I.J. Bruer
Mr. I.J. Bruer, from Minneapolis, was a passenger on the Valencia. His name does not appear on the Valencia’s passenger list but his friends received from him a letter written from San Francisco two hours before going on board the steamer in which he stated that he was travelling by the vessel. Albert Meyers, a friend in San Francisco, with whom Mr. Bruer spent the evening before the Valencia sailed sent the letter. Mr. Bruer left Minneapolis January 2nd for a pleasure trip along the Pacific Coast, expecting to remain away from home until the rigors of winter were past. He has many friends on the coast as he lived in Los Angeles with his family for two years before moving to Minneapolis. Mr. Bruer was at the head of the Bruer Bros. Lumber Company. He has a wife and three sons, Harry, Franz and Leo. The two elder boys are associated with him in his business. He was 50 years of age and had a sandy moustache. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he came to the United States as a boy with his parents.
The Victoria Daily Times on 29 January 1906 reported that “Miss Minna Bruer, of Minneapolis, is in the city today seeking information relative to the body of her uncle, IJ Bruer, who is among those who were aboard the Valencia. Mr. Bruer’s name does not appear on the passenger list.” Miss Bruer offered a $100 reward for the recovery of her uncle’s body. The following day when the Wyadda arrived with several bodies to Victoria, I.J. Bruer was identified as one of them. Due to the condition of the body, he was only positively identified by his dental records.