On Wednesday, January 20, 1886, a fierce storm battered the Mendocino coast, leaving destruction in its wake both on land and at sea. Strong winds and relentless rain swept through the region before gradually subsiding.
According to the Beacon, the storm “broke upon us quite suddenly, although the cold weather and extremely low barometer of the three previous days were the sure harbingers of an approaching storm. Fleecy clouds hung treacherously across the sky on Tuesday evening, and the immense circle around the moon bespoke something unusual. Before morning all these precursory symptoms were receiving their verification, and a terrible storm of wind and rain was raging from the southwest. As the day grew it increased in violence, until at noon it was blowing a perfect cyclone. It reached its limit at about half-past twelve, and during the afternoon gradually lulled itself to a stiff breeze, which prevailed during the night.”
Wreck of the Alfred, 1886. (Gift of Emery Escola)
Among the storm’s casualties was the schooner Alfred, which had been moored in Mendocino Bay. The Alfred was a two-masted schooner built in 1870 and weighing 88 tons. “The schooner Alfred lay at the moorings, gallantly riding the heavy swells as they washed her fore and aft. It was believed that she would outride the storm, but at 10:30 PM the mooring chain parted. A few moments sufficed to snap the remaining lines asunder, and stately as a queen she rode the breakers and made straightway for the sandbar at the mouth of the river. The moon was shining through a thin veil of clouds, and the spectators who had gathered along the bluffs had a splendid opportunity to witness the destruction of the stout little craft. After striking the sandbar the vessel slowly worked out into the river channel, and as it was ebb tide and the river running full banks, she was carried back along the edge of the bluffs and washed into a little cove back of Mr. C. W. Denslow’s residence [the Freundt House, which was located on the bluff just south of the Ford House], where she was slowly pounded to pieces. There were 34,000 feet of lumber in her hold, which was ground almost to sawdust.”
The schooner Alfred was jointly owned by Captain Olson, Captain Samuel Blair, Captain Hendricks, E. C. Williams, and Jerome C. Ford. The vessel, valued at $10,000 and insured for $6,000, was a significant loss for its owners. The wreck was sold to Captain Nelson for $85, who then resold it to the Mendocino Lumber Company. The ship was pulled ashore, and workmen salvaged anything of value that remained.
Did you know that the Mendocino Whale Festival started as an act of protest against commercial whaling? Visit the Kelley House Museum during March for a special exhibit about the Mendocino Whale War, started by a group of locals who launched the first Whale Festival to educate the public about the plight of endangered whales on the coast. Posters, photographs, and clippings will be on display, along with a slideshow from founding member and photographer Nicholas Wilson. $5 suggested donation. Fri – Sun, 11 am – 3 pm.