he beach to the stranded ship with a pair of short canvas breeches suspended from a life buoy attached to the line. The survivor would climb into the pants and ride ashore along the line. Although a rather primitive device these days, the breeches buoy saved many from stranded ships.
It was originally thought that the Benson would be able to be refloated off the sands. The captain of the ship, C. C. Graham, remained aboard for over a week until the ship’s rivets began to pull loose and it was considered a loss. The cargo was salvaged, but the sands sucked the ship back in.
Peter Iredale 1906
[caps]T[/caps]he evidence of most shipwrecks disappears quickly. Whether covered by shifting sands, broken apart by relentless waves, or manually salvaged, stranded ships rarely stand the test of time. But the remains of one ship, the Peter Iredale, have survived over one hundred years and are still visible at low tide. The wreckage has attracted many visitors over the years and is touted as the subject of more photographers and painters than any other wreck along the United States coastline.
The Peter Iredale was a British bark built in Maryport, England, in 1890 and was one of the largest ships of its time. In the early morning of October 25, 1906, the ship ran aground on Clatsop Spit, Washington, after being caught by a quick current and strong winds. The ship’s masts snapped from the force of hitting the sands and Captain H. Lawrence ordered his crew to abandon ship. All crewmembers were taken safely ashore with help from the Point Adams Lifesaving Crew.
Information from Pacific Graveyard by James A. Gibbs
Photos courtesy of Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, Washington.