Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-23

N. H. Lane, water tender. Forty-one of the Chinese crew, it is believed, escaped with their lives. The following passengers who start ed on the Rio de Janerio from various Asiatic points left the steamer at Honolulu on stop-over tickets: IT. $. Olcott, from Yokohama. Mir Heisca, from Shanghai Edward Secretan. from Shanghai.
 ". w. Castle and wife, from Hong Kong.
 w: c. Lose. from Hong Kong.
 l.. Horn. from Shanghai.
 The bodies of eleven victims lie at | the morgue. Only seven of them have been identified They are:
 Mrs Sarah w. Wakefield, aged 50. q native of New York, widow of the late $. E. Wakefield, of Oakland Mrs Alfred Hart, of Manila, former ly of Los Angeles and wife of Alfred Hart, who was also lost in the wreck Charles Dowdall, q barrister, of Shanghai.
 Edward Barwick a German 45 years old. butcher on the Rio. San Francisco.
 Angelo Gussio. identified as an en- ploye on sugar plantation at Spreckles- vile. Fl. l.
 Mrs Julia Dohrman, aged D, stew lEueSS Cn Iue RIO.
 A Japanese. identified as the engi- neel's, mess boy. name unknown.
 Four unidentified Chinese.
 No attempt has been made to place the blame for the disaster. but the Pacific Mail company's officials state that the pilot was subject to the orders of Captain Ward, who went down with the vessel.
 The wreck of the Rio. which for q While hung on q pinnacle of the rock where she struck in the Golden Gate so that parts of the upper works were visible. has slid off into deep water, and is now entirely out of sight
 Fort Point, where Pilot Jordan claims the vessel struck. marks the narrowest point of the entrance to the bay and is usually given q wide berth by mariners. The tide here runs high and at times has q swirling motion Off Fort Point lie several sunken rocks, forming a dangerous ledge on the southerly edge of the Pathway channel of the Golden Gate but close under the shore. This is light on top of the fort and fog bell, but the latter cannot be heard far when westerly wind is blowing.
 Pilot Captain Jordan has been master mariner on the coast for over twenty years. He came here from the Atlantic coast. He declares the loss of the steamer could not be forseen According to his story. the vessel drift ed half q mile broadside in the fog that enveloped everything like a pail and no man could have judged either the direction or the velocity of the invisible current that changed her course and sent her on the ledge.
 4l,, TDs dents. In August. 1890, she was in collision in Hong Kong harbor with the British steamer Bombay and was severely damaged.
 In December, 1895, she went ashore at South Kagoshimo, Japan, and was badly damaged.
 |. In March, 1896. the Rio started from Honolulu for Yokohama. Continuous heavy head weather was encountered and when the Japanese coast was still 1.2OO miles away it was found that there was only 25O tons of coal in the bunkerS.
 The ship was run back to Honolulu but before she got there the cabins and staterooms had been gutted in order to provide fuel for the furnaces.
 During the past fifty years the Pa cific Mail Steamship company has lost 19 of it's fleet. The founderine of the Rio de Janeiro does not result in the greatest loss of life. as POO of the 300 lost of the coast of Mexico in 1862. while 400 Chinese were lost in the wreck of the steamer Japan off the Chinese coast in the early seventies. MANAGER BLAMES CAPT WARD. Says He Was Warned Not to Bring
 Vessel in During a Fog.
 San Francisco, Feb o3 R. P. Schwerin, 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 Gur:ng q fog. Time and again said Mir Scllwerin. ''weh ave warned our captains never to leave or enter port during a fog It is erroneous to think that when q pilot boards a vessel the captain has no more responsibility. A pilot is simply a guide for q captain.
 'The statements made to me by Pi- lot Jordan indicate that there was fog hanging around the Heads, and think that undue haste was shown by the captain in bringing his vessel in I cannot understand why there should have been so much haste shown. con- sidering the vessel lay outside all night. Captain Ward was careful of ficer and l learn that when he reached Honolulu with the Rio. he waited out side the bar for eleven hours rather than take any chances in the rough weather. sN
 ''Of 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 com l rades.
 1'I cannot state exactly the value of the Rio de Janeiro. but it is between $500, GOO and $9OOOOO. We have be- tween $4OO, GOO and $5OO.O insurance on the vessel, part of which is carried | by insurance companies and part of l which we carry ourselves. The value of her cargo was probably between $15O. 900 and $2OO,OOO. do not think she had any amount of specie on | beard"
 In response to further questions Mir