Charles Samuels was a first class passenger on the Valencia who survived with the Bunker Party. During the chaos following the wreck, Samuels escaped on lifeboat No. 3—the fifth boat launched—which carried 15 people but quickly lost an oar, veered into the surf, and capsized, drowning eight occupants.
The Valencia Disaster
1. The Valencia 2. The Voyage 3. The Boats 4. The McCarthy Boat 5. The Bunker Party 6. On the Valencia 7. The Rafts 8. The Turret Raft 9. The Rescue Ships 10. The Aftermath 11. The Survivors 12. The Lost
The West Coast Trail
Prologue 1: The West Coast Trail 2: When to Hike & Fees 3: Trailheads 4: Getting There 5: Considerations 6: Campsites 7: Shipwrecks 8: Routes 9: Sights & Highlights
Samuels and six other men (Frank J. Campbell, Tony Brown, George Billikos, Yosuki Hosoda, Mike Stone, and Albert Willis) managed to swim or drift to shore, landing at the base of near-vertical cliffs about 250 meters (820 feet) north of the Valencia wreckage. They were soon joined by two more survivors (Frank Bunker and Frank Richley) from the capsized lifeboat No. 6, forming a group of nine known as the "Bunker Party." Soaking wet and freezing in the January cold, the men huddled together on the rocky beach overnight for warmth.
At dawn, led by Bunker (an assistant superintendent of Seattle schools who had been a passenger), they scaled the 100-foot (30-meter) cliffs using vines and roots, then followed a suspended telegraph line inland until they reached an unoccupied lineman's shack. There, they repaired the line and telegraphed news of the wreck to the Carmanah Point Lighthouse, alerting the outside world and prompting rescue efforts for remaining survivors.
The Bunker Party on January 26th, 1906
