Rescue at Sea

(by Diane Cooper, Museum Specialist)

For the crew of the British cargo transport ship Mary Horlock built in 1919, late January 1924 on the Pacific Ocean 700 miles off-shore of Japan was a nightmare.  Not only were they fighting shifting cargo that caused the vessel to list dangerously, but nature also conspired against them in the form of a major storm growing to typhoon proportions.  On the morning of January 26, the captain ordered an SOS issued in hopes that another vessel might be able to assist them.

One hundred miles away, the radio operator on board the old Pacific Mail steamship President Taft picked up that distress call and passed the information on to Captain Girard T. January.  Immediately Captain January changed course and the Taft began battling her way through the storm to the sinking Mary Horlock.  By afternoon the President Taft reached the Horlock to find her barely afloat.  Without her cargo of lumber she would have slipped beneath the waves long before help arrived.

Watercolor of the President Taft (SAFR 14110)

When the Taft hove in sight, it quickly became obvious that the raging seas made it impossible to close in on the sinking vessel or to ship a gangway as an access point for the rescued men to board the Taft.  At the same time, the crew on board the Horlock determined that lifeboats could not be launched filled with passengers.  In desperation they dropped a boat over the side and, when it remained afloat, half of the crew managed to jump into it as it rose and fell on the turbulent seas and then struggled against the elements and, "...miraculously reached the side of the Taft."  (S. Miller Holland, transcription of newspaper article in Park's accession folder for P05-005.)  According to Chief Engineer Dugan, 2,575 barrels of oil were pumped overboard to calm the turbulent sea next to their ship so that when the lifeboat came alongside, the crew of the President Taft was able to deploy their cargo nets to haul the twenty exhausted members of the Horlock crew from their lifeboat.

S. Miller Holland, a special correspondent for the Universal Service and a passenger on board the Taft, reported that the storm was, "...one of the most terrific storms that ever lashed the Pacific [with] plunging waters of a convulsed sea [and that it] had grown so violent that it meant almost certain death for anybody to attempt to reach the Mary Horlock in so frail a craft as a lifeboat." (Typescript of newspaper article by S. Miller Holland, in accession file P05-005, hereafter "(Holland).")  Captain January called for volunteers willing to brave the dangerous seas as part of a livesaving party.  To a man his crew responded to his request.  Chief Officer Frank J. Sommer, placed in charge of the rescue party, quickly chose six Filipino able-bodied seamen to man the lifeboat and make the journey with him, "...because the American seamen we got in those days were taxi drivers and everything else.  They couldn't handle it.  And those Filipinos were very loyal.  They would do what I wanted them to do.  Strictly obey orders...They were wonderful boatmen."  (Frank J. Sommer oral history interview on April 15, 1965)  

Frank J. Sommer with 6 Filipino crew members, January 10, 1924, SFMNHP, P05-005.1p (SAFR 20643). Frank Sommer donated this photograph at the time of his oral history interview on April 15, 1965.

Sommer and his Filipino crew quickly fought their way across the open sea between the ships and positioned their boat alongside.  One by one the remaining crewmembers jumped into the lifeboat.  With the last of the Horlock's crew accounted for, the lifeboat headed, "...across a fierce, foaming, bursting tide, with every mad wave almost drowning the sky, [as] Mr. Sommer's heroic band fought their way to the side of their own staunch ship the President Taft.  The ocean rolled fiercely and unmercifully, hell opening up every time the lifeboat plunged down from the crest of a billow to the watery valley below."  (Holland)

More than an hour after setting out from the Taft, the last member of the Horlock's crew was safely on board, and Sommer and his crew of Filipino sailors once again stepped onto the Taft's deck, to "...a universal round of applause and cheering from the passengers and others of the crew of the President Taft.  The intensity of the cheering for a moment almost echoed louder than the loud ocean."  (Holland)

The Mary Horlock slipped beneath the Pacific's waves shortly after the completion of this rescue operation, leaving no identifiable flotsam in her wake.

