Travel to and from Alaska was dangerous prior to the Alcan Highway, aeroplanes, and general improvements in transportation safety. Storms and undiscovered reefs tore apart well-maintained ships commanded by seasoned sailors more than a century ago. Rushed boats and inexperienced sailors were more likely to perish throughout the experience. Others, like the tragic SS Oregon, should never have been permitted to circumnavigate Alaska, as reported by ADN.
How did it earn the reputation?
The SS Oregon was a 283-foot-long steamship constructed by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, a John Roach & Sons subsidiary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The steamer was launched in 1878, and the name was the obvious choice by the original owner, the Oregon Steamship Co. As it was built long before the completion of the Panama Canal, Oregon travelled the long way to the West Coast, down and around Cape Horn.
From its home port of Portland, the steamer was assigned a regular passenger route to and from San Francisco.
After several serious mishaps, Oregon earned a reputation as a cursed ship.
On a snowy night, the iron bow of Oregon sliced into the crew quarters of the Clan McKenzie, cutting two sailors in half and sinking the ship.
Passengers offloaded
John Simpson of the Clan McKenzie recounted, “We had just put out fresh lights on the masthead and the side lights were all put out … I was soundly sleeping and was awakened by a tremendous jar and shaking, and heard the water pouring into the hold.”
At some point, Oregon was deemed unsuitable for passenger service and became solely a cargo ship.
For example, the antiquated steamer Eliza Anderson, which had been laid up and used as a roadhouse, was refloated and sent to Nome with a full load of fortune hunters.
On Sept. 6, 1901, it left Nome for Seattle.
During the ordeal, the captain reduced passenger rations to two smaller meals a day.
One of the passengers said, “Of course, the short rations caused some distress and a little grumbling, but on the whole everybody was with the captain in cutting down in case we were not picked up for a long time.”
On Feb. 27, 1905, Oregon’s cargo hold caught fire north of Crescent City, California.
The passengers were offloaded, and the ship limped toward Eureka.
One of the passengers told the Walla Walla Evening Statesman, “The first intimation that the passengers had that the vessel was on fire was when the crew without any apparent haste commencing reeling out a hose and coupling it up to the engines.
Between her skin and her plates was almost a solid mass of concrete, and those who have navigated her” said she moved like “an iceberg and sink like the stone she was.”
The end began in the dark, as Wednesday the 12th of September turned into Thursday the 13th.
In the abyss, there were no warnings, no obvious signs of impending danger.
No casualties
Shortly after midnight, the fog parted enough to reveal the rapidly approaching island.
The Revenue Cutter Service was a predecessor to the Coast Guard.
The women were then taken to the captain’s quarters and given hot coffee.
Once it was light enough, Oregon’s lifeboats began ferrying the passengers to land.
There were no casualties or injuries among the 110 passengers and crew.
Soule for his care taken for their safety.
On Saturday, officers from the Rush returned to Oregon.
By that time, the water had covered most of the cargo.
One of the revenue cutter captains said, “When we left Oregon, the surf was just getting worse and as we pulled away from the doomed vessel, every swell caused a shudder to pass through her from stem to stern.”
News travelled extremely slowly then, even between successive ports of call.
In the more negative version of events, the sailors rushed to the lifeboats first.
Inspectors exonerated Capt. Soule of the wreck’s responsibility in October. In addition to his excellent performance following the incident, he had a lengthy, spotless, and illustrious service record. Inaccurate charts received the majority of the blame, with the fog may be playing a role as well. In 1910, a lighthouse was erected at Cape Hinchinbrook.
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Source: ADN
