1918 — Oct 25, Canadian liner Princess Sophia Strands, Vanderbilt Reef ~Juneau AK –343-364

— 444 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac 1919 (Vol. 34). “Disasters at Sea.” Jan 1919, p. 101.
— 398 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 221.
— 398 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 406.
— 398 Flexner and Flexner. A Pessimist’s Guide to History. 2008, p. 218.
— 364 Sponagle, Jane. “Forgotten voyage.” CBC News, 10-27-2018.
— 360 O’Keefe and Macdonald. The Final Voyage of the Princess Sophia, 1998, p. 7.
— 356 Kalafus, Jim. “The Loss of the Princess Sophia. Gare Maritime.
— 353 Basque, Garnet. Frontier Days in British Colombia. 1993, p. 58.
— 353 Browne Ray B. and Pat Browne. Digging into Popular Culture. 1991, p. 72.
— 353 Butcher, Ronald. Cruise Control: Your Peace of Mind at Sea. 2006. p. 53.
— 353 Coates, Morrison and Morrison. The Sinking of the Princess Sophia. 1991.
— 353 Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska. 2000, p. 92.
–278 passengers
— 75 crew
–>353 Juneau Empire, AK. “The Sinking of the S.S. Princess Sophia.” 10-10-2018.
— 350 Gov. of Canada Files, Marine Branch. “Report of Wreck of Princess Sophia,” 3-27-19, 2
–289 passengers
— 61 crew
— 343 AK Bur. Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg., Enforce. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.
— 343 Bower (Commerce Dept., Fisheries Bur.). Alaska Fisheries…Fur Industries in 1918, 15.
— 343 Chicago Daily News Almanac…Yearbook for 1919. “Wreck of the Princess Sophia,” 202
— 343 Cordova Daily Times, AK. “343 Lives Lost on Str. Princess Sophia.” 10-26-1918, p. 1.
–268 passengers
— 75 crew
— 343 Edmonton Morning Bulletin (Can.). “C.P.R. Steamer is Lost – All Aboard Perish,” 1919
— 343 Kelly, Sheila. Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin. 2010, p. 205.
— 343 Thirkell, Fred. Vancouver and Beyond. 2000, p. 159.
—<343 Wikipedia. “SS Princess Sophia.” June 18, 2011 modification. -- 333 McKenna, Robert. The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy. “Princess Sophia.” 2003, p. 293. -- 268 Passengers. Alaska Daily, Juneau. “Sophia Ashore and Passengers…” 10-24-1918, p. 1. Narrative Information Gottehrer: “Oct. 24, 1918. The Princess Sofia, a Canadian Pacific Liner, ran aground on Vanderbilt Reef in Lynn Canal, just 40 miles from Juneau. Violent seas caused rescue efforts to be postponed. The ship broke loose from the reef and sank the night of Oct. 25. Approximately 353 people on board went down with the ship. Among the dead were 75 crew and 278 passengers, apparently including 228 men, 33 women and 17 children. The only survivor was a dog.” (Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska. 2000, p. 92.) Government of Canada: “Victoria, B.C., March 27th, 1919. The Honourable…Minister of Marine & Fisheries, Ottawa. “Sir, I beg to submit the following report…pursuant to the scope of the Commission issued to me as Commissioner…to enquire into the loss of the British Steamship Princess Sophia on the 24th of October 1918. “Owing to the fact that the ship was lost in Alaskan waters, outside the Canadian jurisdiction, and that all the witnesses who were in a position to describe the conditions existing in the vicinity of the wreck at the times material to the Inquiry were residents of Alaska, we had difficulty in making much progress at the several sittings held at Victoria and Vancouver, at which we exhausted all the evidence of the few witnesses who voluntarily came within the jurisdiction. After that it was deemed advisable to proceed to Juneau, Alaska at which point we were advised by the American authorities there, the remaining witnessed would be available. “….The Princess Sophia…was one of the coasting fleet of steamboats owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, and plied between Victoria, Vancouver and Skagway, Alaska, and intermediate ports, carrying passengers and mails. “She was built at Paisley, Scotland, by Bow, McLachlan & Co., in the year 1912; and was a single screw, triple expansion oil burning steel steamer, registered at Victoria, B.C. She was 366 nominal horse-power; 245 ft. 2 in. long; 44 ft. 1 in. beam; and 24 ft. deep. Gross tonnage, 2320 tons; and registered, 1446 tons. “She arrived in due course of her schedule time, at Skagway, Alaska, on the morning of the 23rd of October, 1918; and left on her return voyage about 10 p.m. (Alaska time) of that day…carrying very little cargo, 289 passengers, and 61 of a crew [350 in all]. She had a full complement of officers and crew. She was in charge of Captain Locke, an experienced officer; and the other officers were properly certified, efficient, and experienced in those waters. “The ship was seaworthy and well found in every respect. The weather at the time of her departure from Skagway was fine. It appears, from the information gathered from wireless messages picked up, that she struck Vanderbilt Reef about 2 a.m. ….on the 24th October 1918, a distance from Skagway of 54 miles…. “Vanderbilt Reef…is a small projecting reef