1884 — Jan 18, City of Columbus hits Devil’s Bridge reef/sinks, off Gay Head, Martha’s Vyd., MA-103

–104 NYT. “On Devil’s Bridge Rocks. One Hundred and Four Lives Lost At Sea.” 1-19-1884, 1.*
–55 first class passengers, out of a total of 59
–15 steerage passengers, out of a total of 22
–34 officers and crew, out of a total of 45
–103 MV Times. “Historical Perspective: City of Columbus wrecked 128 years ago.” 1-17-2012.
–103 Supervising Inspector-General of Steamboats. Annual Report…Fiscal Year 1884. 1884, 14.
–28 crew
–75 passengers
–103 Clancy, Dave. “City of Columbus.” Hunting New England Shipwrecks (webpage).
–103 Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. 1908, p. 492,
–28 crew
–75 passengers
— 99 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 20.
— 99 Springer. Table: “Principal marine disasters since 1831.” House hearings, 1935, p. 248.
— 97 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 689.
— 97 Philadelphia Record Almanac 1885. “General and Local Events, Jan., 1884.” 1885, p. 83.

*New York Times. This “day of event” report shows a larger passenger count than the count found later in the Supervising Inspector General of Steamboats Annual Report for fiscal year 1884 (and the same crew and passenger fatality count used by Morrison in his 1908 book.)

Narrative Information

Clancy: “Shipwreck Data

Vessel Name City of Columbus
….
Vessel Type Passenger Steamer
Owner Boston & Savannah Steamship Co.
Length / Beam / Draft (feet 275 / 38 / 26
Tonnage 2,200
Hull Construction Iron
Propulsion Steam / Screw
Cargo Passengers and freight
Built 1878
Date of Loss January 18, 1884
Reason for Loss Struck Devil’s Bridge on a clear night, backed off and sank
quickly.
Fatalities 103
Location Just off north side of Devil’s Bridge, off Gay Head, Martha’s
Vineyard, MA, approximately ½ mile off shore.

(Clancy, Dave. “City of Columbus.” Hunting New England Shipwrecks (webpage).)

Morrison: “ ‘City of Columbus.’ – Boston to Savannah, January 18th, 1884, went into the Devils Bridge rocks, near Gay Head, and became a total loss. With 87 passengers and a crew of 45 persons, there was a loss of 75 passengers and 28 of the crew.” (Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. New York: W. F. Sametz & Co., Inc., 1908, p. 492.)

Philadelphia Record Almanac, January 18, 1884: “Loss off Gay Head of Str. City of Columbus, Boston for Savannah; twelve passengers saved out of eighty-one, and seventeen out of a crew of forty-five.” (Philadelphia Record Almanac 1885. “General and Local Events, Jan., 1884.” P. 83.)

Supervising Inspector-General of Steamboats: “January 18, 1884. – The steamship ‘City of Columbus’ went ashore on Devil’s Bridge rocks, off Gay Head, and proved a total loss. One hundred and three lives were lost – seventy-five passengers and twenty-eight of the crew.” (Supervising Inspector-General of Steamboats. Annual Report…Fiscal Year 1884. 1884, p. 14.)

Newspaper

Jan 18: “On Devil’s Bridge Rocks. One Hundred and Four Lives Lost At Sea.”
“The City Of Columbus, From Boston For Savannah, Strikes The Massachusetts Coast And Only Twenty-two Of Those On Board Saved.”

“Boston, Jan. 18. – F. W. Nickerson & Son to-night received a dispatch from Capt. S. E. Wright, of the steamer City of Columbus, which sailed hence on Thursday, for Savannah, stating that the vessel had gone ashore on Devil’s Bridge, Gay Head, and was fast breaking up. The Captain added that about 100 lives had been lost and that he himself had been saved by the United States revenue cutter Dexter. A later dispatch says the City of Columbus had 59 first class and 22 steerage passengers, and a crew of 45. Of these 55 first class and 15 steerage passengers and 34 of the officers and crew were lost.

“New-Bedford, Mass., Jan. 18. – Following is Capt. Wright’s statement regarding the loss of the steamer:

The City of Columbus left Boston at 3 P.M. on Thursday, carrying 80 passengers and a crew of 45. At 3:45 A.M. on Friday, Gay Head Light, bearing south half east, the vessel struck on the outside of Devil’s Bridge buoy. The wind was blowing a gale, west by north. The vessel immediately filled and keeled over, the water breaking in and flooding the port side of the saloon. All of the passengers excepting a few women and children came on deck, nearly all wearing life-preservers. All of the boats were cleared away, but were immediately swamped. A majority of the passengers were washed overboard. Seven passengers left the vessel on a life-raft, and about 40 more took to the rigging. At 10:30 A.M. the Gay Head life-boat put off and took seven persons. Another life-boat put off between 12 and 1 o’clock. The revenue cutter Dexter came along at about 12:30 and sent off two boats. Twenty-one persons, one of whom was dead, were placed on board the Dexter, and after all the persons were taken from the vessel the Dexter proceeded to New-Bedford. Three persons died after going on board the Dexter.

