1913 — Aug 17, SF steamer State of California hits rock/sinks, Gambier Bay, Admiralty Isl. AK–31-32

— 40 The Survey. “Sea Disasters of Peace” (from the NYT). Vol. 33, 12-19-1914, 312.
— 39 Elgin Echo, IA. “39 Drowned at Sea.” Aug 21, 1913, p. 3.
— 35 Centralia Chronicle, WA. “Steamer Jefferson…Survivors to Seattle.” 8-22-1913, p. 5.
— 32 Alaska Bureau Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg.. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.
— 32 Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.”
— 32 Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A–Z.” (S).
— 31-32 Blanchard estimated range.
— 32 Oakland Tribune, CA. “State of California San Without Any Warning.” 8-19-1913, p1.
— 31 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 225.
–>27-31 Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska. 2000, p. 92.
— 31 U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report for Fiscal Year 1914, p. 13.
— ~30 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK “A Steamer Wrecked.” Aug 19, 1913, p. 1.
— 25 Oakland Tribune, CA. “25 Lives Lost at Sea.” Aug 18, 1913, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Mgmt.: “Aug 17, 1913. Passenger steamer State of California. Hit reef and sank. In Gambier Bay, Admiralty Island. 32 lost, 118 saved.” (Alaska Bur. Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg., Enforce. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.)

Alaskashipwreck.com: “1913…State of California…SE [southeast area]…300 Foot…2266 Ton Iron Steamer…32 [lives lost]…118 [lived].” (Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.”

Alaskashipwreck.com: “State of California (1913). The 2,266 ton 300 foot iron passenger steamer State of California foundered in Gambier Bay at 8:30 a.m. Sunday August 17, 1913. The vessel was on her way out of the bay at 8:02 a.m. bound for San Francisco. There were 74 passengers and 76 officers and crewmen aboard the State of California. She was carrying a cargo of about 500 tons of general merchandise. The following are excerpts from the wreck report:

“Gambier Bay, Alaska” “Foundered” “Struck uncharted rock” “Calm, smooth sea, daylight” “Ship backed full speed, then went ahead full speed, to try and beach her before sinking” “Launches from Gambier Bay and S S Jefferson (assisted)” “Total Loss”

“32 of the 150 persons aboard perished in the disaster. The State of California had a value of $200,000 which was a total loss along with her cargo. The vessel was insured for $181,000. Included in those lost were:
1. L. Anderson, fourth officer,
2. D.C. Perkins, wireless operator,
3. N. Lawson deck officer
4. L. Mezzene deck officer
5. P. Smith waiter
6. B. Madiger waiter
7. Mrs. John Vanderlass (Mrs. Clara Vanderlass)
8. John Vanderlass
9. Mrs. E.C. Ward (Mrs. Nellie B Ward)
10. Miss Lila Ward (14) died from fright
11. Mrs. H C Riordan (84)
12. Miss Estella Riordan
13. W.A. Dyer of Milwaukee
14. Miss Wilson
15. Miss Anne L Cassidy
16. Miss May Dixon
17. Mrs. A Biernbaum
18. Miss Alice Johnson
19. Lilian B Norman
20. Mrs. C E Spithill
21. Mrs. C E Spithill child
22. Ben A Wade
23. Nick Pittulas
24. Frank Fuller
25. James Gustaveson
26. Ernest J Reid
27. Leslie Hobro
28. J Holman
29. August Vresh
30. W A Dyer
31. Miss Blanche Fridd
32. Miss Minette E Harlan.
“The State of California struck an uncharted rock at 8:27 a.m. and by 8:30 a.m. there was nothing left of the vessel. The area of impact was filled with only wreckage and the struggling passengers and crew of the steamer. Many drowned in their staterooms and others were crushed by the wreckage.

“Mapping and Location: Southeast Alaska 57 28 N 133 55 W Chart 17360.

