The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-23
BLAMEs WARD.
President Says He Should Have
Waited on the Fog.


Waited on the Fog.
san Francisco. Feb 2s.-R. p. schwer-
in, vice president and general manager
of the Pacific Mail Steamship company.
in discussing the loss Of the City OF Rio
de Janeiro, said he thought the blame
was due to Captain Ward in bringing
his vessel in during a fog.
Time and again" said Mr.. Schwerin.
eve have warned our captains never TO
leave or enter port during fog 1t is
erroneous to think that when a pilot
boards = vessel that the captain has no
more responsibility. a pilot is simply
a guide for a captain The statements
made to me by Captain Jordan indicate
that there was a fog hanging around the
heads. and think that undue haste was
shown by the captain in bringing his
vessel in / cannot understand why
there should have been so much haste
shown considering the vessel lay out
side all night Captain Ward was
careful officer and I learn that when he
reached Honolulu with the Rio he wait
ed outside the bar for eleven hours
rather Than take any chances in the
rough weather
.sOf course he is not here to speak. I
wish that he was, for he was one Of our
best officers He was brought up in
our service, and we all feel deeply over
his loss and those of his comrades.
Il cannot state exactly the value Of
the Rio de Janeiro, but it is between
$500. 600 and 100000
insurance on the vessel. part Of which is
carried by insurance companies and
part of which we carry ourselves. The
value of her cargo was probably between
$3.50 900 and $500 600. I do not think she
had any amount of specie on board.
In response to further questions, Mr.
SchWerin stated that he did not think
there was the slightest chance OF rails
vessel.
which for awhile hung on a pinnacle OF
the rock where she struck in the Golden
Gate, so that parts Of her upper WORKS
were visible, soon slid off into deep
water. and is now entirely out Of sight
Fort Point where Pilot Jordan claims
the vessel struck, marks the narroWest
usually given a wide berth by mariners.
The tide here runs very swiftly and at
times has a sWirliHg motion.
Or Port Point lie sunlen rocks FORM
ing dangerous ledge on sCutherly edge Of
the fair way channel of the Golden Gate
but close under the shore.
There is a light on top of the fort ard
a fog bell, but the latter cannot be heard
far when a westerly wind is blowing.
Captain Fred X. w Jordan, the pilot
who was in charge of the Rio when she
went on the reef and sank, IS a man
little past middle life and has been a
master mariner on this coast for over 20
years. He came from the Atlantic coast
Previous to being appointed a pilot about
the Wellington, Bristol and other COLL
cries still plying between this port AMI
Puget Sound. He was a remarka oily
skilled navigator and never before had
any notable misfortune.
He declares that the loss of the steam
err could not have been foreseen. Accord
ing to his story the vessel. drifted half
mile in fog that enveloped the home
bound steamer like pail, and no man
could have judged either the direction or
the velocity of the invisible current that
11err
Fort Point ledge.
The Rio de Janeiro has since the year
1880 had a -1hoodoo" on her.
August 1890, she was In collision with
the British steamer Bombay and was Sc
verely damaged This occurred In Hong
Kong harbor
December. 1885, she went ashore at
South KagOShimO Japan. and was so
badly damaged that her cargo had to be
discharged and the vessel locked for re
pairs
March. 1896. she started from Honolu-
III for Yokohama.
Continuous heavy head weather was
encountered and when the japanese
coast was still 1900 miles away it was
found that there was only ESQ tons Of
coal in the bunkers. The steamer was
run back to Honolulu and before she got
there, the cabins and state rooms hal
been Quilted to provide fuel for furnaces,
May, 1898, she collided with an unknown
japanese steamer off Honomoko, Japan,
but was not seriously damaged
During the past fifty years the Pa
cific Mail company has lost nineteen of
its feet. The list includes the South
erner. Salvador. Golden Gate, Golden
City. America, Guatemala, Sacramento,
Honduras Japan, City of San Francisco,
Georgia. City Of Toxic, San Pablo, Ora
NADIA, Nicaragua, City of New York.
Colin, Columbia and the City OF Rio de
Janeiro.
The laundering OF the Rio did not re
suit in the greatest loss Of life. as 200
Of the passengers on the Golden Gate
were lost Off the coast of Mexico in
1862. Four hundred Chinese were lost
in the wreck Of the steamer Japan off
the Chinese coast in the early seventies. 4
Only 40 souls were saved out Of the crew
and 121 passengers Of the Colima which
went down in 1895.
Freight Clerk G. 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 7 saw of Captain Ward he was
standing on the bridge ana. was tying
the rope Of the whistle to the rail This
was done to keep the whistle blowing
all the time / am sure that the ship
sank 50 quickly that Captain Ward did
not have time to reach the cabin