Mary Musgrove
Mary Musgrove was a stewardess on the Valencia. She was one of the last survivors on the Valencia as reported by the men from the Topeka raft. Two hours after the two life rafts left the ship a huge wave broke the ship in two and it folded like a jackknife, hurling everyone into the freezing ocean. Some were pulled out to sea and others were smashed against the rocky cliffs. Of an estimated 60 people, no one survived.
The San Francisco Call newspaper on January 25th reported how Mrs. Musgrove came to be on the Valencia, “Mrs. Orchard, the regular stewardess of the steamship Valencia, stayed ashore on the coaster’s last and fatal trip in order that another woman, with whom the world had not been going very well, might earn a few needed dollars. She feels now that she owes her life to the little act of self-sacrifice.”