The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-03-01

StedlleI SILK almost lmmeQlaJely ttICer
striking is the report of a majority OF
those rescued. Some of the passengers
say that she instantly listed forward,
and that in five minutes she went
down. while others declare that she
stayed af1oat for half an hour after
she struck.
STATEMENT OF PILOT JORDAN.
Says the Captain Gave the Order to Move
in the Fog.
Captain Frederick w. Jordan, the
pilot Of the Rio, was rescued by an
Italian fishing boat owned by Freder-
ick Castrini, and brought to Meiggs
station. He was taken up to the room
occupied by the customs officials and
told the following story: I'VE an
ch0red inside about o'clock last night.
The weather was thick, and l left or
ders that when the weather cleared we
should go further in. At ) a. N. the
fog lifted. We could sc the Cliff House
and the North End light, and | tod the
mate to heave short. After we start
ed heaying short the wind came in
from the northeast and the fog set
tied IN thick, and l told the mate to
stop heaving
"Then the captain came up and said:
Let her go. We can go ahead"
Captain Jordan made this statement
to Captain Freeman and his friends
who crowded around him. To Cap
tain Freeman he said: "Aint l in a
ID Of fx?"
Captain Freeman put his arms
around the pilot and said: Don't talk
about it. You are here and that is
all we care
Captain Jordan then continued his
story: when the vessel struck
I ordered all the boats out. The first
boat out was that Of the doctor 1t
was half filed with water no sooner
than it struck" He then told how
he helped. a woman down ladder, car
rying her little boy, but the ship gave
lurch and threw them all into the
sea and he never saw either woman
or boy again.
did you see Captain WardY Il
saw nothing of him after we struck"
The wreck lies about three ourths
OF mile south of Fort Point and
| about 1000 yards off the rocky shore.
Frederick Lindstrom, the quartermas-
| ter officer of the Rio, emphatically de-
wa CA1dI SdpId1l WdIu
Admiral Triyou, of her British ma
| Jcsty's ship Victoria, in going down to
Dis cabin where he met his doom be-
| hind locked door.
The cargo of the Rio de Janeiro was
valued at over 100000. There was
besides 100000 in treasure in the
| specie tank. The steamer itself was
valued at from $650,000 to 100000.
LOsC NUMBER NEARLY leo.
Captain Reid Responsible for the Terrible
Disaster Off San Francisco.
San Francisco, Feb. $50 far as
can be ascertained from reliable data
l2o lives were lost in the wreck of the
| racine mail steamer City of Rio de
JanelrO. Some fishermen Saturday
morning found packet containing the
papers OF Purser Rooney. Among
| them was the passenger list and a
bunch Of cancelled passenger ticke is,
so that some. passengers who started
on the ship must have laid over some
| where en- route and were not aboard
when she went down. Those who laid
over were: William Casle and wife
w. Klose, Mrs. G. X. Mcintosh, and
Mr.. III. S. Olcott.
Of the 200 sacks of mail carried by
the Rio de Janeiro only twelve have
come to the surface. The investigation
into the cause of the disaster will be
| hampered by the fact that Captain
Ward, the man held responsible for
the navigation of the steamer, is dead
1t is not correct as was thought by
many that the pilot was responsible
He does not take charge of the ship
when he goes aboard; he is only there
as an advisor to the captain; and when
Captain Ward ordered him to go ahead
in the fog he had to obey orders.
Third Officer G. J. Holland reported
dead, has turned up alive. He said
that he escaped in a boat with seven
Chinese Of the crew, and that Captain
Ward was carrying Mrs. Wildman to
one of the boats when the steamer
| went down.
DEAD ROTT. NTNISERS nnzxFN