SS Pacific (1851)

PACIFIC

The Pacific was a 1851 put into service passenger ship in the U.S. shipping company Goodall, Nelson & Perkins, which was used for the carriage of passengers, mail and cargo between San Francisco, California and Victoria in British Columbia.

On November 4, 1875, the steamer collided south-west of Cape Flattery on the coast of the U.S. state of Washington with the sailing ship Orpheus and sank. There were too few lifeboats and those who were lowered into the water, all went under. Only two men survived the disaster, 273 passengers and crew died, including all women and children. The sinking of the Pacific is one of the most serious maritime accidents along the North American Pacific coast.

The ship

The built wooden paddle steamer Pacific was built in 1850 in the shipyard of William H. Brown in New York and had two decks, two paddle wheels and steam engines from the Archimedes Ironworks. On March 19, the completed vessel made ​​her way to San Francisco, where it arrived on July 2.

The Pacific had a checkered history. Original owners were Major Albert Lowry and Captain Jarvis, who wanted to use the ship on the Panama - San Francisco. Shortly thereafter deposited the Pacific for the United States Mail Steamship Company of New Orleans to the Río Chagres in Panama. On her first trip to Havana, she managed 360 miles in 24 hours, which was the best result until then an ocean liner on this route.

Finally, the ship was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt, for which it ran between Panama and San Francisco. Between September 1851 and September 1855, the Pacific operated the route San Francisco San Juan del Sur ( Nicaragua). Subsequently, she was temporarily taken out of service until it was bought in 1858 by the Merchants Accommodation Line, for which she carried passengers on the Columbia River. During this time, the ship carried many prospectors who wanted to travel as part of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush to British Columbia. On 18 July 1861 the Pacific sank in the Columbia River near Coffin Rock. She was lifted, set in the stand and put back into service.

From 1863 the ship SJ Hensley of the Oregon & San Diego Steamship Line and from 1867 Holladay & Brenham belonged. 1872, the Pacific was sold to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, for which they started off from San Francisco from San Diego. 1875 was the Pacific at its last owner, the California shipping company Goodall, Nelson & Perkins, which controlled much of the shipping to and from Alaska and Mexico in the mid- 19th century. The ship was renovated at a cost of $ 40,000.

In the prevailing tense rivalry between the shipping companies on the U.S. West Coast Goodall, Nelson & Perkins offered the crossings often at significantly lower prices or even free of charge to beat the competition. The cost for a single journey usually amounted to U.S. $ 5, which corresponds to a current monetary value of about U.S. $ 200.

The last ride

Beginning of the journey

On Thursday, November 4, 1875 shortly after 15 clock the Pacific in Victoria took passengers and freight for another trip to San Francisco on board. The command had the 28- year-old captain Jefferson Davis Howell. Howell was the brother of Jefferson Davis, who was from 1861 to 1865 President of the Confederate States of America. There were officially 72 crew members and 203 passengers (115 first class, 88 third class) on board. As children, however, were riding for free and are not included on the passenger list, it is possible that even more people were actually on the ship.

Among the passengers on this ride were among others:

  • Cal Mandeville, actor and promoter ( with wife and child)
  • Sewell P. Moody, entrepreneur, industrialist and founder of the city Moody Ville in the U.S. state of Tennessee
  • Captain Otis Parsons, Reeder, owner of the Fraser River fleet and founder of the city Parsonville in British Columbia ( with wife and child)
  • JH Sullivan, notary public and commissioner of Cassiar Gold County in the Province of British Columbia
  • Francis Garesche, banker, co-founder of the Bank Garesche and Green and agent for Wells Fargo
  • Elizabeth McMillan Moote, daughter of newspaper editor and former mayor of Victoria, James E. McMillan
  • Fannie Palmer, youngest daughter of the pianist and composer Professor Digby Palmer

For freight included, among other things, coal, potatoes, hundreds of sacks with corn, and cranberries, two buggies and six horses. The ship was fully loaded with cargo and took just off Junction a heavy list on. In order to correct this and to put the ship back on an even keel, including some lifeboats were filled with water. When the ship then careened to the other side, the boats were filled with water there as well. There were no rescue exercises and even if the lifeboats would have been ready, they only can take 145 people.

Collision and sinking

To 22 clock in the evening of November 4, pushed the Pacific about 12 to 15 miles off Cape Flattery in heavy seas and gale force winds on the sailing ship Orpheus together. Both ships dissolved immediately after the collision again and away from each other. The Pacific took on water very quickly, and bowed himself to port. She let her ship's horn sounded.

Few lifeboats were ready for lowering, but none of them could be left safely to the water. One was flooded immediately after putting on the water and sank, others could not be swung over the deck edge, because they were crowded with panic-stricken passengers. No one in the lifeboats survived. Most of the passengers were thrown into the water and drowned. The women had a particularly hard time because of their heavy clothing; matters further, at that time, few women could swim.

About ten minutes after the collision, the Pacific broke into three pieces and sank. Only about 20 people survived the sinking and clung in cold water to about driving wreckage. Most of them gradually lost their footing and succumbed to the effects of hypothermia and exhaustion.

Two men survived the accident, the 22 -year-old passenger Henry L. Jelley from Port Stanley (Ontario) and the Scottish crew member Neil Henley. Jelley, an employee of the Canadian Pacific Railway, was found two days after the sinking of the Bark Messenger that brought him to Port Angeles. The 21 -year-old Henley was only after four days ago from the Oliver Walcott, a ship of the U.S. Customs Service.

Captain Howell was killed; Five days later, he would have celebrated his 29th birthday.

Injury

During the investigation that followed the demise of the Pacific, said several members of the crew of the Orpheus that their captain, the 36 -year-old Charles Sawyer, at the time of the accident was drunk and that he did not know the exact position of his ship. For this reason, he had the Pacific approached to consult their captain. As a result, there had been a collision. Captain Sawyer continued the journey after he had convinced himself that his ship was not seriously damaged. Shortly thereafter, he continued his ship in the bay Barkley Sound on background because he mistook Cape Beale with Cape Flattery.

After the whereabouts of the Pacific Sawyer had not inquired what was heavily criticized by the inquiry committee. The fact that Orpheus had not remained on the scene and had taken no castaways, have contributed significantly to the high loss of life.

The value of the cargo on board the Pacific was estimated by the Canadian historian Frederick W. Howay to about $ 100,000.

About a month after the sinking was washed ashore a piece of wood that the handwritten inscription " S. P. Moody. All Lost " ( German: ". Moody SP All lost (s) " ) wore. The words were recognized as handwriting of the passenger Sewell Moody. The piece of wood is still owned by his descendants.

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