The Wreck of the Revere
A dense fog causes the American bark Revere to run aground near Cape Flattery, resulting in a total loss of the ship but a successful rescue by local Indigenous communities.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The American bark Revere left Honolulu on the 23rd of August last with seventeen hands on board. On the evening of the 9th, dense fog obscured the coastline. At 6 a.m. the following Sunday, the lookout heard the surf and cried 'Land ho!' The helm was put hard down, but with no wind, the ship drifted and struck the shore at San Juan harbor, near Cape Flattery. The vessel soon filled with water and began to break up. All passengers and crew were taken ashore, where they received every attention from the natives at a nearby Indian rancheria. The crew were later transported to Victoria by canoe.
“An Indian rancheria was close by and every attention was paid by the natives to the unfortunate castaways.”
This account captures the perils of 19th-century maritime navigation on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and acknowledges the essential role of Indigenous coastal communities in search-and-rescue operations long before official US Coast Guard presence.
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