1914 — Aug 26, fog, steamers collide, Admiral Sampson sinks, Puget Sound, off Point No Point, WA-12-16

–16 Blanchard tally of named fatalities and missing, presumed dead (at end of file)
–16 Gibbs, Jim. Disaster Log of Ships…shipwrecks, California to Alaska. 1971, p. 69.
–16 Lettens. “Admiral Sampson SS (1898~1910) Admiral Sampson SS (+1914).” wrecksite.eu.
–16 Wright. “Looking back: The wreck of…Admiral Sampson…” Kitsap Daily News, 12-21-2017.
— 5 crew [Listings of named fatalities do not support this breakout.]
–11 passengers
–12 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 201.
–12 U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…June 30, 1915, p. 422.
–11 Seattle Star, WA. “Liner Admiral Sampson Rammed and Sunk in Sound…” 8-26-194, p. 1.
–11 U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1915, p. 15.

Narrative Information

Gibbs: “The publication, Port O’ Call, sounding board of the Society of Wireless Pioneers tells of a man named W. E. ‘Sparks’ Reker who is on the list of Marconi men who died as heroes. He was senior wireless operator of the SS Admiral Sampson, which sank off Point No Point near Hansville, Washington after a collision with the Canadian steamer Princess Victoria. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of 16 persons, in that foggy setting August 26, 1914.

“The Sampson, commanded by Captain Zimro Moore and owned by the Pacific Alaska Navigation Co. was feeling her way carefully along her course shortly before 5 a.m. The majority of the 57 passengers were asleep in their berths, but some, aroused by the siren, had come on deck. The Princess Victoria, skippered by Captain P. J. Hickey and owned by Canadian Pacific, was also making her way through the fog in much the same cautious manner.

“The fog whistles on both vessels were blasting continuously, but the thick pall blocked out all visibility. Neither ship was steaming faster than three knots when the crash occurred. The Victoria rammed the Sampson directly on a line with the after hatch, cutting three-fourths of the way through her, opening a wide jagged gash. The hatch cover of the Sampson was still jammed into the Canadian Pacific liner on her later arrival at Seattle.

“Immediately after the impact the Sampson began to fill, and the master of the Victoria realizing the danger to the doomed ship, rang for slow speed ahead and kept the bow of the Victoria tight into the gaping would. The vessels were so close together that the majority of the Sampson’s passengers were able to climb on board the other ship. The Sampson was hit at a point where a considerable quantity of fuel oil was stored. The impact crushed several large containers which were set ablaze and in an instant both vessels were enveloped in flames. For a time it seemed as if they would be destroyed by fire. The Victoria, however, soon backed away and stood by to pick up the passengers that were being lowered to the water in life boats. The gap in the Sampson’s side was left uncovered and the liner began to settle. The entire drama was enacted in four minutes from the time of the crash until the liner filled and foundered in a wild flush of water. The hissing and gurgling was over quickly leaving behind only bits of wreckage covering a massive hole in the sea which momentarily covered over all traces of the grave.

“During this final dramas, the ship’s wireless operator aboard the Victoria had not been idle. He sent out an SOS call which was picked up at the Marconi station at Seattle by A. E. Wolf, who immediately established communication with the SS Admiral Watson. The first information that come by wireless was to the effect that the Sampson and the Victoria had collided followed by a Marconigram saying that the Sampson had gone down. The alerted revenue cutter Unalga departed Port Townsend and immediately began searching for survivors. Among the victims of the accident was Z. M. Moore, master of the Sampson. Fortunately only two passengers out of a total of 57 lost their lives.

“Assistant wireless operator Wiehr, who was on duty on the ill-fated Sampson when the collision occurred, immediately awakened Reker. The latter had every opportunity of finding a way to safety with the remainder of the survivors but would not. Wiehr said he saw the senior Operator a minute before the Sampson sank, leaving the social hall. He was next seen on the bridge with Captain Moore. Reker did not possess a life preserver and was unable to swim….” (Gibbs, Jim. Disaster Log of Ships…shipwrecks, California to Alaska. 1971, pp. 69-70.)

U.S. Bureau of Navigation, Loss of American Vessels Reported During Fiscal Year 1915:
“St. s [steel steamer]…Admiral Sampson…262 [gross tonnage]…1898 [year built]…125 [onboard]…12 [lives lost]…Collided with British S.S. Princess Victoria…Aug. 26, 1914…Off Point No Point, Puget Sound, Wash.” (U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…June 30, 1915, p. 422.)

U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service: “On August 26, 1914, the American passenger steamer Admiral Sampson collided with the Canadian steamer Princess Victoria in Puget Sound during a dense fog, with the result that the Admiral Sampson sank in about eight minutes, 3 passengers and 8 of the crew, a total of 11 persons, being lost.” (U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1915, p. 15.)