“Additional Information: Tonnage 2,266 Gross 1,260 Net, Length 300, Breadth 38.6, Depth 24.4, Built 1879 at Philadelphia PA, IHP 1,800, SL JTGP, Registered San Francisco, ON 115645, Master T H Cann Jr of Seattle, Owner Pacific Coast Steamship Company of San Francisco.

“Sources: 1. U S Customs Wreck Report at San Francisco, 2. Merchant Vessels of the U S (1913) Pg 299, 3. Daily Alaska Dispatch (August 18, 1913) “P C Co Liner Total Loss at Gambier Bay” Front Page, 4. Morning Oregonian (August 21, 1913) “Survivors Now Nearing Seattle” Pg 12, 5. Trenton Evening Times (August 19, 1913) “32 Go Down With Ship in Icy Water” Pg 9.” (Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A–Z.” (S).)

Gottehrer: “Aug. 17, 1913. The steamer State of California hit an uncharted rock in Gambier Bay and sank in three minutes. Several passengers had no time to seek safety. At least 20 passengers, possibly as many as 24, and seven crew members died. At least 43 passengers and several crew members, including the captain and purser, survived. The purser, who had survived the Curacao wreck the previous June, lost all passenger records on the ship.” (Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska. 2000, p. 92.)

US Steamboat Inspection Service: “On August 17, 1913, the passenger steamer State of California struck an uncharted rock during low tide in Gambier Bay, Alaska, and sank within three minutes, while making for the beach, resulting in 24 passengers and 7 of the crew losing their lives.” (U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1914, p. 13.)

Newspapers – Chronological:

Aug 18: “Seattle, Aug. 18. – Twenty-five lives were lost in the wreck of the steamship State of California in Gambier Bay, Alaska.

“The survivors of the wreck were picked up by the steamer Jefferson. Some persons were so severely injured that it was necessary to send them to a hospital at Juneau. The others are being brought to Seattle on the Jefferson.

“The State of California was valued at about $400,000. On account of her long service between Puget Sound and San Francisco in the passenger trade, she was one of the best known vessels on the coast.

“Ten passengers are in a Juneau hospital suffering from exposure.

“The vessel was commanded by Captain T. H. Cann, who was commander of the steamer Valencia, when she was lost at Cape Beals, B.C., Jan. 22, 1906 with 117 lives.

“The time of the wreck was 8:30 Sunday morning.

“The steamship sailed from Seattle last Wednesday night. She struck an unchartered rock…..” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “25 Lives Lost at Sea.” Aug 18, 1913, p. 1.)

Aug 19: “Struck and Filled in Instant. A Sunken Reef Not Shown on Government Charts. California and Cargo Is a Total Loss.

“Reported Lost
Dead Passengers.
Birnbaum, Mrs. A., [Ruby, AK (Oakland Tribune. “Death List…Not …Complete.” 8.20.1913)]
Dyer, W. A.; student at Marquette Medical College, Milwaukee.
Fridd, Miss Blanche; Monmouth, Ore.
Holman, J.H.; Cornwall, England.
Reardon, Mrs. Stella [Seattle. (Oakland Tribune. “Death List…Not …Complete.” 8.20.1913)]
Vanderlass, Rev. John; Los Angeles.
Vanderlass, Mrs. Clara; Los Angeles, wife of John Vanderlass.
Ward, Mrs. Nellie B.; wife of Edward C. Ward, assistant manager of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company at Seattle.
Ward, Miss Lillie B.; daughter of E.C. Ward; picked up on raft, but died from exposure. [Seattle]
Wilson, Miss J.J.; Prince Rupert, B.C.
Three unidentified women.
Missing Passengers.
Cassidy, Miss Anna L.; Seattle.
Dixon, Miss May; Seattle.
Fridd, Miss Blanche; Portland [possibly a repetition of name above as dead]
Harian [or Harlan], Minette E.; Portland.
Hobro, Lester F.; chief clerk Pacific Coast Steamship Company…San Francisco.
Johnson, Miss Alice; Vancouver.
Norman, Lillian B.; Port Bolívar, Texas.
Pittulas, Nick; Seattle.
Reardon, Miss; Seattle.
Spithill, Mrs. C.E., and infant child; [Grand Falls, WA. (Oakland Tribune. “Death List May Not
Be Complete.” 8.20.1913)]
Wade, Ben .; Seattle.
Missing Crew.
Anderson, Charles; fourth officer.
Clark, Walter j.; waiter.
Lawson, N.; deck officer.
Madigan, B.; waiter.
Mazzini, L.; deck officer.
Perkins, D.C.; wireless operator.
Smith, P.; waiter.