Captain January referred all congratulations to Chief Officer Sommer and his crew.  Sommer, however, stated that Captain January "...was greatly responsible for the success of this rescue oepration.  I am afraid that it would have been a failure, had it not been for his perfect cooperation and handling of the President Taft.  He was very successful in creating a perfect lee for the returning lifeboat."  (Holland)  In addition, Sommer expressed gratitude and praise for "...the six loyal Filipino sailors, who volunteered and almost insisted to man the lifeboat with me.  I will always remember the names of Laxinto, Sim, Demerin, Valencia, De la Cruz and Fernandez."  (Frank J. Sommer oral history interview on April 15, 1965)  

The British Government, under King George V, recognized the efforts of the crew of the President Taft, especially those of Frank J. Sommer, Laxinto, Sim, Demerin, Valencia, De la Cruz and Fernandez, all of whom received a medal for "Humanity and Gallantry."

It's 1877--how much would my ticket cost?

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

What might your journey cost when you disembarked from your steamer in 1877?  Now that we've digitized a joint circular from the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads, you can see the "booked through" fares for different passenger classes from many different steamship lines.  Here's the first page--check out both pages online at the Internet Archive or in our Keys Catalog:

New in the Library: Ships' altars

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Cover of the Library's copy

A very rare pamphlet on Ships' altars and church spaces on Hamburg-American & North German Lloyd ships is now available in the Library.  Chiefly illustrations of the ships' worship spaces, this small volume of twelve pages published in 1935 also outlines the services available to passengers and crew:

To see more, just contact us!

Happy birthday Rudolph Diesel

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

On this day, March 18, in 1858 Rudolph Christian Karl Diesel was born in Paris.

Diesel in 1883 (credit: Wikipedia)

What does he have to do with the collections of San Francisco Maritime NHP?  He invented the diesel engine!  Sure, our collections are strong in wind-powered ships and boats, but without Diesel's invention, would we have such rich archival collections, artifact, or library collections?  Certainly not!  Plans, technical manuals, and histories--from pleasure boats to cargo ships--all with Diesel's invention at their heart.  Celebrate Diesel's birthday today by exploring diesel power in our maritime collections.

Steamer in fog

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

This week we're offering another instructive rhyme from Nautical Nursery Rhymes by Billy Ringbolt, which resides in the Peterson, Peter H. (Capt.) Papers, (SAFR 18665, HDC 571):

Steamer in fog

A steamer in fog is always bound,

If underway, her whistle to sound;

Not more than one minute must ever elapse,

Without sounding this signal to keep off mishaps.

Photo Archives Spotlight: Shipboard Life on a Merchant Steamship

(by L. Bianchi, Project Archivist)

Alexander Ryan
(P77-003 Ser. 1.3 File 3 Item 85)

Although photographs of ships seen underway from a distance can be nice, sometimes you might find yourself wishing you could zoom in to see what sort of mischief (if any) the crew and passengers are getting into on board. The Alexander Ryan Photographs recently processed by the Historic Documents Department staff here at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park provide a peek into this world. The collection contains 307 images mostly split between glass plate and nitrate film negatives, the bulk of which was likely photographed by Ryan between 1900-1920. Besides cargo, merchant ships carried crews and passengers. Alongside the regular work, shipboard life was filled with activities to combat the boredom of a long passage--games and costumes were common along with the occasional shoreside excursions.

Click for Collection Guide

Alexander Ryan photographs, circa 1895-1926. Collection No. P77-003 (SAFR 23353)

Manoa in drydock. (P77-003 Ser. 1.3 File 1 Item 26)

Alexander Ryan (1871-1964) served as chief engineer aboard steamships operated by various shipping companies, including American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, Oceanic Steamship Company, and Matson Navigation Company. The photographs depict his travels aboard various merchant steamships including Californian (built 1900; cargo vessel), Lurline (built 1908; merchant vessel), and Manoa (built 1913; merchant vessel). Among the collection you'll find photographs of vessels in drydock, decks awash from heavy weather, and glimpses inside engine rooms. The collection also contains views of other miscellaneous sailing, steam, and naval vessels, and as well as views of coastlines, waterfronts, and scenery ashore in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. One group of 8 photographs depicts views of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition waterfront in 1915 as seen from the San Francisco Bay.

