It was a pleasant but breezy June day on San Francisco Bay. The steamer Oregon wove through clusters of working vessels and pleasure craft, pointing toward the center of the unbridged Golden Gate. There the voyage changed: The breeze freshened into a howling northerly wind. The ship creaked and rolled as it turned to starboard and headed north, slamming into the heavy oncoming waves, sending sheets of water over the few hardy souls shivering on deck.
