Schooner Parallel "Blown to Atoms" 1887

Schooner Parallel "Blown to Atoms" 1887 (HMWRC)

Location: San Francisco, CA 94121 San Francisco County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 46.715', W 122° 30.835'

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Inscription
The two-masted, 148-ton Parallel left San Francisco for Astoria, Oregon, with a mixed cargo & 42 tons of black powder & dynamite. Capt. W.C. Miller, fought against difficult winds for two days & finally gave up. The abandon-ship order put the 7-man crew into a lifeboat before the ship went on the rocks off Pt. Lobos & the Cliff House. The crew rowed to Sausalito but told no one of the dangerous cargo. Miller later was criticized for his actions.

A crew from the life-saving station at Golden Gate Park went to the wreck. They found no crew on board but did save a forgotten dog. About 1:30 a.m. 16 January 1887 the ship exploded. Badly damaged were the: Cliff House & cottage; Adolph Sutro's residence on the Heights; & other structures. The blast injured 3 of the life-savers, blew debris for a mile & was felt 15 miles away at sea. Fortunately, no lives were lost. 40,000 curious spectators came to see the wreckage.

This plaque is dedicated to the courageous men of the U.S. Coast Guard (formerly Life-Saving Service).
Details
HM NumberHMWRC
Series This marker is part of the E Clampus Vitus series
Tags
, ,
Year Placed1994
Placed ByYerba Buena Chapter No. 1, E Clampsus Vitus,
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 at 8:02am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10S E 542804 N 4181360
Decimal Degrees37.77858333, -122.51391667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 46.715', W 122° 30.835'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 46' 42.90" N, 122° 30' 50.10" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)415, 858
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1090 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco CA 94121, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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