Daily Alta California
Tuesday Morning, August 3, 1858.
Page 1

The Oregon Disaster.
The news received yesterday in relation to the fate of the passengers who jumped from the steamer Oregon to the rocks on Point Reyes has removed a great load of anxiety from the public mind, and the appearance of these passengers upon the streets of the city, has justly been looked upon as a result for which we have reason to be truly thankful. From all that is now known in relation to the disaster, it is probable that some lives have been sacrificed, but the destruction has been so small, in comparison to the suppositions that first gained credence, that even while we may sincerely mourn for those who have thus been so suddenly cut off from among us, we have good cause to rejoice that it is no worse.
As to the number of lives that have actually been lost, whether there be one, two, three or more, at present all is mystery; and it may be that it will always remain so, and the vacant places that have been made in the home circle, the long waiting and watching for the absent brother, husband or father, will be all that will ever give any clue as to the identity of the missing. Again, on the other hand, if every person who came passenger upon the Oregon, and who arrived in safety, will come forward and make himself known, so that his name may be checked off on the ship's list of passengers, the names of those who are missing may thus be positively ascertained, and their fate be definitely settled. We look upon it as a sacred duty devolving upon these passengers to come forward at once and pursue such a course, and shall hold outselves in readiness to record the names of all who will respond to the request, and to give general publicity thereto when the result is ascertained.
As to the cause of the disaster itself, after a patient examination of all the facts connected with it, and after obtaining, so far as possible, an expression of opinion from the passengers generally, we see no reason to attach blame to Capt. Patterson or any of his officers. And as to their conduct subsequent to the striking of the ship, we have heard but one expression of sentiment, and that has been in the highest degree commendatory. Such, at least, has been the result of our investigations, thus far, and if there are those among the passengers who entertain contrary views, we shall be glad to hear from them at once upon the subject, assuring them that our only desire is simply to do justice to all; to condemn, if condemnation be deserved; to exonerate, if the facts justify exoneration. That they do so is our present impression, and therefore, we do not hesitate to so express ourselves.
The accident seems to have been the direct result of a variation in the needle, such as is known to take place at times in the same locality, during excessively foggy weather, and which seems to have occurred in the case of the Oregon. From the most reliable information which we have been enabled to gather, the ship was steering on a course that without this inexplicable variation, should have carried her some five or six miles seaward from the extreme end of Point Reyes. Such was Captain Patterson's supposition, and in nautical parlance, and as he states himself, he shaped his course by the compass, outside of the usual track of steamers running down the coast, so as to give the Point a wide berth of about six miles. As to the possibility of seeking land, in one of our California fogs, a ship's length ahead - most especially in the night time - those who have ever had any experience in one of them off the coast, in the vicinity of San Francisco Bay, will bear witness to the fact, that it is utterly impossible to do so, and will express no surprise that the Oregon was so suddenly brought up against the rocky shore of Point Reyes, without the land having been discovered by the look-out.
The disaster thus seems to have been one of those inexplicable occurrences, that no ordinary human foresight or prudence can always provide against; and now that the result is so far determined, there is greater cause to rejoice that it was no worse, rather than to complain of the causes which led to it, and to blame the commander of the ship, if, as it at present appears, his conduct is not justly censurable.