SS TENNESEE
In 1853, the steamer SS Tennessee disappeared into the sinister swirling fog where she was annihilated against the rocky shoreline by currents. The wreck claimed an entire crew of more than 100. The phantom ship has been sighted by credible witnesses over the years, often passing below the bridge, its deck unmanned, only to fade into the fog minutes later. On rare occasions, the SS Tennessee has passed other vessels plying the gate. One such incident occurred in November 1942, when crew members of the USS Kennison fixed their gaze on the outmoded SS Tennessee. Curiosity became amazement, amazement became bafflement: The strange ship left a wake, but nothing registered on the destroyer's radar.
SOLDIER MYSTERIOUS DIES
Don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel that someone is watching you… According to a ranger working onsite, one explanation of the eerie feeling of being watched could have something to do with the death of a soldier stationed at Fort Point. That soldier, Pvt. James Atchison, died there on Jan. 5, 1865, of unknown causes.
MAN POISONS HIMSELF AT FORT POINT OVER WIFE LEAVING HIM
November 18, 1869, a man named L.E. Hinckley, poisoned himself at Mrs. McDonalds'' boarding house at Fort Point at 11 AM. He came a few days prior to search for his wife who left him a month before on account of bad habits. Not finding her, he went into the city, not finding her there, he returned to the Fort. After breakfast, he took the fatal drug and in a few hours was dead. On examination of his person, they found a paper containing arsenic and marked "poison". His diary contained his reasons: Dear Rie, our child, and myself, I am, as I think, better off dead than living. What death is, none of us know, but I do think and feel it cannot be more than the affliction of this sinful earth." His body was taken to the morgue and an inquest will shortly follow.
ARMY DESERTER FROM ALCATRAZ FORT WASHES UP AT FORT POINT
May 2, 1881, William F. Howe's body was found on the beach a mile below Fort Point. Howe was a deserter on the frontier of one of the western states. He gave himself up to the SF Military and on April 21st was being taken to Alcatraz island when he jumped overboard and drowned.
MILITARY PRISONER SHOT DEAD ON ESCAPE
ATTEMPT ON FORT POINT ROAD
June 30, 1884, while constructing a new road between the Presidio and Fort Point, a gang of military prisoners from Fort Alcatraz, simultaneously started to run along the road to Fort Point and sentries fired on them. Two of the fugitives were stopped, at once and surrendered, a third was struck on the foot by a stone, believing he had been shot, also stopped. The fourth continued for a hundred yards and was struck by two bullets one which hit him in the neck, and the other passed through his back and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. He was only 23 years old and serving 12 months for desertion from his duty as a bugler for C Company of the Eighth Regiment of Infantry.
SWISS MAN FOUND WITH THROAT SLIT AT FORT POINT
July 4, 1884, Frederick Straehif, a gardener, was found with his throat slit at Fort Point and was a 31-year old, single native of Switzerland.
CITY CEMETARY BETWEEN FORT POINT AND CLIFF HOUSE TO BE TURNED INTO PUBLIC PARK
June 12, 1887, the plateau north of Point Lobos road between Fort Point and the Cliff House, the City Cemetery (often called Potter's Field), is being considered by the City for removal and turned into a public park.
RIO DE JANERO SHIPWRECK FOUND WITH TREASURE AND BODIES
The steam ship, the SS Rio de Janeiro, smashed against the rocks neat Fort Point. The boat fell apart and the commotion caused her 200 passengers to rush to the deck. The passengers fought over the small number of lifejackets and quickly overfilled the lifeboats. In less than 20 minutes, 129 people were lost to the Strait's deadly, freezing waters. People onshore, were awakened by the last screams of survivors clinging to the slippery, jagged rocks they tried scaling to escape the pounding surf. On February 25, 1901, Rio de Janeiro, which had just sunk after hitting the sharp rocks outside Fort Point was discovered at the bottom of the bay outside the fort, in 80 feet of water. Divers were sent to recover bodies and possible treasure. Many crew and passengers lost their lives as well as various on-board animals. Wind surfers who brave the currents with only a fiberglass board between their bodies and nature’s temper, report hearing screams in the surf and feelings of their sails being tugged at by unseen hands.
COLONEL ANDREWS DIES OF HEART ATTACK AT FORT POINT
July 2, 1887, Colonel George P. Andrews of the navy, died at Fort Point of a heart attack after a painful illness of 3 weeks.
MAN WASHES ASHORE AT FORT POINT
AND PSYCHIC AND MEDIUM TELLS HIS TALE AT THE MORGUE
March 8, 1893, an unidentified man was found on the south shore of Fort Point and while in the morgue with the detectives, a 35-year old Mrs. Francis Winters enters with her husband and little boy. She claimed she is a spirit medium and that spirit of the dead man told her to come. She said he was drowned and murdered and wants to talk to them. The woman went through several jerks and contortions and said, "He says his name is Benjamin Morrows and that he was thrown from a fishing yacht 45 miles south of here. There were 5 men on board but only 4 returned to port. Three were American and one was Scottish. She said the spirit would control her now and went into some more contortions and jerks suddenly falling into a deep male voice: "We passed a large vessel smuggling opium, and our yacht was called the Otaway. A boat came about 45 miles south of here delivering goods to evade the duties. These four men tied a rope around my neck and threw me overboard." Before the detectives could ask her anything further, the spirit magically disappeared. "That's all I came for," Mrs. Winters exclaimed. She turned to Deputy Jones and said, "You have left your wife, the sprits tell me so." Jones looks back and replied, "Yes, that is a fact, I left her at the dinner table a half an hour ago." Mrs. Winters finished with: "My mission here this time is ended, if you ever have any more mysterious cases call for me and I will ask the spirits to tell me all about it."
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