The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-02-23
C0MPANY'S MANY LOSSES.
Twenty Pacific Mail Steamers
Bave Been Wrecked Since 1892.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
San Francisco. Feb. 22.-The Rio de
Janeiro Is one of twenty Pacific Mail
steamers which have been wrecked since
the incorporation Of the company. A
strange fatality seems to have followed the
Pacific Nails liners. In one year, five OF
its steamers went to the bottom. The
Nicaragua, on her maiden voyage. struck
a sunken reef. and was lost. The San Pablo.
which was wrecked in the Straits Of For
mosa, was attacked by a horde Of Chinese
pirates. and 1t was only after hand-to-
hand struggle that the passengers and crew
In many Of the disasters which have be-
fallen the Pacific Mail steamers, the loss
of life has been appalling. When the
steamer Japan caught fire and burned to
the waters edge. she carried down with
her 400 Chinese passengers Two hundred
lives were lost in the wreck OF the Golden
Gate a few years before.
The first Pacific Mail steamer wrecked
was the Southerner, which was lost In the
early days. Less than year later her sis
rocks off Cape Flattery and was total
loss. Next followed the wreck of the Golden
Gate. in which oyer @ 20 Lives ives were % 10 lost; This
Mail fleet. Before the end OF the year four
other steamers were lost.
Fifteen miles out from Manzanillo the
Golden Gate ran on the rocks: She caught
fire and panic followed. Lifeboats were
overturned and smashed in the confusion.
The fsenzied passengers completely % & blocked t,ea
the vessel struck she lay at the bottom of
the Pacific. a charred and shattered hulk.
escaped. More than 200 went down with the
steamer.
A few months after the disaster to the
Golden Gate the Golden City stranded at
Point San Lazars and within few hours
was dismantled by the heavy surf. The
passengers and crew all reached land safe
in Yokohoma harbor where the steamer
American was burned. A number of her
crew were lost The Pacific Maifs fourth
in 1872 occurred OFF Tonoioban. The Gaute-
mala foundered and the crew and passen-
gers left the steamer In Hfeboats. One
boatload OF fifteen persons & were never r
the year was when the Sacramento was
lost late In December.
For Few years. the niI d,,ras oi u,sasseps S,sns
ashore on the San Salvador coast: Closely
following this came the wreck Of the Japan.
in which 200 lives were lost Vn a.. .ne I'M. III
flames were soon beyond control The crew
and cabin passengers left the vessel In the
left on the redhot decks shrieking for the
succor that never came
The City OF San Francisco was wrecked
on the Central American coast In IsIl; ana
the following year the Georgia sank on the
For six years after this the Pacific Mail
steamers avoided disaster: The wreck OF
the City of Toxic near Yokohama in 1888
was the ffrst Of a new series of horrors.
which eliminated to-day In the sinking of
the Rio de Janeiro.
Two years later the San Pablo struck a
reef In the Straits OF Formosa. As the
steamer lay helplessiy pounding on the
rocks she was attacked by a horde of Chi
nese pirates A terrific fight ensued. After
hours Of hand-to-hand combat. during
which the pirates were kept on by streams
of boiling water from the boilers. a steam
er appeared and rescued all on board.
The next year the Granada went on the
rocks at Point Tfcussan after leaving Man.
zanillo. but all on board were saved.
Some years later the City of New York
ran on the rocks ~ Drirt Bonita. just out
lies at the bottom The steamer Colima
was wrecked in a hurricane OF Manzanillo
In 1oo6. and only q few OF those on board
ever reached land. Then came the wreck
Of the new steamer Colombia, which was
on her maiden trip I'm Pacific waters. No
lives were lost.