On October 25, 1906, with an empty cargo hold and only 28 days out of Salina Cruz Mexico, the Peter Iredale ran aground while bound for Portland for a new load of cargo. Captain H. Lawrence had offered his crew a bonus if they cut five days off the normal sailing time, and perfect sailing conditions had allowed them to make good time as they neared their destination expecting a rewarding voyage. Then they encountered a strong southwest storm, and the captain ordered the ship to stand off the mouth of the Columbia. A few hours past midnight, a gust of wind pushed the Peter Iredale into a surging mass of waves breaking on shore, and the ship was lost. Its bottom raked the sand, crashing sections of the main mast, rigging, blocks, and tackle onto the deck, and after being tossed in the surf it struck bottom for good, with the remaining masts snapping as it came to rest. Miraculously, no hands were lost during the thundering shower of rigging pounding the deck, but the ship was declared a total loss. The wreck itself was largely unremarkable as an example of navigational problems in bad weather, yet it became famous as a popular attraction on the northern Oregon coast.