“Juneau, Alaska, Aug. 19. – The list of known dead and missing passengers who were on the Pacific Coast Steamship Company’s iron steamship State of California when she struck a rock and sank in Gambier bay Sunday morning today stands unchanged with ten bodies recovered and fifteen passengers known to be missing and given up for dead. The total death list will reach 32. Whether more Passengers than the fifteen whose names appeared in the list of missing are among those whose bodies were taken down with the wreck is uncertain, as Purser L. J. Coughlin saved no records and is not sure how many were aboard the ship when it went to its doom.

“Examination of the hospital list, where the survivors were taken, added two names to the list of passengers saved. They are George O’Dell, a Kansan, en route to the Suchanna gold field, and Alvan Drake of Des Moines, Iowa….

“The loss of life was caused more by wreckage than by drowning, according to Captain Thomas H. Cann Jr., who was master of the lost ship. Captain Cann said the upper works of the State of California broke up as the vessel went down and many people were caught in the wreckage before they left their staterooms. It was in this way that Miss Lillian Ward, daughter of Edward C. Ward of Seattle, assistant manager of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, lost her life. A mast falling as the upper works were carried away struck her as she stood on the deck. She was taken off in a small boat and later taken aboard the Alaska Steamship Company’s steamer Jefferson, but died before that vessel arrived here Sunday night.

“So quickly did the State of California sink after she struck the rock that Captain Cann barely had time to run her toward the rocky beach of Gambier bay before she sank….

“…said Captain Cann….

After discharging three tons of freight at the Gambier bay cannery we cleared at 8:30 and headed for the outside. After reaching the roadstead, where the United States chart shows 30 fathoms of water, we struck the reef. The vessel did not rear or raise, and this, in my opinion, shows that the rock could not have been more than a few feet above the line of the vessel’s keel. I immediately pulled the whistle cord, sounding out several blasts to warn the cannery people of our danger and sang out to the deck crew to launch the lifeboats. At the same time I headed the ship for the beach. We had just reached the rocky beach when the vessel went down.

“Every available boat had been launched by the crew, who responded with perfect discipline to orders from the bridge. Although most of the boats were partly filled with water from the wash made by the ship’s plunge to the bottom, the crew managed to pick up most of the passengers who were struggling in the water.

Wreckage from the vessel was everywhere and many passengers were held fast under the floating debris, making the rescue work hard….

“The Pacific Coast Steamship Company checked up its passenger lists again today and still places the number of dead at 32. The company will send three divers north by the steamship City of Seattle, sailing tonight, to make a thorough search of the hulk and bring out all the bodies. It is supposed all of the 22 missing passengers and members of the crew will be found in the ship, most of them in their rooms….

“The steamship was of iron and was built in 1878 by Cramp & Co. of Philadelphia, was of 2366 tons, had three decks, was 306.6 feet in length, 28.6 beam and 24.4 deep. Normally she carried a crew of seventy-five men.” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “State of California Sank Without Any Warning.” Aug 19, 1913, 1.)

Aug 20: “Washington, Aug. 20. – The Department of Commerce has ordered a sweeping investigation into the wreck of the steamship State of California off Gambier Bay, and the marine inspectors from Seattle and Juneau will jointly and immediately investigate the wreck.” (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. “Investigate Wreck.” Aug 20, 1913, p. 1.)

Aug 23: “Seattle, Aug. 23. – According to the evidence adduced by the federal marine inspectors who are conducting the investigation of the wreck of the steamship State of California, the disaster was due largely to neglect on the part of congress. It has been shown conclusively that the indifference toward Alaska on the part of congress had more to do with the wreck than negligence on the part of the coast and geodetic survey, and in all probability the federal investigators will recommend that the government take immediate steps to place navigation in Alaskan waters on a more secure basis.

