Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-08-23
THIRTY LOST,
Another Terrible Disaster at
Sea.
COLLISION IN A DENSE FOG
The City of Chester Sunk in
Five Minutes.
COLLISION IN A DENSE FOG
rundown BY THE OCEANIC

Inc Dlsastef Incurred just Outalhe san
Francisco Hnrbor-Due to a Misunder- I
standing of Fog signals--The Chester |
Almost Cut in Two-PRnio on Board.
The Water strewn with wreckage and |
People Struggling for Life-Cowardly !
steerage Passengers Meet Death. with
Three OF the Crew - The captaip's
Story.
SAN Francisco, Aug eS.-fhe steamship
City of Chester, bound from this place for
EurelSa, Cal, was run down in fog just
outside the harbor yesterday by the steam
ship Oceanic from Hong Kong.
The steamer City Of Chester left her dock
I'm this city about 10 a. m. Tor her regular
"trip 10 Eureka Cal. She carried an un-
Usually large number Of passengers When
few miles down the bay she encountered
heavy fog. Capt Wallace began blowing
the steamers whistle, and proceeded eau
tiously When Off Port Point the whistle Of
an approaching steamship was heard. The
! City of Chester gave the proper signal,
warning the other vessel to pass on the port.
This was evidently misunderstood, for in
moment the huge prov OF the steamship
Oceanic, jnst arriving from Yokohama,
emerged from the fog.
The large steamer was 50 near tho City Of
Chester that there was NO possibility of
avoiding a collision. Ths cabin passengers
/ Of the Chester were nearly ali on deck, and
tho captain called to them to prepare for the
shock. There was large number OF women
and children among them, and panic at
once ensued The Oceanic struck the City
of Chester on the port side. Her PROV cut
into the Chestar's upper works, and then
crushed down to the bulwarzs, break
ing into the state rooms and cabin The
bow Of tho Oceanic crashed into the middle
section Of the City Of Chester, causing her TO
roel unler the blow and cutting her almost
into halves Before the vessel parted a num-
Der of the City Of Chester's passengers were
rescued by being passed up over the bow of
the Oceanic. The officers and crew OF the
City Of Chester seemed to lose possession of
their senses and several passengers state that
part OF the crew climbed aboard tho Oceanic,
leaving the passengers to cut away the boats.
One Of these was lowered as soon as possible
and number Of passengers taken cff
Others, having provided themselves with
life presarvers, jumped overheard. A laEge
portion, however, went down with the
steamer, which began tofill Immediately and
sank in fifty fathoms Of water five minutes
after the collision occurred.
The Oceanic boats rescued a number OF the
passengers and crew who came to tho surface
after tho Chester sank, but tho greater num-
Der Of those who went down with the steamer
were drowned.
number Of tugs and boats Of all descrip-
tions were sent to the scene as soon as news
of tho accident was received, and rendered
what service they could in picking up the
living and dead floating amoag the wreckage.
The greatest loss of life is believed 70 have
occurred among the steersgs passengers, Of
whom there were tventy-thrce on board.
{ Only two OF these were accounted for The
others are regarded as lost There were
! seventy cabin passengers, OF whom ten are
; lost Three Of the crew are also lost
The names of the cabin passengers are:
G. ". Anderson, Oakland Mrs. S E.
Prater, San Diego; Mrs. C. H. Haney
Eureka; J. A. Hampton and wife, Virginia,
New; G. T. Davis, and his niece, j. Greer,
Napa, Cal Mrs Meech, Mrs Porter.
The following members of the crew were
lost:
E. R. Chambers, steward R. Fulton
Adam Richmond.
Capt Wallace, the master Of the Chester
who was among the rescued, makes tho fol
lowing statement:
81 was standing ON the bridge and the
Chester was feeling her way out through the
fog, blowing her whistle regularly, when
the Oceanic's whistle was heard We an
swered her, and / supposed we would gel
!. clear all right ! had an idea that she wa
on our port side somewhere, and I answered
her accordingly. l took proper steps &,
avoid her, and l suppose she thought she wa
clear of US Suddenly her great black hui
came up out Of the fog. There was no hu
man possibility Of getting out Of the way
and the passengers were got ready for thi
shock and many screamed with fright Tn
crash on the Chester was something terrible
"The Oceanic struck US on the port side
q near the gang plank After the shock
hardly knew what happened. / saw that Oh
n upper works Of the Chester were apparentr
N knocked off and the cabins wore splinterel
= into kindling wood The wreck was scat
tered about in every direction. 1t was no
four minutes after tho collision that tn
, steamer went down. She filled 50 rapid
that il was impossible to get the passenger
on the Oceanic, and when she started TO z
down, she went with rush. / was anon
those on her The next l knew 1 was at th
surface with wreckage of every conceivabl
sort about me. On every side Of me peopl
were in the water. i do not think that man
OF lhose peolhe Neio StFeu 90 not sl6 no
the disaster could have been averted. Til
vessels came together in such a thick 70
that it was barely possible 10 seeH
The City Of Chester was an iron steamer
built at Chester, Pa, in 1875. She wa
owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigs
tion company. She was valued at $3.50, ,OOl
and was insured for half that sum in Sa
Francisco and eastern companies She ha
Z an assorted cargo valued at $4,000.