The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-02-28
San Francisco, Feb. %. 1901

| capt. Ndru Fornerly resident Al
Henderson.
San Francisco, Feb. %. 1901 S
The Pacific Mail Company steamship
City of Rio de JaneirO, Willie entering n
harbor from the Orient in q heavy NJ
this morning. struck a sunken rock an
went down in about fifteen minutes in al
fathOms cf water off Fort Point.
A large number of lives are known "a
have been lost but owing to the con'ps
ion following the terrible accident and /
the failure of those who managed to gel
ashore to report their safe arrival ut the
Merchants Exchange or the Pacific Mai !
offices, it is impossible to fiji the e1ac,
number. although it is said that morI
than 1872 persons persisted.
| Capt. William Ward. the ships master
an old employee of the company. went
down with his ship. Purssr JohnI
Rooney, who had the passenger list and
roster OF the crew. is among the missing
The most prominent passenger ON tho
steamer was Rounseville Widman
United States conspi general at Hor a
| Kong, who was accompanied by Misl
Wildman and two children. They weie
all drowned
As near as can be learned there Were
POI people on board the Rio de Jansiro
as follows: Cabin passengers. 30; second
| cabin. Z; steerage (Chineae and Japanese)
80; officers and crew, 1O7
| Qnartermaster Frederick Lindstrom|
gave the clearest idea OF the sinking of
the craft. He said the Rio struck Mile
Rock. against which stiff current was
setting. The rock is in line off Fort Point
with Point Lobos and about two-thirds
OF mile from the San Francisco shore.
| LindstrOm said the vessel struck head
IN, crushed in her bows and began to iii
immediately. In few moments the
lecks We're crowded with the passengers
lnd crew.
| Officially the time OF the accident is set
1t $50 a. m. Many OF the passengers
md members OF the crew must have been
asleep in their staterooms when the crash
came. Fifteen minutes after the acciden,
| all that remained of the big liner above
| the water was her smokestack and part
| II her pilOthouse An hour later these
too, had disappeared The first boat to
| ZONE ashore arrived at Meiggs' wharf AT
| . o'clock.
From all accounts it appears that the
Ulcers were cool and gave the necessary
orders with the leaat excitement possible.
| iapthin Ward. who was on deck when
| he vessel struck, at once gave orders to
l The crew on watch to hustle the passen.
| gers to the forward deck. At the same
| Ime the quartermaster on duty sounded
no signal for fire drill and within five
| minutes all the men were Mt their stations
| There was no way of telling the extent o,
| he damage to the vessel an she remained
IN an even keel for 15 minutes after strik
lng the rock. But Captain Ward. With
the instinct OF long experience, knew that
rhe 9ravest danger threatened the 2OOl
souls in his charge and pacing the deck
| he gave orders to lower away the life
| roats and liferafts.
There was not much confusion until
'bout 10 minutes after the striking the
DOW OF the vessel suddenly plunged under
| water. Then there was a wild rush for
the boats. Two boats had already been
nwered, and Others We're getting away
as rapidly as the trained discipline of the
rev could prepare them.
The members of the crew, headed by
Captain Ward and his assistants, kept
the Chinese and the male whites off while
the boats were being lowered. BY this
time the Rio had backed off and was set
Ting down by the head. Women paSeen
ters were hurried into the lifeboats. but
W. eiS mp :" or SpIlIA uoN III lubl tOIllus
ion got the better of heads that were not
cool and there was a struggle to get into
the smaller crafts. Some OF the Chinese
and male passengers on the after deck
jumped overheard.
thick fog enveloped everything, and
10 became difficult to see "a ships length
rom the bows. As yet no sign had come
rom the lie saving station. Darkne
ent gravity of the situation with which
the people on the Rio had to cope
Men found themselves i'm the water
struggling to grasp a piece of wreckage
and it seemed hours before boats from
passing craft and gasoline launch
rrulsed among the floating wreckage and
rescued the survivors.
captain Ward STAYED on the deck until
the vessel had settled to such an extent
that the water was engulfing her. Then
he went on the bridge and thence con
tinued to issue hi. directions. although
10y this time the confusion was so great
that lew paid any attention to his com
mands
The Rio de JaneirO was three days
overdue from Hong Kong via Honolulu
when she arrived off the Heads last night.
ana the dense log prevailing at the time
induced Pilot Jordan to bring her to
anchor until he could see his way clear
through the gateway. She laid to until
about 4:3O O'Clock this morning. when
the atmosphere cleared and she was
started under slow bell toward Point
Bonita. All went well until J::,O @ clock
when she struck. Most OF the passenger.
were below at the time, and it il believed
that many oi them We're drowned in
their bertha. The first news Of the dir
aster reached here at 100 this morning
and soon after a boat load of Rescued
passengers and petty officers arrived AZ
the mail docks. Tugs were dispatched 10
render any services that might be needed, !
but no living persons were afoat when
they reached the wreck. A number Of E
drowning people We're rescued by Italian /
fishermen and the bodies OF two white
women, three Chinese and n JAPANESE
were brought in by the tugs. The search |
lot victims has continued all day
The City ct Rio de Janero wa. on her 8
WAY III from Oriental ports. via Honolulu
with a valuable cargo She carried 8
crew OF 40 men. 20 cabin passengers
including several from the islands. and
DO thlnese storage. The steamer ,aled {
from Hong Kong January 22nd fnr San
Francisco. via Yokohama. She was Al
IRON vessel. built at Chester. Pa. in 1915.
ny Roach d Son. She was 344 '.s-t long
80 leet beam and 2S.S feet deer and
registered 3,54S tons gross and 2,2Is
tons net.