well out in the centre of the southern extremity of Lynn Canal, about equidistant from both shores, some 3¼ miles; the nearest lighthouse being that of Sentinel Island, 4 miles south; the reef is submerged at high tide, and is marked by a can buoy…. “From the lighthouse records it would appear that she must have encountered heavy squalls of snow before she reached Eldred Rock, 30 miles from Skagway, with a strong northerly wind, which condition continued until about 6 o’clock that morning, the 24th… “From that hour, as appears from the evidence of those standing by, the weather moderated in the vicinity of the reef, and remained so until early in the afternoon of the same day – the 24th – during which period passengers could have been transshipped to the several craft standing by, and landed without very much, if any, risk of life. “During the late afternoon of the 24th the wind again freshened, and at 4.45 p.m., Captain Locke wired the Cedar [U.S. Lighthouse Tender] that it was impossible to get passengers off, owing to the high seas then running, but that probably they could be taken off next morning. From then on, and during the following day, the 25th, it appears that the vessels which had stood by during the 24th were unable to render any assistance…. “The Princess Sophia, during the time that she was visible, appeared to be resting firmly on an even keel. As near as can be estimated, taking the wireless messages as a guide, the ship must have been forced off the reef about 5.15 p.m. of the 25th, it being then dark, and the snowstorm at its height, when she apparently foundered immediately, leaving no survivors. “Next morning, the 26th, her position was indicated by a few feet of her foremast projecting above the surface of the water a short distance from the south end of the reef. There being no survivors, it is entirely a matter of conjecture as to how she came to leave the reef after being apparently firmly held thereon for some 38 hours, during which there were two periods of high water, and each succeeding day, the tides were getting appreciably lower. However, this much seems to be reasonably ascertainable, from a study of the meteorological and tidal conditions prevailing at the time in the North Pacific and in the vicinity of Vanderbilt Reef, that there was an abnormally high tide arising from various causes. There had been a recent succession of south east gales in the North Pacific ocean, causing an influx of water into all the narrower waters of this locality. The north easterly gale blowing at the time down the Lynn Canal when she struck would have a tendency to raise the level of the water at the Vanderbilt Reef, in seeking an outlet through the narrow in intricate channels there. There was a low pressure of air (the barometer reading 29.42) which, according to one school of theorists, causes a higher level of water. Another factor that would contribute to the ship being lightened, is that her bottom, when she struck, may have been so damaged where she carried her oil fuel, as to cause the oil to leak out. When she struck it was almost the top of high water with a rising barometer, the reef being submerged at that period of the tide. The margin of water required for absolute buoyancy, the ship being light, would not be very great. It seems therefore, having regard to all these circumstances and conditions, reasonable to assume that at high water on the afternoon of the 25th of October 1918, the water rose to a sufficient level for her to become waterborne, and then she was swept off the narrow reef on which she had been resting, sinking immediately, on the opposite side of the reef to that on which she struck….. “As to why passengers were not landed is a matter of conjecture, but your Commission beg to submit that from the evidence of all the surrounding circumstances, such as the ship being staunch, and well officered; other craft being in the vicinity and other ships approaching; the inhospitable shores and lack of shelter sufficiently near; the time of year and weather conditions; we are not prepared to find that it was unreasonable for Captain Locke not to land his passengers….” (Gov. of Canada Files, Marine Branch. “Report of Wreck of Princess Sophia,” 3-27-1919, 2.) Kalafus: “The Princess Sophia, a 245 foot long vessel of 2320 tons, holds the unenviable record of being the worst wreck, in terms of verifiable fatalities, on the North American west coast. “Running at high speed in deteriorating weather, the liner grounded on Vanderbilt Reef, Lynn Canal, Alaska on the morning of October 24th, 1918. The 356 passengers and crew aboard the Princess Sophia found themselves doubly trapped: the ship sat so far up on the reef that at high tide virtually all of the boats would have been beaten to pieces had they been lowered, and at low tide there was not enough water over the reef to float them free. Would-be-rescue vessels arrived on the scene, but Captain Locke of the Sophia, in a decision still debated, opted not to attempt an evacuation early on in the