Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-02-24
MOST APPALLING
WAS THE DISASTER
Sinking of the Rio de Janeiro
In the Golden Gate.
SOME ADDITIONALDETA

| Number of Lives Lost May Never BE
known, as the Ships Records Are
Down In the Depths of the Sea.
Captain Died at His Post.
SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. %. The sinking
of the Pacific Mail steamer Rio de
Janeiro after striking rock in the
Golden Gate during the dense fog yes
| terday morning was the most appalling
disaster this coast has known for many
| years. The bodies Of the 1%0 and more
victims are at the bottom OF the sea and
many Of them may never be recovered.
| The water where the ship lies is deep
and the current swift, and the dead,
with most Of the wreckage, probably
will be carried far out into the Pacific.
The number of lives lost may never
| be known exactly, owing to the fact
| that the ships records were lost and it
Is practically impossible to tell just how
many Chinese were in the steerage.
The Call, today, basing its figures on
a statement of the Pacific Mail steam.
ship officials, says that 1872 persons per-
| lshed. The Chronicle gives the number
hU 4SO, anu 4u6 Examiner states GIlaU
| Ill cannot be accounted for. The YES
sci, with it's valuable cargo, will be a
| total loss.
No attempt has been, made to place
the blame of the disaster but the Pa
citic Mail Steamship company officials
state that the pilot was subject to the
! orders of Captain Ward, who went down
with the vessel.
The wreck of the City of Rio de jan
eirO, which for while hung on the
pinacle of the rock which she struck so
that parts of her upper works were
visible, has slid off into the deep water
and is now entirely out of sight.
Fort Point, where the pilot claims the
vessel struck, marks the narrowest point
OF the entrance to the bay and is usually
given wide berth by mariners. The
tide here runs very swiftly and at times
has swirling motion. Off Fort Point
lie several sunken rocks, forming a dan
gerous ledge on the southerly edge of
the Falrway channel of the Golden
Gate but close under the shore. There
is light on top of the fort and fog
bell, but the latter cannot be heard far
when westerly wind is blowing.
Story of the Pilot.
Pilot Frederick w. Jordan, who was
in charge Of the Rio de Janeiro when
she went on the reef and sank, is man
little r0jt middle life and has been a
masteI mariner on this coast for over 20
yes--,. He came from the Atlantic
coast. Previous to being appointed a
pilot, about II years ago, Jordan was in
command of the Wellington, the Bristol
and other colliers still plying between
this port and Puget Sound. He was a
remarkably szillful navigator and never
before had any notable misfortune. He
declares that the loss of the steamer
could not have been foreseen. Accord
ing to his story, the vessel drifted half
mile brOadside in the fog that enveloped
the home bound steamer like pail, and
no man could have judged either the
direction or the velocity of the current
that changed her course and sent her
on the Fort Point ledge
An IlI-Fated Vessel.
The Rio de Janeiro has had several
accidents. In August. 1890, she was in
collision with the British steamer Bonn
bay and was severely damaged. This
occurred in Hong Kong harbor.
In December, 1895, she went ashore at
South Kagoshimo, Japan, and was so
badly damaged that her cargo had to be
discharged and the vessel docked for
repairs.
In March. 1896, she started from
Honolulu for Yokohama. Continuous
heavy weather was encountered, and
when the japanese coast was still 1000
miles away it was found that there was
only $50 tons of coal in the bunkers.
The steamship was run back to Homo
lulu, but before she got there the cabins
afN Sf0fA I'D
der to'proyide fuel.
In May, 1899, she collided with an un-
known Japanese steamer off HonOmo-
ko, Japan, but was not seriously dam
aged.
There Have Been Others.
During the past so years the Pacific
Mail Steamship company has lost 19 of
the fleet. The list includes the South.
erner, Salvador, Golden Gate, Golden
City, America, Guatemala, Sacramento.
Honduras, Japan, City of San Fran
cltco, Georgia, City of Toxic, San Pablo.
Granada, Nicaragua, City of New York,
COlima, Columbia and the City of Rio
de Janeiro.
The laundering of the Rio de Janeiro
does not result i'll the greatest loss of
life, as 200 of the 900 passengers on the
Golden Gate were lost off the coast of
Mexico III 1862.
Fate of the Captain.
Freight Clerk c. J. Englehart of the
Rio de Janeiro, who was saved, said:
"The report that Captain Ward locked
himself in his cabin must be untrue.
The last l saw of Captain Ward he was
standing on the bridge and was tieing
the rope of the whistle to the rail This
was done to keep the whistle blowing
all the time. | am sure that the ship