The names of the saved are: [we omit this listing] ….

Four dead bodies were brought to this city on the Dexter. They are all men. One is not identified, two are identified as Helon Brooks, of Northboro [Northborough?], Mass., and G. Fred Chandler, of Hyde Park. The other is a man supposed to be, from a card found in his pocket, one of the firm of C. Richardson & Co., of Clinton Market, Boston. One of the passengers lost was N. J. Morton, lately connected with the Boston Globe, who was going south for his health.

“The ledges on which the City of Columbus struck are considered by mariners to be one of the most dangerous points on the coast. The ledges consist of a formation of submerged rocks, constituting a double ledge; the outer strata of which is called the Devil’s Back, both ledges being called the Devil’s Bridge. The ledges are abreast of Gay Head light, on the mainland, and extend a little to the southward of it. The outer ledge, or Devil’s Back, is about an eighth of a mile from the mainland. On either side of the outer ledge is very deep water. The upper part of the ledge is formed like the gable of a house, so that a vessel striking it diagonally would naturally heel over on her beam end. The course of vessels is round Gay Head to pass by the outer ledge on the south.

“Gay Head is a promontory morning the west extremity of the island of Marth’s Vineyard, 22 miles from Edgartown. It is a bold bluff of different colored clays, from which it derives its name, with a shelving beach, and is very sparsely settled, and means of communication between it and the more thickly settled part of the island are very primitive. Gay Head is frequently visited by excursion parties, to whom the light-house is an object of curiosity, the revolving light being 170 feet above the sea level.

“One-third of the passengers were women and children, and all of them were lost. About forty men took refuge in the steamer’s rigging, where they remained until 10:30 A.M., when a life-boat put off from Gay Head and took away seven passengers, one of whom died soon afterward. Shortly after noon another life-boat put off to the distressed vessel and meanwhile the revenue cutter Dexter came along and sent off two boats. Twenty-one men were taken from the wreck and placed aboard the Dexter, four of whom died afterward. After all the persons on the wreck had been taken off the Dexter sailed for this port, where she arrived this evening.

“The following is a partial list of those lost:

William W. Wright and wife, of No. 667 East Fourth-street, Boston.
E. S. Rand and wife, lawyer, No. 39 Fort avenue, Roxbury.
T. K. Hale, produce-dealer, Boston.
Levi Lawrence, residence unknown.
George H. Kellogg, residence unknown.
Dr. H. C. Bartlett and wife, residence unknown.
Mrs. Skeana, residence unknown.
Mrs. D. R. Small, Southampton, Mass.
Miss Beach, residence unknown.
Mrs. Giban, residence unknown.
Oscar Lasiagi, Turkish Consul-General, No. 129 Marlboro-street, Boston.
A. J. Morton, Boston Globe.
Helen Brooks, Northboro, Mass.
C. A. Rand, wife, and son, Boston.
Mrs. Henry Slade, Chelsea, Mass.
R. B. Belyea, wife, and two children, residence unknown.
Mrs. J. Atkinson, residence unknown.
Mrs. L. Davis, residence unknown.
Mrs. J. H. Kellogg, residence unknown.
C. Richardson and wife, residence unknown.
E. T. Hutchinson and wife, residence unknown.
S. Vance, residence unknown.
Henry L. Bacheldor and wife, No. 16 Everett-avenue, Dorchester.
C. F. James, residence unknown.
James A. Merrill, Boston.
Henry L. Daniels and wife, residence unknown.
Mrs. James Beal and Miss Beal, residence unknown.
Mrs. Whitcomb, residence unknown.
D. W. Mitchell, residence unknown.
J. Tibbetts, residence unknown.
T. A. Day, residence unknown.
M. Sargent, residence unknown.
A. Cummings, residence unknown.
D. Eaton, residence unknown.
A. Chase and wife, residence unknown.
H. Durland, residence unknown.
Mrs. S. T. Pinkham, of Lynn.
G.R. Hammond, residence unknown.
C.D. Ball, residence unknown.
C.F. Frost, residence unknown.
Joel Nourse, of Boston.

“Steerage. – The residences of none of the following are known:
Annie Kelly,
Susie Smith,
G.E. Goddard,
T. McCarthy,
G. Hines,
C. Griffin,
T.E. Giddings,
W.E. Wright,
August Pearson,
J.R. Hebar,
G.J. Whitecomb,
C.A. Willett,
_____ Brown,
_____Walker,
_____Fossett.

“The last three applied for tickets just before the hour of starting, and their full names were not obtained.