stranding when, some would later claim, it might have been possible to offload at least some of those on board. “The Princess Sophia seemed secure, sitting as she did on an even keel and supported for much of her length by the reef itself. During the evening of the 24th, her electricity failed but was eventually restored. “On several occasions on the 24th and 25th, activity was seen on deck by nearby observers that suggested those aboard the Sophia were about to abandon ship. Passengers and crew came out on deck, boats were swung out, but ultimately nothing was done. It is assumed that Captain Locke was waiting for the weather to moderate before commencing an evacuation, but on the afternoon of October 25th, it worsened and the rescue ships standing by had to seek shelter in high seas, in a near-zero visibility blizzard. “At 4:50 on the afternoon of the 25th, David Robinson, the Sophia's wireless man radioed "Ship foundering on reef. Come at once." At 5:20 came the second message; 'For Gods sake hurry, The water is coming in my room' followed by an unintelligible transmission and then the final words received from the ship, 'You talk to me so I know you are coming.' Although the Cedar left shelter and sailed into the storm to locate the Sophia or her people, rescue was not possible and finally the effort had to be terminated. “October 26th brought the break in the weather that those aboard the Princess Sophia had hoped for, but by then it was far too late. She was gone, as were all 356 who had been trapped aboard her. Her cargo mast still broke the surface, marking her final resting place, but of those lost there was no immediate sign. “The previous afternoon, as the storm worsened, the combination of high wind and waves had caused the Princess Sophia to pivot on the reef, tearing her bottom out as she went, until only her bow remained on solid footing. She then 'floated' free and, to judge by the time elapsed between her first distress call at 4:50 and the time the watches found on most of the victims had stopped, 5:50, foundered relatively slowly. Divers later discovered that during the sinking her boiler had exploded, severely damaging her superstructure. Close to 100 were trapped below decks as the ship sank (divers recovered perhaps 90 bodies from within her in a series of operations that ran through August 1919) but the remaining 250 or so who floated free died quickly of exposure or from the effects of ingesting fuel oil. There is a chance that Second Officer Gosse made it to shore and died of exposure while waiting for rescuers to arrive, but 1918 accounts were contradictory and at this point, barring the discovery of new and conclusive evidence, it is impossible to give a conclusive 'yes' or 'no' to the question of Gosse's brief survival….” (Kalafus, Jim. “The Loss of the Princess Sophia.” Gare Maritime.) Nautical Gazette: “Some time ago it was noted in this correspondence that by a decision of Judge Neterer of Seattle the liability of the Canadian Pacific Railway for damages arising out of the wreck of the steamer Princess Sophia, which sunk off Alaska in 1918, was limited only as to cargo. Judge Neterer has just handed down another decision reversing that above referred to, and holding that liability is limited as to passengers, baggage and cargo to the value of the ship and the passengers' fares and cargo tariffs charged. The effect of this decision is that more than 200 claimants who were granted the right of $2,500,000 damages by the former decision will be allowed only about $8,000. The decision will likely be appealed.” (Nautical Gazette (Vol. 102). Jan 7, 1922, p. 7.) Newspapers Oct 24: “In a blinding snow storm, the steamer Princess Sophia of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Capt. J. P. Locke in command, went ashore on Vanderbilt reef four miles West of Sentinel Island at 2 o’clock this morning. She had aboard 268 passengers taken on at Skagway. The calls of the Princess Sophia’s wireless were received here about 2:15 this morning. The passengers are all safe, and, as far as is known, the boat is not badly damaged. “The Juneau office of the C.P.R. cabled to Fort Seward and secured the services of the Peterson which was sent from the Fort at 3:45 this morning to take as many passengers from the boat as she could carry. The Estebeth and the Amy left here about the same time and the Lone Fishermen left about seven o’clock this morning for the scene of the accident. The King and Winge was sent up at eleven o’clock. “The word received from Capt. Locke is that she is not taking water. He said also that he expected to get her off the reef at high tide at 4:40 this afternoon. The Princess Sophia is bulkheaded and built with a double bottom. Just how badly she is damaged will be determined later. “The Peterson, Amy and Estebeth should arrive in Juneau with the Princess Sophia’s passengers about three or four o’clock this afternoon. “The place where the Sophia went ashore is about half way between Juneau and Skagway, near the middle of Lynn Canal, four miles West of Sentinel Island. “The Elsinore and the Excursion left Juneau for the Princess Sophia bout 11:30 o’clock this morning. “In addition to the 268 passengers, the Princess Sophia had aboard 24 horses and five tons of freight. “‘I have wired for a special steamer to be sent here to care for the Princess Sophia’s passengers,’ said F. F. W. Lowle this morning. ‘I think it likely that the Princess Alice will be sent up to take them South. We were in luck last night in securing the Peterson. There is no night operator in the cable office at Haines but Cary Tubbs, who was in the Juneau cable office last night, called Haines for three-quarters of an hour until some passerby must have heard the calls and found the Haines operator.’ Afternoon Bulletin “Late this afternoon Mr. Lowle received a wireless from Capt. Locke saying that the Princess Sophia was resting easily but that none of the passengers had been taken off on account of the heavy sea running. The message said also that the seven boats which had been sent to relieve her of her passengers were standing by and that the United States Lighthouse Tender Cedar would arrive there tonight.” (Alaska Daily, Juneau. “Sophia Ashore and Passengers be Brought Here.” 10-24-1918, p. 1.) Oct 25: “A noon bulletin received by F. F. W. Lowle, General Agent for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, from Capt. J. P. P. Locke said that the steamer Princess Sophia, which went aground on Vanderbilt reef at two o’clock yesterday morning, was resting easily under a strong Northwest wind and that the passengers would be transferred to the United States Lighthouse tender Cedar as soon as possible. “The Amy returned from the Sophia at seven o’clock this morning, Capt. McDougal, of the Army, said that because of the heavy sea they had found it impossible to get the passengers off the Sophia. He said that the boat was resting on an even keel and was not bumping. When the Amy left the boat last night, the Peterson, the Estebeth and the Amy were the only boats which had arrived at the scene of the accident. The other boats which had been sent to the aid of the Sophia had probably been delayed by the rough sea, are the Lone Fishermen, the Elsinore the King & Winge and the Excursion. “Capt. McDougal said that two feet of snow fell in 48 hours and that while he was there a Northeast wind was blowing. He said he thought that the Cedar could throw a line to the Sophia and take the passengers aboard in a breeches-buoy. “It has been decided that it will be necessary to have a salvage steamer assist in getting the Princess Sophia off the rocks as there will be no tide high enough to affect her position until sometime in December. “The Lighthouse Tender Cedar arrived at the Sophia about seven o’clock last night. At four o’clock this morning an effort was made to take the passengers off the boat but the water was too rough. An early report said that another attempt would be made to take them off at eight o’clock this morning. If the attempt was made it was evidently unsuccessful. “Capt. A. E. Lucy of the Murielette which arrived from Skagway at six o’clock last night said that when he passed the Sophia at eleven o’clock yesterday morning she was resting on Vanderbilt reef in the same position as the Princess May was on Sentinel Island a number of years ago. “The word received by Mr. Lowle is that the Princess Sophia is resting with abut two thirds of her length on the rocks. The reef is surrounded on all sides by deep water and is covered at half-tide. The stern of the boat is over the deep water. “Mr. Lowle said that they owed much to the local wireless office. He said that they had done everything they could to assist in the messages to and from the Princess Sophia.” (Alaska Daily, Juneau. “Passengers Are Still on Princess Boat.” 10-25-1918, p. 3.) Oct 26: “Victoria, B.C., Oct. 26. – The Canadian wireless service received the following message from Juneau this afternoon: The steamer Princess Sophia was driven across the reef last night and wrecked. There were no survivors. There were seventy-five in the crew and two hundred and sixty-eight passengers. Everything possible was done. Terrible weather prevailed. First Intimation of Disaster “Vancouver, B.C., Oct. 26. – Private advices state that the Canadian Pacific steamship Princess Sophia, reported aground in Lynn canal, foundered with all hands, including passengers. Canadian Pacific officials here can not confirm the rumor. The disaster occurred Thursday. Three hundred persons were on board the vessel…. “The Princess Sophia was one of the crack boats of the Canadian Pacific fleet… “It is believed that while the vessel lay on the reef a storm came up and broke her to pieces. The precipitous shores of Lynn canal afforded no opportunity for the landing of passengers and crew. Should the news be confirmed as to the loss of life, this disaster will rank as the most destructive to human life in any of the scores of wrecks which have occurred on the Alaska coast….” An Earlier Report “Victoria, B.C., Oct. 26. – It is reported that the Princess Sophia is resting easy. It is believed her passengers will remain on board until the Princess Alice arrives, on Sunday. Several American vessels are standing by.” (Cordova Daily Times, AK. “343 Lives Lost on Str. Princess Sophia.” 