1887 — Dec 20, freight steamer San Vincente burns off Pigeon Point ~45m so. of SF, CA–12

— 12 St. Paul Daily Globe, MN “A Sea Tragedy.” 12-22-1887, p. 1.*
— 12 U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of…Ending FY June 30, 1888. 1889, p. 440.
— 11 Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels (US). Annual Report… 1888. 1888, p.10.

* St. Paul Daily Globe note: While the subtitle notes that eleven men drowned, the text notes the additional death of a sailor from exposure soon after being picked up by the Queen of the Pacific.

Narrative Information

Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels (U.S.): “Fatal casualties [First District]….

“December 7 [sic], 1887. – The freight steamer San Vincente took fire at 9.45 p.m. while off Pigeon Point, about 45 miles south of San Francisco, burned and sank. Eleven of the officers and crew who took to the boats were drowned. The master and second mate remained by the steamer till rescued by a boat from the Queen of the Pacific.” (Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels…for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1888… 10-30-1888, p.10.)

U.S. Life Saving Service: “Date of disaster. 1887. Dec. 20. San Vicente. Am. str. 246 [tons]. San Francisco, Cal. [bound from]. Santa Cruz, Cal. [bound to]. Total [loss]. Merchandise [cargo]. 12 [lives lost]. Off Point New Year, Cal. “Vessel destroyed by fire.” (US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…Ending FY June 30, 1888. 1889, p. 440.)

Newspaper

Dec 21: “A Sea Tragedy. Eleven Lives Lost by the Burning of a Steamer.”

“San Francisco, Dec. 21. – The freight steamer, San Vincente, plying between this city and Santa Cruz, took fire last night off Pigeon Point, about forth miles south of the Golden Gate, and burned to the water’s edge. The crew consisted of nineteen officers and men. The burning vessel was sighted by the Pacific Coast Steamship company’s steamer Queen of the Pacific, which was bound from San Diego to this port. Several boats were lowered and went to the rescue of the San Vincente’s crew. Capt. Charles Lewis and the second mate were found on the deck of the steamer preparing to jump into the seas as the flames were rapidly surrounding them. The first mate and four sailors were found drifting in a small boat in which they had escaped, and another sailor was discovered clinging to the bottom of an upturned boat. The men were all rescued and brought on board the Queen of the Pacific. Several of them had suffered severely from exposure, and one of the sailors died in a few hours. No trace could be found of the other eleven men who composed the crew and it is thought they were lost. Capt. Lewis stated that when the fire was discovered the men became panic-stricken. Most of them jumped into one of the boats, and before it could be lowered the tackle which held it burned away and the boat fell, throwing the men into the water. The San Vincente was a small steamer owned by the Pacific Coast Steamship company, and was valued at $30,000. No insurance. Loss on cargo light.” (St. Paul Daily Globe, MN. “A Sea Tragedy. Eleven Lives Lost by the Burning of a Steamer.” 12-22-1887, p. 1, col. 8.)

Sources

St. Paul Daily Globe, MN. “A Sea Tragedy. Eleven Lives Lost by the Burning of a Steamer.” 12-22-1887, p. 1, col. 8. Accessed 1-30-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/saint-paul-daily-globe-dec-22-1887-p-1/

Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels (U.S.). Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General of Steam-Vessels to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1888 (Treasury Department Document No. 1156, Steam-boat Inspection, dated 10-30-1888). Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888. Accessed 1-30-2021 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu09189980&view=1up&seq=169&q1

United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1888 (Treasury Department Doc. No. 1228). Washington: Government Printing Office, 1889. Google digitized. Accessed 1-30-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=I3oDAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=true