1883 — Jan 29, steamer Tacoma grounds/wrecks, Pacific, 4m from Umpqua River, OR– 10

— 10 McCarty, L.P. (Ed.). McCarty’s Annual Statistician 1885, Vol. 9. “Chronology,” p. 86.
— 10 New York Times. “The Wreck of the Tacoma.” Feb 4, 1883, p. 2.
— 10 Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. Annual Report…Year Ended June 30, 1883. P. 12.

Narrative Information

McCarty: “Loss of steam collier Tacoma and 10 of her crew, off Umpqua, Or…Jan. 29, 1883.”

Supervising Inspector General of Steamboats (U.S.): “January 28 – The steamer Tacoma ran aground near the mouth of the river Umpqua, Oregon. Nine men were drowned, and first assistant engineer was fatally hurt in the surg while landing.” (Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. Annual Report…Year Ended June 30, 1883. 1883, p. 12.)

Newspaper

Feb 2: “ San Francisco, Feb. 2. – A Dispatch from Portland says: The steamer Tacoma, the Central Pacific Company’s collier, from Tacoma for San Francisco, with 3,500 tons of coal, went ashore at 9 P.M. Jan. 29, four miles north of Umpqua River. The Captain and six men landed yesterday. The tug Sol Thomas went to her yesterday, but could not get the crew off on account of the heavy sea. She was broken in two amidships. Both stern and bow are under water, lying about 200 yards from the shore. The Captain has sent here for tugs and lifeboats.

“An Empire City dispatch says: Chas. H. Wells of San Francisco, agent of the Tacoma, who was on board, arrived here this afternoon. He reports all ashore except six men at dark last night, and thinks they were landed soon after, as they had a line ashore at dark.

“A dispatch to the Merchants’ Exchange says: All on board are save, including Mr. Steinberger, agent of the company at Tacoma, who was a passenger. The Tacoma was a new ship, arrived here from Philadelphia and was on her first trip. The cause of the disaster is unknown.” (Eureka Daily Sentinel, NV. “Pacific Coast Advices. Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma.” 2-3-1883, p. 2, col. 3.)

Feb 3, Boston Globe: “A Portland (Ore.) dispatch states that the steamer Tacoma, a collier belonging to the Central Pacific Company, from Tacoma for San Francisco, with 3500 tons of coal, was wrecked on the 29th ult., four miles north of Umpqua river.” (Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Marine Notes.” 2-3-1883, p. 10, cols. 5-6.)

Feb 3, New York Times: “San Francisco, Feb. 3. – A dispatch from Empire City says: ‘The steam-tug Fourless, which arrived from the wreck of the Tacoma reports that nine of the crew were lost, and that First Assistant Engineer Grant died after getting ashore. The ship is completely broken, and nothing can be save from her. Five bodies have been recovered. Nothing can be seen of the wreck but the top of the cylinder at low water. Seven men were lost off the forward when the mast went overboard. The second mate had charge on deck when the ship struck but he neither saw nor heard the breakers until the ship went on land among them. The ship was supposed to have been well off shore and the only theory in explanation of the disaster is a possible derangement of the compasses. The night was dark, but not foggy.” (New York Times. “The Wreck of the Tacoma.” Feb 4, 1883, p. 2.)

Sources

Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Marine Notes.” 2-3-1883, p. 10, cols. 5-6. Accessed 1-22-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe-feb-03-1883-p-10/

Eureka Daily Sentinel, NV. “Pacific Coast Advices. Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma.” 2-3-1883, p. 2, col. 3. Accessed 1-22-2021: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-daily-sentinel-feb-03-1883-p-2/

McCarty, L.P. (Ed.). McCarty’s Annual Statistician 1885, Vol. 9. “Chronology,” pp. 51-94. San Francisco and New York City, 1885. Digitized by Google. Accessed 1-22-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=DXsZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

New York Times. “The Wreck of the Tacoma.” 2-4-1883, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=19725365

Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels (U.S.) to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1883 (dated 10-9-1883). Washington: Government Printing Office, 1883. Accessed 1-22-2021 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu09189980&view=1up&seq=169&q1=vernon