Edgar Horner account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska and related materials

Edgar Horner account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska and related materials, 1921-circa 1999

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Horner, Edgar, 1888-1974
Title: Edgar Horner account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska and related materials
Dates: 1921-circa 1999 (inclusive)
19211999

1921 August 7-22 (bulk)
1921-08-071921-08-22
Quantity: 0.1 cubic feet, (1 folder in shared box)
Collection Number: Coll 910
Summary: Edgar Horner's account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska off Cape Mendocino, California, in 1921, and related newspaper clippings and a map. The Alaska was a steamship traveling from Portland, Oregon, to San Francisco, California, when it hit Blunt's Reef and sank, killing 42 people. Horner (1888-1974) was one of the surviving passengers.
Repository: Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

In 1920, Edgar Horner (1888-1974), who had lived in Oregon since his family emigrated from England in 1906, moved with his wife and children to Long Beach, California, where he worked as a carpenter. In the summer of 1921, he returned to Oregon to collect furniture and personal belongings. He then booked a journey back to California on the steamship Alaska, which crashed into Blunt's Reef off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California, and sank. Horner was one of the shipwreck's survivors.

Sources: Allen, Cain, "Edgar Horner and the Wreck of the Alaska," Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 102, No. 1 (Spring 2001); vital records on Ancestry.com.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

On August 5, 1921, the S.S. Alaska, a passenger steamship chartered by the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company, left Portland, Oregon, for San Francisco, California, stopping at Astoria, Oregon, to pick up additional passengers.

On the evening of August 6, the Alaska struck Blunt's Reef off the coast of Cape Mendocino, and sank. The steamships Anyox and Wahkeena heeded the Alaska's S.O.S. call and picked up survivors, whom they brought to Eureka, California. Of the 220 total passengers and crew, 31 passengers and 11 crew died in the shipwreck. A number of those who died were from Portland or elsewhere in Oregon.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian and Oregon Journal, August 1921; Allen, Cain, "Edgar Horner and the Wreck of the Alaska," Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 102, No. 1 (Spring 2001), pages 72-85; Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat Inspection Service, to the Secretary of Commerce for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1922.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of Edgar Horner's account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska and related materials. The account was written as a letter to his family in Estacada, Oregon, several weeks after the Alaska had sunk. Horner begins the account with his experiences boarding the ship and his activities during the first full day of the voyage. It then details Horner's experience with the shipwreck, including having to hang onto detritus before finding a lifeboat, and then being picked up by the steamer Anyox. He also describes being brought to Eureka, California, and his stay at a hospital there. Horner also alleges that the ship's crew were inexperienced, and says he never saw any ship officers on deck while the ship was sinking.

In addition to the handwritten account, there is a typescript version from a later date, on stationery for violin maker and repairer Julius M. Schradieck. Other materials in the collection include articles from the Oregonian and Oregon Journal about the shipwreck and its aftermath; articles about the shipwreck from the August 7, 1921, edition of the Eureka, California, newspaper Humboldt Standard, including an article mentioning Horner; and a road map of northern California from the late 20th century, marked to show the approximate area off Cape Mendocino where the Alaska sank. All materials in this collection are photocopies of originals.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Horner's account was published in Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 102, No. 1 (Spring 2001), pages 72-85.

Preferred Citation

Edgar Horner account of the sinking of the S.S. Alaska and related materials, Coll 910, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

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