The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-04

erick Jordan was in consultation with
Vice President Schwerin of the Pacific
Mail Company for more than two hours
yesterday at the MAJ dock. After the
pilot was brought safely TO land by some
fishermen who had picked him up, his
Immediate wants We're attended TO at
the Merchants Exchange office on
Meigg's wharf, and he then proceeded
to his home to assure his family of his
safety. After spending "a few minutes
at his home, Jordan went to the Mail
dock, where Vice President Schwerin
was waiting for him. In speaking of his
experiences Pilot Jordan said:
Il went out on Monday in one of the
pilot boats and went on board the Rio de
Janeiro on Thursday evening at
o'clock. 1t was very foggy outside the
Heads and Captain Ward decided to lay
to for the night. This morning al i:jg
the fog cleared, and 1 went on the
bridge and ordered the anchor up. Cap
tain Ward the first and second officers
and two quartermasters were on the
bridge with me. While we were heav-
ing up the anchor and just as we got
under way / could see clearly the Cliff
House and North Head lights.
LAS we got under way L saw the fog
coming down again / could see both
points of the Heads the fog came
down and Captain Ward told me to go
ahead | could hear the fog whistles
at Point Bonita and Lime Point. There
was a strong ebb tide running against
us and the Rio was making half speed.
THE fog was pretty thick and we
could not see the land. Then ali of a
sudden came the crash as the ship
struck on the rocks. 1 realized that the
strong ebb tide had swung us on to
Nile Rock, but / did not think for a
minute that the vessel would go down.
In about five minutes after we struck
the lights went out, which showed that
the water was in the engine rooms.
Captain Ward and the officers and
crew behaved with splendid courage and
discipline was maintained. As soon as
we struck, the captain gave the alarm
of fire and the crew responded promptly
and went to their assigned quarters.
Captain Ward went from post to post to
! see that the boats and life RATS were
! lowered. He ordered some of the crew
to get the passengers from their state
| rooms. ] saw a boat break from its
davits and the passengers in it We're
thrown into the water. There was con-
! fusion, as we had no lights.
! Il was about to get down the rope
| ladder to the doctors boat when a man
rushed up to me with a woman and a
/ little boy. He asked me for Gods sake
| to save his wife and child. l took hold
| Of the boy and told him to hang on to
my neck, and l caught the woman and
was helping her down the ladder when
the ship slipped off the rock sideways
I and went down head first. / must have
! been carried fifty feet down by Il e sue
| ton, and never saw the woman Or hoy
again"
| From the description given of the wom-
an and child by the pilot, 1t is evident
that they We're Mrs. Wiidman and her
| child. Continuing, Pilot Jordan said:
when I came to the surface / was
dazed and did not know for a minute
and caught hold of a big piece of wood
which fioated toward me. 1 threw MY
arms over it and drifted around until I
saw part of a deck-house with a China
man on top of it. I got as near as /
could and the Chinaman helped me on
! to the place where he was We driftad
around for an hour or more until some
! fishermen came alongside and picked Dis
; mp"
When asked 20 what he attributed the
disaster Pilot Jordan said:
| II can only attribute it to the strong
! tide which was running and which
idrifted US on to the rocks. The heavy
fog which came down on us as we were
under way prevented us from seeing
where we were"
I 81 want to say that Captain Ward nav
7 er went below, as has been stated IN an
evening paper, He was on deck from
the time the ship struck until she went
down"
| Captain Ward Fatahst.
SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. 23.-one man
of the many who went down with the