Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-03-14
BLACK YEAR AT SEA,
caIamities In 1907 the Most Dis
astrous to Shipping.
AN APPALLING LOSS OF LIFE.

stoutest Ocean Vessels Fared just as
Badly as the Wornout and Poorly
Mannsd-MaDy Ocean Liners Lost.
Serious Naval Accidents.
In the recollection Of veteran ma
rine statistlclan there never has been
50 disastrous year to shipping as
that Just closed. The number Of
wrecks, fatal in the number Of lives
lost as well as In the enormous amount
of property destroyed, far exceeded
even year when sailing vessels out
numbered steamships Ave to one, a
period in which wind dependent craft
were at greater disadvantage and more
liable to shipwreck because of the dis
parity between steam and sail.
The year 1907 will go down In ma
rine history as one in which the stron-
gest type Of ocean going vessel Jared
as badly as did some that were aged,
worn out and probably poorly manned
The statistics that follow were COM
piled for Shipping illustrated;
The loss on the japanese coast In
March OF the Great Northern Steam
ship company's Dakota, involv ing more
than &3,500.000 worth OF property; the
strandlng OF the fine new Prinz Waldo
mar Of the Hamburg-Ameriean line at
Jamaica. West indies. In January; the
wreck Of the Elder-D empster liner Jeb-
ba In the English channel; also In
March the enormous cost OF floating
the sueyic; the burning Of the Thorn
hill: the destruction OF the SllverslIp
by explosion In the bay OF Biscay; the
Wrecklng of the Santiago OF the Pa
cific Mall Navigation company: the
burning of the Fortunatus with her
cargo worth S225.000; the disappear
ance Of the Nlcaraguan In the Allan
tie: the sinking Of another Hamburg
American liner. the Bornssia, at Lis
bon, and the loss OF the Helvetla, Luci-
Ter. Mount Temple. Hazel Branch. VIII
Liam ID. Relss. City OF Birmingham and
the Tampico. the latter with 100000
worth Of copper among her cargo, are
among those TINT stand out prominent
" III the list Of steam disasters. With
the exception OF the Santiago, none OF
these wrecks was attended with great
loss az life.
Several Of the disasters occurred TN
der conditions which. III the Judgment
Of the proper authorities. warranted
dealing with the certificates OF the mas
tiers Of the lost vessels. The com.
mander Of the Dakota had his license
revoked. The master Of the Joy liner
Larchmout. which vessel was sunk IN
Long Island sound. with loss Of 1884
lives, was severely eensured,
Some OF the other wrecks which were
attended BY an appalling loss Of life
were the Berlin IN February at the
Hook Of Holland. IN which disaster
only fifteen were saved aud 1913 drown
ed; the laundering Of the Sultan In
the Black sea. with 90. the explosion
Of the Ienn killing 100; the laundering
Of the Santiago, with 90; the sinking
OF the Columbia after collision. with
the loss Of ITO, and the laundering Of
the Kaplan, Turkish steamship. with
another 40 souls.
The five mastcd schooner +. Charlton
Henry. which was sent TO the bottom
In collision with the British steam
ship Chelston of Fire island. was
worth $4,000. When the John Cur.
rler was wrecked IN August In Alaska
she carried down with her S250,0O0
worth Of salmon cargo, The City OF
Cleveland. building at Detroit, Mich,
was burned IN August. with loss of
100000. The Fortunatus also was
burned, with loss OF $4,000
Warships played n considerable part
In the destruction of valuable marine
property. The British cruiser Assist
auce sank the German steamship Ma
RTE by collision In the Tyne. The
French cruiser Kleber ran into and
sank the steamship Hugoma In the
Mississippi. drowning seven of the lat
ter's crew. The Jean Bart was wreck.
ed ON the northwest coast Of Africa.
The lena blew up, costing 100 lives.
Some of the vessels stranded in
course OF the year, worth hundreds OF
thousands. were sold for the proYerblal
song. The Norwegian steamship Freys-
dale. ashore on the Maine coast was
sold TO a Boston Junk dealer for $780,
Another Norwegian steamship, the
Tellns. stranded at Gays harbor, In the
Pacific. brought the extravagant sum
Of $2i0 when sold at auction. The
American steamship CarthagenR, which
struck Salvage rock. North Carolina,
IN July, did not have much OF the
saving merits about her restlng place
and appealed 10 a generous purchaser,
who gave $500 for the vessel
The Marie Gilbert. fine schooner
when she ran on the Florida coast In
April. was sold to the highest bidder
Tor SAso The bark Charles L. Lee
fuegry. wrecked In the gulf OF Mexico,
brought S4I5. The John j. Ward.
stranded IN the Delaware breakwater
IN March. sold for $0T.50 The John /.
Snow. stranded In July. sold for Sos.