Big Sur Saturday Tidbits, 4/27/19

Dec 30th 1931 MPH- Six Members of Marooned Party Rescued

Fighting their way on foot over seventeen miles of muddy trail, six members of the party marooned since Saturday in the coast country reached the southern end of the Carmel-San Simeon highway yesterday and were brought to Pacific Grove last night by auto.

They were George Harlan of Lucia, his three sons, Gene, Donald and Stanley; a nephew, Gilbert Harlan, and Marion Hall of Watsonville.  Five members of the party, Mr. and Mrs. A. Victorine of Pacific Grove and Mrs. Bertha Harlan and Phyllis and Blanche Harlan, remained in the coast section and are staying at a ranch house near Gorda, northern terminus of the highway being constructed from the south.

They are in no danger, according to Mrs. George Harlan and Mrs. Eva Smithers of Pacific Grove, who accompanied the rescue party which brought the six men and boys to Pacific Grove last night.  Plenty of food and fuel is available at the highway camp nearby and several ranch houses in the vicinity, the said. They are expected to ‘come out’ as soon as roads are repaired.

Much difficulty was experienced in driving up the Carmel-San Simeon highway from San Simeon, Mrs. Harlan said.  Nine large slides were passed in a fourteen mile stretch below the Gorda camp.  The road, she said, is out in many places, a number of fills having been washed away, making the highway passable only on foot.  Even horses were unable to get by the washed-out fills.

Until Friday night, when the big week end storm started, about ten inches of rain had fallen in that vicinity.  The figure was believed doubled during the storm.

The Harlan family left Pacific Grove this morning to spend a few days with friends in San Jose before returning to their home at Lucia, which is located on the coast, half way between Gordaand Slates.  [reported on same page that Little Sur had about 18 inches of rain since before Christmas]

(Provided by Sylvia Trotter Anderson)