“Officers Lost:

First Mate Edward Fuller, of Barnstable;
Second Mate Allen Eldridge, of Chatham, Mass.;
Boatswain Philip Clark, Boston;
Quartermaster McDonald;
Engineer Archibald Morrison, of Boston;
Third Engineer Collins;
Purser W. S. Spaulding, Boston;
Second Steward Howe, and
33 seamen, names unknown.
….
“Officers of the cutter Dexter furnished the following statement:

“At about 12:30 we sighted a vessel ashore on the reef near Gay Head. The wind was blowing a gale and a terrible sea was running. As we approached we saw the vessel was a steamer and that the waves were breaking over her. We anchored on her starboard quarter, 200 or 300 yards away. The cutter’s boat was at once lowered, manned by five men in charge of Lieut. Rhodes, who brought off seven men. A return trip was made and one man was brought to the vessel. Lieut. Kennedy was then dispatched in the gig with four men and took off four or five men. Meanwhile the life-boat transferred several men to the cutter, and at length the rigging was cleared of the survivors. The vessel sunk in about four fathoms of water, and the railing on the bow was the only portion of the hull visible. We found the men in the fore and maintop and rigging. It was impossible to row over the rigging, as the boats would have been pounded to pieces. The men in the rigging were forced to jump into the sea, and we caught them as they arose to the surface and pulled them into the boats. Some of the men could not swim, but nearly every one in the rigging was saved. Eugene McGarry jumped from the rigging; Lieut. Rhodes jumped for him, but the boat was lifted 15 feet on a crest, and it was necessary to starboard to avoid being swamped. The poor man was not seen afterward. At the same instant nearly McGarry’s brother was pulled into the boat. Capt. Wright was among the last to leave the ship. Two men who were frozen so stiff that they were unable to relinquish their hold on the rigging were at length the only persons remaining on the steamer, excepting the Captain. Lieut. Rhodes asked him to jump, but he shouted, ‘Save those men first.’ They are frozen, was the Lieutenant’s answer. The Captain then jumped and, although he could not swim a stroke, was rescued by Lieut. Kennedy. Lieut. Rhodes performed a heroic act which elicits hearty commendation. Two men hung in the rigging unable to move from exhaustion. The officer determined to same them at the peril of his life. Returning to the cutter he asked Capt. Gabrielson to give him a man to steer that he might swim to the wreck and rescue the unfortunate men. The Captain granted the request and Lieut. Roath was placed in the boat. But on nearing the steamer it was found to be folly to attempt to go alongside. Lieut. Rhodes refused to abandon the attempt, and sang out to the men in the life-boat to take him to the wreck. Lieut. Rhodes boarded the life-boat, and typing a rope about him waited until he was within about 30 feet of the vessel, when he sprang into the sea. He had nearly reached the wreck when he was struck by a piece of timber on the leg and sunk. He was pulled aboard the boat and taken to the cutter. His leg was found to be cut, but after changing his clothing, as the sea was smoother, he determined to make a last attempt. He again set out for the wreck, and this time the men were reached. One was hanging with his feet and arms through the ratlines, and his head was hanging. Lieut. Rhodes put a bow-line about him, when he murmured, ‘For God’s sake don’t touch me!’ The man, who was afterward found to be Mr. Richardson, was placed in the boat, but died before reaching the cutter. About $400 was found in a wallet in his pocket. The second man, who was the last person removed from the wreck, was in ratlines in the weather rigging, and, although breathing when placed in the boat, he also expired before reaching the cutter….

“The City of Columbus was built by Roach & Sons, at Chester, Penn., in 1878. She is a screw-steamer, brig-rigged, of iron, with three decks, four bulkheads, and two cylinders. Her length was 254 feet, her breadth 38.7, her depth 24.6, and her register 1,992 tons. She had compound engines, with cylinders 38 and 68 inches in diameter, respectively, and a piston stroke of 54 inches. She was repaired last October, and was rated No. 1 for 20 years from July, 1878. She was surveyed last October in Boston. The City of Columbus was the property of the Ocean Steam-ship Company, and ran from this port to Savannah until a year ago.” “City(New York Times. “On Devil’s Bridge Rocks. One Hundred and Four Lives Lost At Sea.” 1-19-1884, p. 1, col. 1.)

Sources

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

Clancy, Dave. “City of Columbus.” Hunting New England Shipwrecks (webpage). Accessed 1-25-2021 at: http://wreckhunter.net/startpage-wreckhunter.htm

King, Irving H. The Coast Guard Expands – 1865-1915. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1996. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: https://archive.org/details/coastguardexpand0000king/page/n7/mode/2up?q=%22city+of+columbus%22

Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. New York: W. F. Sametz & Co., Inc., 1908, 653 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Q5tDAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

MV [Martha’s Vineyard] Times. “Historical Perspective: City of Columbus wrecked 128 years ago.” 1-17-2012. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: https://www.mvtimes.com/2012/01/17/historical-perspective-city-columbus-wrecked-128-years-ago-9177/

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

New York Times. “On Devil’s Bridge Rocks. One Hundred and Four Lives Lost At Sea.” 1-19-1884, p. 1, col. 1. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1884/01/19/issue.html

Philadelphia Record Almanac 1885. “General and Local Events.” The Philadelphia Record, 1886. Digitized by Google. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=wCoXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=true

Supervising Inspector-General of Steamboats. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General of Steamboats (U.S.) to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1884 (dated 11-17-1884). Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884. Accessed 1-25-2021 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu09189980&view=1up&seq=51

United States Congress, House of Representatives. Hearings Before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, United States Congress (74th Congress, 1st Session). “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1935. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_of_Life_and_Property_at_Sea/l9xH_9sUuVAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq