The Wreck of the Steamer Valencia, written in 1906 is the result of the intense investigation by US government as directed by President Theodore Roosevelt. The result of the thorough investigation was made into a book widely distributed at the time. It lays out in methodical and tantalizing detail all the events that occurred leading up to, during and after the disaster. Many survivors and witnesses gave their accounts of what happened.
West Coast Trail Shipwrecks
Alaskan at 4k Soquel at 5k Sarah at 7k Becherdass-Ambiadass at 8k Michigan at 12k Uzbekistan at 13.8k Varsity at 17.6k Valencia at 18.3k Janet Cowan at 19k Robert Lewers at 20k Woodside at 20.2k Uncle John at 26.2k Vesta at 29k Raita at 33k Skagit at 34.2k Santa Rita at 37k Dare at 39k Lizzie Marshall at 47k Puritan at 48.5k Wempe Brothers at 49.4k Duchess of Argyle at 58k John Marshall at 62.3k William Tell at 64.2 Revere at 69k Cyrus at 75k
West Coast Trail Campsites
Pachena Bay Campground Michigan Creek at 12k Darling River at 14k Orange Juice Creek at 15k Tsocowis Creek at 16.5k Klanawa River at 23k Tsusiat Falls at 25k Cribs Creek at 42k Carmanah Creek at 46k Bonilla Creek at 48k Walbran Creek at 53k Cullite Cove at 58k Camper Bay at 62k Thrasher Cove at 70k Pacheedaht Campground
The book gives you an objective look at the events without being altered by interpretation and speculation. The report is divided into chapters and the chapters have subsections comprised of three periods. So, the First Period is the detailed description of navigation of the vessel. Second Period is after the vessel struck and before the arrival of the rescue fleet. Third Period is the rescue from outside. The report ends with a chapter called Recommendations where a thorough outline of preventative measures that can be constructed and mandated to prevent future shipwrecks as well as facilitate the rescue of survivors of similar shipwrecks. You would expect a report like this to be longwinded and tedious, but it is actually very readable. Far from being longwinded, it is concise and sticks to facts and relevant details that cover a phenomenal amount of detail into just 53 pages. The original report of 1906 has been reprinted in a new edition in 2012 that you can buy it online here. You can also find free copies of the original 1906 book copied to pdf format from the Internet Archive or simply read on their site without downloading. You can even click a button with headphones on it and this old book will be narrated to you by a computerized voice. What a wonderful world we live in and what a great resource the Internet Archive is!
