Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-03-09

~'AO4A IL c'i4O w uIlS I1OP0 10 4NOO
Gone, Fears Are Entertained That
the Ship is Lost-One Hundred
and Fifty-six People on Board,
Including the Crew.
San Francisco, March S.-The Pacific
Mail Steamship company's big liner,
the City of Rio de Janeiro, which left
this port for the Orient heavily laden
on the sixth of last month, should have
arrived at Yokohama on the 23rd of
February, yet not a word has been
heard from her.
At least the agents of the company
declare they have received information
of no sort regarding the steamers well
fare or whereab bouts since she glided out
of the bay on the afternoon of Feb
ruary 9Th. The New York Office of the
company has been wired necessarily
by the local agents, but the reply comes
regularly and monotonously that as
yet nothing has reached them by cable
concerning the vessel
THE PASSENGERS.
The Rio left here with 156 people on
board, all told. OF these four were
cabin passengers and there were in the
steerage ten Europeans, ten Japanese
and twenty-five Chinese. The crew
consisted of thirty white people and
| seventy-nine Chinese. The following
is list of the passengers:
Cabin. Fisher, w. 7. Sylvester,
Lamar Lyndon, Mrs. Lamar Lyndon.
Steerage-A Bodelson, ]. Rosenfelt,
! Sr., J. ROsenfelt, Jr., J. A. Biddle "A. V.
Garlando, Mrs. Burge and family OF
three; F.. Gaillard.
The names Of the Chinese and Japan
ese are not registered.
The list of the Rio de Janeiro's white
crew is as follows:
w. j. Russell, captain; ]. E. Robinson,
chief officer; ]. II. Matthews, chief en-
gineer; o. X. Freeman, purser; A. 7.
Tychenar, freight clerk; S. NJ. Terrell,
! surgeon; ]. G.. Johnson. second officer;
L. C. Newgard, third officer; ]. Ander-
son, carpenter; William Bray, main
deck Watchman; w J. Palmer, d. c.
White, f. Smith, p c. Mullin, first as
sistant engineer; Charles Smith, third
assistant engineer; r. MacCabe, j. S.
Lardie. John Reilly, Walter Lenders r.
c. Read, John Cavanaugh oilers; A.
! Burrell steward; S. Kidd, steerage
steward; S. Haikin, store eeper; Mrs.
J. G. DOrman, stewarGess, George Lam
cashire, butcher; Robert h. Kelly, sa-
loon watchman ]. c. Spencer, steerage
watchman, n. G. Vow, and seventy
nine Chinese.
THE ONLY HOPE.
The one theory upon which the COM
paG,i4s agree in basing their hopes is
thaS the Rio, by force of bad weather
or other circumstances, was compelled
to pass Yokohama without making her
usual stop there. This would not be
considered an altogether unusual oc-
currence. IL has happened several
times during the past twelve years
to other steamers in the service of the
company. Should this be the case
there will be a still longer period of
anxiety, for nothing can possibly be
heard from her in that event until she
reaches Hong Kong. Many shipping
men feel hopeful that she will shortly
be reported from the Chinese port.
THE STEAMER.
The Rio de Janeiro is one of the hand
soonest and largest vessels engaged in
the Trans-Pacific services Of the Pacific
mail. She is four-master, amply pro-
vided with sails, so that in case of
damage to her engines while at sea
there would be nothing to prevent her
weathering her way TO some nearby
port with the use OF her canvass alone.
II this were the case, however, she
would doubtless be long delayed and it
might be even weeks before she would
be heard from. The Rio was built at
Chester, Pa, in 1873. She is OF steel
and is equipped with the most modern
machinery and has the reputation OF
being a fairly fast and staunch vessel
at sea. When the Rio left this port she
carried cargo Of general merchandise
and bullion valued at nearly a million
dollars. The merchandise, which was
consigned to various Japanese and Chi
nese ports was valued in all at s152. .233.
The major portion of this cargo COM
prised of -four for China, cotton for
Japan, and canned good and sugar for
both countries.
ALL HOPE NOT GONE.
Cen Supt. Center Of the Pacific
Mail Company, stated the company had
not yet begun to lose hope for the safety
of the Rio.
"Of course" said he, we cannot help
feeling somewhat anxious. We are
hopeful and have good reasons for enter
tanning that hope. We knew that there
had been very heavy weather between
the Hawaiian islands and Japan of late.
II is not improbable that the Rio got
into the worst of this weather, and that
Captain Russell decided to take plenty
Of room and not antagonize the storm,
even though he might lose much time
in reaching Yokohama.
1t is possible that he found It com
pu!sory TO even skip by Yokohama en-
tirely. That has happened before.
The Rio is a good, stout boat and per-
fectly capable OF taking care of her
self under the good management she
| receives in any kind of weather. She
was only recently overhauled and put
into thoroughly good condition. She
was at that time pronounced to be about
as good a sea boat as We had on our line.
Our engines are in perfect condition so
far as we know, and in fact everything
about her was in fit condition for any
kind OF a voyage"
Tho Woafbcr