The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-28
PILOT JORDAN TELLS
STORY Of WRECK
He Shifts All the Blame Upon
Captain Ward.
ORDERED TO GO AHEAD
CIRCUMSTANCES OF FOUNDER
ING OF RIO DE JANEIRo.
ORDERED TO GO AHEAD

San Francisco, Feb. 27.-The coron-
ers inquest into the deaths of those
drowned in the wreck of the Pacific
Mail steamer Rio de Janeiro began to-
day. The principal witnesses testify
ing today were Fred w. Jordan, the
pilot: Graham Coghlan, second mate;
Charles J. Holland, third mate, and
r. P. Schwerin, general manager Tor
the Pacific Steamship company.
Pilot Jordan told of the manner in
which he ran the Rio upon the Fort
Point reef He declared that his au-
thOrity on board was subordinate to
that of Captain William Ward, the
ships master, and that he ADVISED
lying outside till the weather cleared.
He defended the members OF tne
Chinese crew and said they worked
like machines, incidentally giving an
expression Of gratitude for his personal
rescue by a Chinese
.'On whom do you lay the blame for
the disaster?'' he was asked.
I'VE were carried onto the point by
an unexpected swirl of the tide that
could not have been foreseen. I blame
the currents and the improper signal
at Fort Point, which is bell you
can't hear any distance at all. Pilots,
as a general rule, consider 1t safe
procedure to come in during the fog.
I never considered it altogether safe.
Il
WAS there on this morning any
reason for venturing in during the
fog? Was the ship in danger?"
mot at all. The captain was anX-
iOus to get in, as he was overdue. The
captain did not use any argument, ex-
cept he said he thought it would clear
up. 1 could see that he was anxious
to get in and 1 was anxious to please
him."
When the pilot steps aboard a yes
sci, who takes command; what laws
gOvern?"
Authority of Pilots.
There is nothing in the state law
declaring who is supreme, but we pi-
lots always consider ourselves assist
ants to the master. The master never
loses command of the ship. He can
lay me off duty in a minute, even
though the ship were in the most per-
ilous part of the channel. That is the
rule all over the world. When 1 sent
word to stop heaving, the captain
said, Let her go. He himself or
dered up the anchor"
The great loss of life was, in Pilot
JOrdan's opinion, due to the inability
of the passengers to realize the dan
ger. General Manager Schwerin tes-
titled:
Many captains are more competent
TO steer in than are new pilots. But
as the law imposes the plloJS upon Us
and we have to pay for their services,
we let them do a part of the work
However, the captain is always in
command. Our captains have strict
orders not to bring ships in under
conditions such as existed when the
Rio sunk We do not give written or
ders, as we cannot bind the men that
hard
How do you distribute the re-
spOnsibiIity between these two men ?''
Il do not think that had the pilot
advised the captain Of danger Captain
Ward would have tried to come in. -
rs there any penalty for being
overdue?"
NO, sir; it was but little extra ex-
pense to us-only the meals to pas
sengers. The orders to captains are
only to bring the ships into port"
why do you hire Chinese crews? ''
I'VE have to do it or go out of bust
ness. owing to the competition OF
other lines which employ Chinese"
Mr.. Scnwerin attributed the cause
of the wreck 10 the tides.
Second Officer Coghlan said: THE
pilot gave the order TO heave up. When
the men had been heaving for a short
time the weather thickened and the
/ pilot ordered the men to avast heay-