As so much of this chronology is based on information found in contemporary newspapers a few words should be said about newspaper communication in mid-19th century United States. But first, what was the United States in March 1852?

In 1852, the United States consisted of 31 states. California had been added as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.

Following the Compromise of 1850 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the organized territories in 1852 were: (1) Oregon Territory (created 1848, which included all of modern Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Montana and Wyoming). (2) Utah Territory (created 1850, which included most of modern Utah and Nevada, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado). (3) New Mexico Territory (created 1850, which included most of modern New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Nevada) and (4) Minnesota Territory (created 1849, which included modern Minnesota and parts of North and South Dakota).

Additionally, the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) existed as unorganized territory, and a large portion of the Great Plains was still unorganized land (which later became the Nebraska and Kansas territories).

With few exceptions, most newspapers' international, national and regional news came from other newspapers via the mail or arriving ships; some benefitted from letters addressed to or made available to them. By 1852 the magnetic telegraph connected most of the large cities across the country excluding California, making communicating new much easier.

News coming into the country generally occured at the major ports – New York, Boston, Baltimore, Charleston and New Orleans. Following the discovery of gold in California an effective mail and news network was established between the eastern part of the United States and California, the west coast of South America and the Sandwich Islands via the Isthmus of Panama. In early 1852 such news was generally about one month old by the time it reached New York or New Orleans from the Pacific. By way of comparison, new from Europe could be available in two weeks or less.

This system worked reasonably well, but it was subject to a certain noise which occurred when a story with contradicting facts or assertions initiated at multiple locations. This was the case for the first reporting of the seizure of the whaleship George Howland by convicts/pirates at Charles Island in the Galapagos.

On the 16th of April, 1852, New Orleans' newspapers reported that the ship's captain and crew had been killed by the pirates. The name of the ship was not known or given. This news came from Panama newspapers which had been brought to New Orleans by the mail steamer United States.

A day later, on the 17th of April, 1852, New York newspapers reported correctly that the captain and crew had been put on shore. The ship was identified as the George Howland of New Bedford. As will be seen below, both versions were picked up and published by newspapers around the country. In New York the steamship Sierra Nevada brought this information from Navy Bay or Aspinwall on the Atlantic side of Panama.