10-26-1918, p. 1.) Sources Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses. Accessed 7-18-2011 at: http://www.alaska.boemre.gov/ref/ships/ Alaska Daily, Juneau. “Sophia Ashore and Passengers be Brought Here.” 10-24-1918, p. 1. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/juneau-alaska-daily-empire-oct-24-1918-p-2/ Alaska Daily Empire, Juneau. “Passengers Are Still on Princess Boat.” 10-25-1918, p. 3. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/juneau-alaska-daily-empire-oct-25-1918-p-15/ Basque, Garnet (Ed.). Frontier Days in British Colombia. Heritage House Publishing Co., 1993, p. 58. Google digital preview accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=fecJGyNKtwoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972. Bower Ward T. Alaska Fisheries and Fur Industries in 1918. Washington, DC: U. S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Fisheries (Appendix VII to The Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1918, Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 872), 1919. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=QC2YXw_usjYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac 1919 (Vol. 34). “Disasters at Sea.” Jan 1919, p. 101. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=3MoWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Browne, Ray B. and Pat Browne. Digging into Popular Culture: Theories and Methodologies in Archeology, Anthropology and Other Fields. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1991. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=nH6Gu9U8F_EC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Butcher, Ronald. Cruise Control: Your Peace of Mind at Sea. Henderson, NV: Black Whisker Publishing, 2006. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=l3TfG2ttsiUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook 1919. James Langland, (Ed.). Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=vWQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&dq=Ohio+River+Steamship+Disasters#PPA13,M1 Coates, Kenneth, William Robert Morrison and Bill Morrison. The Sinking of the Princess Sophia. University of Alaska Press, 1991. Cordova Daily Times, AK. “343 Lives Lost on Str. Princess Sophia.” 10-26-1918, p. 1. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cordova-daily-times-oct-26-1918-p-1/ Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982. Edmonton Morning Bulletin (Can.). “C.P.R. Steamer [Princess Sophia] is Lost – All Aboard Perish,” Oct 27, 1919. At: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/nonmarketoperations/mountainview/history/sophia.htm Flexner, Doris and Stuart Berg Flexner. A Pessimist’s Guide to History: An Irresistible Compendium of Catastrophes, Barbarities, Massacres, and Mayhem – From 14 Billion Years Ago to 2007. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=tpeK8WZby0gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false 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 Government of Canada Files, Marine Branch. “Report of Wreck of Princess Sophia,” (Reference RG42, Series B-1, Vol. 290, File 47799, Access Code 90). March 27, 1919, 8 pages. At: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sos/shipwrecks/002031-119.01-e.php?&document_code=002031-3&page=1&&page_id=18&&&&&&&&&PHPSESSID=srqdf1afii2jp5282l77d8k837 Juneau Empire, AK. “The Sinking of the S.S. Princess Sophia.” 10-10-2018. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://www.juneauempire.com/news/the-sinking-of-the-s-s-princess-sophia/ Kalafus, Jim. “The Loss of the Princess Sophia. Gare Maritime. Accessed 7-2-2011 at: http://www.garemaritime.com/features/princess-sophia/index.php Kelly, Sheila. Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin. University of Alaska Press, 2010. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=EAmclC9CCrAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false McKenna, Robert. The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy. “Princess Sophia.” McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003. Nautical Gazette, Vol. 102, No. 1. Jan 7, 1922. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2603271&view=1up&seq=9 O’Keefe, Betty and Ian Macdonald. The Final Voyage of the Princess Sophia. Bishop CA: Fine Edge Productions, 1998. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Bo974cFk3tgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Sponagle, Jane. “Forgotten voyage.” CBC News, 10-27-2018. Accessed 7-17-2020 at: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/forgotten-voyage Thirkell, Fred. Vancouver and Beyond. Heritage House Publishing Co., 2000. Wikipedia. “SS Princess Sophia.” 6-18-2011 mod. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Princess_Sophia