“The surviving passengers of the ill-fated vessel, who arrived in this city this week from the North, have been summoned to appear before the inspectors, some of them having given their versions of the wreck at today’s hearing. It is generally admitted that the investigators are making an unusually thorough probe, and it is believed that much good will come of the inquiry.” (Fairbanks Sunday Times, AK. “Blame Congress for Sinking of S.S. California.” 8-24-1913, p. 1.)

Aug 23: “Juneau, Aug. 23….The rock which wrecked the State of California was located by George C. Teal, manager of the Admiralty Trading Company, which operate the cannery at Gambier bay. The rock was found by towing a small boat behind the Lotus. Mr. Teal was in the boat that was being towed and made the soundings. It was found at a depth of three and a half fathoms – 21 feet – at low tide. Afterward a second attempt was made to locate the rock and it required two hours to find it, demonstrating that it is a pinnacle thrusting itself from the deep waters.” (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. “Aftermath of Recent Wreck.” Sep 9, 1913, p. 2.)

Sep 6: “Seattle, Sept. 6. – That Captain T. H. Cann is blameless for the wreck of the Pacific Coast Steamship company’s steamer State of California on an uncharted rock in Gambier bay on August 13th, is the decision of the marine board which was forwarded to Washington today. Inspectors Whitney and Turner found that the vessel was wrecked by a rock which was in the regular course in the middle of the channel, and had never been located or charted.” (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. “Capt. Cann is Exonerated Today.” Sep 6, 1913, p. 1.)

Sep 13: “Seattle, Sept. 13. – The exoneration of Captain Cann of blame for the wreck of the steamship State of California has been officially approved by the department of commerce. Advices received today from Washington indicate that the department has endorsed all of the findings of the special board of inquiry which investigated the wreck, including the recommendations for the more thorough charting of Northern waters.” (Fairbanks Sunday Times, AK. “Department Approves Exoneration of Cann.” Sep 14, 1913, p. 1.)

Sources

Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses. Accessed 11-22-2021 at: https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/alaskas-worst-all-time-shipping-losses

Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks 1900-1925.” Accessed 11-22-2021 at: https://alaskashipwreck.com/alaska-shipwrecks-1729-2012/alaska-shipwrecks-1900-1925/

Alaskashipwreck.com. Alaska Shipwrecks. “Alaska Shipwrecks A–Z.” (S). Accessed 11-2w-2021 at: https://alaskashipwreck.com/shipwrecks-a-z/alaska-shipwrecks-s/

Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972.

Elgin Echo, IA. “39 Drowned at Sea.” 8-21-1913, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=146270863

Centralia Chronicle, WA. “Steamer Jefferson…Survivors to Seattle.” 8-22-1913, p. 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK “A Steamer [State of California] Wrecked.” 8-19-1913, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=119555513

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. “Capt. Cann [State of California] is Exonerated Today.” Sep 6, 1913, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=119555563

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. “Investigate Wreck.” Aug 20, 1913, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Fairbanks Sunday Times, AK. “Blame Congress for Sinking of S.S. California.” 8-24-1913, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=547663

Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised and 2nd edition). Fairbanks, Alaska: Epicenter Press, 2000. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=O53zwdFYTGEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Oakland Tribune, CA. “25 Lives Lost at Sea” [Steamer State of California]. Aug 18, 1913, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=31173926

Oakland Tribune, CA. “State of California Sank Without Any Warning.” 8-19-1913, 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=31411303

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Survivors of Wreck [State of California] Reach Seattle,” 8-22-1913, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=31410547

The Survey. “Sea Disasters of Peace” (from the NYT). Vol. 33, 12-19-1914, 312. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=X65IAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

United States Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspection Service to the Secretary of Commerce for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1914. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1914. 55 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 11-22-2021 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=_KbNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false