook published by theCalifornia Coastal Commission, the residents ofPescadero recovered a large quantity of white paint fromPigeon which they "used liberally on all the town's buildings", and then maintained the tradition of painting their houses white.[7] However, other sources credit the 1896 wreck of the steamerColumbia as the source of the white paint.[8]
An article in theWells Fargo Messenger states that astagecoach salvaged fromCarrier Pigeon was laboriously hoisted up the cliffs onto the road, and put into service within a week. The coach, built in Concord, New Hampshire, carried passengers and freight on the Pescadero road for theWells Fargo Company for forty years, and, in 1914, was listed among the company's prized possessions.[9]
Another tale relates that an Irishman named John Daly, who was employed driving pigs from Santa Cruz to a Pescadero ranch, discovered some lumps of coal fromSea Bird's cargo on the beach at Año Nuevo. Mr. Daly endeavored to parlay his discovery into money which he might spend on whiskey. Since coal deposits had been rumored to exist in the area, Mr. Daly proceeded with his lumps of coal to Santa Cruz, announcing to Captain Brannan and three others that he'd discovered a coal mine atGazos Creek. After collecting his monetary reward, he led the four men up Gazos Creek in search of the alleged coal outcropping, with the intention of escaping and leaving his benefactors behind empty-handed. However, Captain Brannan, who was armed, managed to capture Daly and extract a confession. Daly was administered a whipping on the spot and later fled the area.[10]
A few years later, in 1871, a lighthouse was built on a point near where the wreck occurred. To commemorateCarrier Pigeon, the structure was namedPigeon Point Lighthouse. This lighthouse is still an activeCoast Guard aid to navigation in the area.
carrier pigeon coal san mateo.
| Shipwrecks |
|
|---|---|
| Other incidents |
|