Newspapers

Aug 26, Seattle Star: “Three passengers and eight members of the crew of the Admiral Sampson, Alaska-Pacific Navigation Co., including Capt. Z. S. Moore, were lost when the Princess Victoria of the Canadian Pacific line rammed the Sampson at 6:05 this morning off Point No Point, 18 miles north of Seattle, tore a deep gash both above and below her water line, and set it on fire at both ends. The Sampson sank within 10 minutes. The collision was due to a dense fog.

“The last seen of Capt. Moore was just as the boat sank. He was raising his hand as though in token of farewell. As the bow of the ship dipped into the water, he was swallowed up. With equal bravery, Chief Engineer Noon and Wireless Operator Reiger sacrificed their lives.

“Passengers drowned include Mrs. Ed Banbury, bound for Skagway, and G. W. Bryant, bound for Seward. The crew’s dead are: Capt. Z. S. Moore, A. Sater, deck watchman; C. Marquette, sailor; Miss Campbell, stewardess; L. Cabanas, third cook; John G. Williams, mess boy; A. J. Noon, chief engineer; W. E. Reiger, wireless operator.

“John McLaughlin, of San Francisco, is reported missing among the passengers, but his name does not appear on the company’s passenger list.

“Eddie Bracken, a passenger bound for Juneau, was so badly burned that he died at the Providence hospital, to which he was removed as soon as the Princess Victoria, bringing the survivors and dead of the Sampson, docked here, at 10:15 this morning.

“The Sampson left Seattle at 4 o’clock this morning for Juneau. The Victoria, out of Vancouver, B.C., was due here at 8 a.m. There were 54 passengers and 65 members of the crew on the Sampson….” (Seattle Star, WA. “Liner Admiral Sampson Rammed and Sunk in Sound…” 8-26-194, p. 1.)

Aug 27, Tacoma Times: “Seattle, Aug. 27. – Four passengers in addition to eleven members of thee crew and passenger list are today reported as missing following the sinking of the steamship Admiral Sampson….

“John McLaughlin of San Francisco, W. Hoffem, J. H. Cline and William Klovitch are the passengers reported missing. The death list as revised today includes:

Passengers

Mrs. Ruby Banbury, wife of George Banbury, Pacific-Alaska Navigation company’s agent
at Skagway.

George W. Bryant, printer, Seattle; bound for Seward.

Members of Crew.

Capt. Z. M. Moore.
Chief Engineer Allen J. Noon.
Wireless Operator W. E. Recker
Stewardess Miss M. Campbell.
Watchman A. Sater.
Third Cook L. Cabanas.
Quartermaster C. M. Marquist.
Messboy J. C. Williams.
Ezra Byrne, waiter, of Seattle, and to have been a stowaway.

(Tacoma Times, WA. “Four Others May Be Dead in Sea Wreck.” 8-27-1914, p. 3.)

Blanchard Recap of Persons Reported Dead or Missing:

1. Banbury, Mrs. Ruby; passenger.
2. Bracken, Eddie; passenger and waiter on way to AK; died of burns at a hospital.
3. Bryant, George W.; passenger. [Also listed as C. W. Bryant. ]
4. Byrne, Ezra, stowaway. [Also possibly reported as Eddie Bracken.]
5. Cabanas [or Cabaranas , L., third cook.]
6. Campbell, Miss M.; stewardess.
7. Cline, J. W.; reportedly a missing passenger. [Also listed as J.H. Cline, a fatality. ]
8. Hoffem, W.; reportedly a missing passenger.
9. Klovitch, William; reportedly a missing passenger.
10. Marquist, C. M., quartermaster.
11. McLaughlin, John; passenger.
12. Moore, Zimro M. [Captain]
13. Noon, Allen J., chief engineer
14. Reker, W. E., wireless operator.
15. Sater, A., watchman.
16. Williams, J.C., messboy.

Sources

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

DCS Films. “Admiral Sampson.” From Eric Morris article, “The Admiral’s Diamonds.” Accessed 2-21-2022 at: http://www.dcsfilms.com/Site_4/Admiral_Sampson.html

Lettens, Jan. “Admiral Sampson SS (1898~1910) Admiral Sampson SS (+1914).” wrecksite.eu. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?260604

Seattle Star, WA. “Liner Admiral Sampson Rammed and Sunk in Sound…” 8-26-194, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/seattle-star-aug-26-1914-p-1/

Tacoma Times, WA. “Four Others May Be Dead in Sea Wreck.” 8-27-1914, p. 3. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/tacoma-times-aug-27-1914-p-3/

United States Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce. Forty-Seventh Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…For the Year Ended June 30, 1915. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1915. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: http://www.archive.org/stream/merchantvessels00unkngoog#page/n5/mode/1up

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, 1915. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1915, 53 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=zrPNAAAAMAAJ

Wikipedia. SS Admiral Sampson. 2-21-2022 last edit. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Admiral_Sampson

Wright, Annette. “Looking back: The wreck of the SS Admiral Sampson off Point No Point.” Kitsap Daily News, 12-21-2017. Accessed 2-21-2022 at: https://www.kitsapdailynews.com/news/looking-back-the-wreck-of-the-ss-admiral-sampson-off-point-no-point-hansville-happenings/