But have you ever wondered, "What did women do during long, monotonous ocean voyages? Did they stay in their cabins and knit?" Well, if they're anything like the ladies photographed in this collection, they cross-dressed! In this collection you'll discover women in borrowed officer's hats, and sometimes full uniforms, posing with crew members. One particularly brave woman is photographed climbing a mast with the assistance of a crew member during her voyage aboard Lurline. Another woman wearing the captain's uniform fully embraced her new look by adding a fake mustache and goatee to her ensemble while aboard Manoa.

She’s no landlubber. (P77-003 Ser. 1.3 File 3 Item 6)

And there are plenty of men sporting mustaches as well.

‘Staches galore. (P77-003 Ser. 1.4 File 3 Item 284)

Yet being a chief engineer requires more than just posing for photographs with passengers or letting women try on your uniform. For those interested in the more technical side of engineering, the Maritime Library holds a book formerly in the possession of Alexander Ryan on the construction of the steamship Maui titled Specifications for building a steel twin-screw geared turbine passenger and freight steamer to three-deck rule, hull No. 127, November 18, 1915. Built by Union Iron Works Company, San Francisco.

Make an appointment to take a closer look at Alexander Ryan’s photographs documenting early 20th century merchant steamship travel. Peruse the collection guides on the Online Archive of California to explore more, and know our reference staff is here to help in person.

Digging for Gold at the Library: Marine Exchange records

(by Gina Bardi, Reference Librarian)

Every once and awhile, research questions will come in droves about a certain subject. Suddenly, everyone will want to know about a specific ship or event.  Usually this can be traced to news segment or TV show, but there are times when a collection just suddenly, mysteriously becomes popular.  In the last few weeks I’ve had quite a few requests for information in our Marine Exchange Records. They’re one of my favorite resources here and since everyone else is using them, you should be too. 

The San Francisco Marine Exchange was started in 1849. Its purpose was to look for and report vessels entering the bay.  Located atop Telegraph Hill (Here’s a good “didja know” to bring up at a cocktail party: Telegraph Hill got its name from the signal station there), the Marine Exchange would alert the city to incoming vessels by means of a wooden semaphore.  Everyone in San Francisco quickly learned what the signals met as evidenced by the oft repeated tale of a theatre performance being disrupted by howls of laughter when an actor on stage in response to a revelation in the play, threw his hands open in despair and lamented “What is this?” and a cheeky member of the audience yelled “It’s a sidewheel steamer.”
As I said, the Marine Exchange documented every vessel that came in or out of the bay. Our collection (HDC 559) includes:  12 Ledgers, scrapbooks of marine disasters, mishaps, and total losses, 102 Ledgers vessel arrivals/departures, indexed and a card index to arrivals by vessel name. Some of the collection is available on microfilm. The time span for the records is roughly 1886- 1982 for arrivals and departures and 1854-1962 for disasters, mishaps and total losses.  Here’s an example from Arrivals vol. 1 1904-1906. Note the first entry is the Mathew Turner  brig, the Galilee carrying a load of copra.




The ledger is so large it’s difficult to scan the entire page, but the information contained includes, date of arrival, nation, class name of vessel, tonnage, master, days from last port, cargo, consignees, import folio and departure folio and finally any remarks.  This is a heck of a lot of information.  There is no passenger information though. I REPEAT no passenger information (that’s for the intrepid genealogist who is already picking up the phone to call and see if their relative is listed- they’re not).

The Disaster and Mishaps and Total Losses ledgers are similar. Arranged by date, they list occurrences of cargos burned, masts snapped and crews lost with no traces to be found.  Some are detailed and seem to be retelling of Captains accounts, others are just a line or two.  Below is the entry from the Disaster log vol. 1 1900-1906 for the wreck of the City of Rio de Janeiro, a Pacific Mail steamer which hit a reef in San Francisco Bay.  131 people died. 




There is something for everyone in these records. It is my hope to have them all scanned and made available for researchers the world over.  Until then though, come to the library to see these unique records for yourself. 

The Marine Exchange Records (HDC 559 SAFR 18592) can be accessed in person by appointment. Some of the collection is available on microfilm and will be substituted for original material at the discretion of Collections Staff.  Please contact gina_bardi@nps.gov or call 415/561-7033. Scans or photocopies can be made as well at the discretion of the Collections Staff. Please see our Duplication Services for information on fees.