Emily Reed (ship)

History
Name:	Emily Reed
Owner:	Yates & Porterfield NY; Hind, Rolph and Co. San Francisco
Port of registry:	American
Builder:	A. R. Reed, Waldoboro, Maine
Launched:	November 1880
Completed:	1880
Maiden voyage:	New York To Calcutta
In service:	1880 - 1908
Identification:	JVCB (LLoyds Signal Letters)
Fate:	Ran aground on February 14, 1908
General characteristics
Type:	Down Easter[1]
Tonnage:	1,467 NRT
Length:	215 ft (66 m)
Beam:	40 ft 6 in (12.34 m)
Depth:	24 ft (7.3 m)
Crew:	O.D. Shelton; Daniel C Nichols; George A Baker; William Kessel

The Emily Reed was a down Easter owned by a company in San Francisco, and well known in both American and Australian ports.^[2] She ran aground in February 1908 off the coast of Oregon, with the loss of eight men.

Career

Launched November 10, 1880 - Waldoboro, Maine Named for one of the builders sisters. Reported size: 1600 tons, 209' long, x 40'6" wide, X 24' deep, on the Medomak River. Sails provided by Thomaston sail loft, George Washburn & Sons. Her first captain O.D. Sheldon, and first owners Yates and Porterfield of New York. First voyage, a load of case oil from New York to Calcutta^[1]

Approximately December 1890 or January 1891 - While en route New York (Departing approximately February 1890) to San Francisco, severe storm at sea the rudder head was twisted clean off. The crew steered the ship by tackle over each quarter, eventually reaching port in Rio de Janeiro for repairs. Arriving in San Francisco 208 days later, on August 31, 1891^[3]

Daniel C Nichols previous ship (The Wandering Jew) burned in Hong Kong October 1895, he then took command of the Emily Reed in Hong Kong^[4] - until she was sold in Tacoma Washington to Hind Rolf.^[5]

April 1900 - Purchased by Hind Rolf, San Francisco for $40,000 from Yates and Porterfield^[6]

On July 12, 1903, the ship was carrying Tasmanian timber from Hobart to Simonstown, South Africa, when it ran into distress and was forced to stop at Lyttelton. The captain, Baker, had received a serious injury to his left arm, and there was sickness on board. The vessel was quarantined for eight days. Nine crew members were charged with disobeying orders, and the captain was charged by his crew of assault. The men were convicted, but the charges against the captain were dismissed.^[7]

Wreck

On February 14, 1908, the ship was heading for Portland, with a cargo of coal from Newcastle, New South Wales, when she ran aground at the mouth of Nehalem River. Captain Kessell's chronometer was faulty, and he didn't realize until it was too late that he was too close to the shore. The time was a little after midnight, and the sea was too rough to attempt to swim to safety. The first mate, the ship's cook, and two more seamen jumped into a lifeboat, and appeared to be lost as soon as they hit the water. The captain therefore ordered the rest of his crew to remain on the ship until daylight. When morning came, it brought low tide, and the survivors managed to get ashore.^[8] The ship's cargo of 2,100 tons of coal was washed out to sea without a trace.^[9]

It was initially reported, based on the account of the captain, that eleven men were dead. Three days later, however, the lifeboat which had been thought lost was discovered by a sloop at Neah Bay, 200 miles from the wreck. The first mate and two seamen were alive but weak with thirst and hunger, and the ship's cook was dead.^[8]

The wreck still lies buried beneath the sands near the city of Rockaway Beach, and is occasionally uncovered by storms.^[10]

Sightings

• December 9, 1880; Arrived New York City, Possibly maiden voyage; Sheldon, Waldoboro, Me. In ballast to Yates & Porterfield;^[11]
• August 19, 1882 Arrived Kobe Japan (Hiogin) in 116 Days ^[12]
• August 25, 1885; New York - Loading for San Francisco voyage^[13]
• February 26, 1886; Pitcairn Island, en-route San Francisco to Liverpool, Master: Sheldon^[14]
• August 24, 1889; Possibly Philadelphia PA;^[15]
• June 1, 1890; Arrived San Francisco from Hisyo Japan with load of coal and merchandise, Captain Sheldon ^[16]
• July 12, 1890; Leave San Francisco, destination unknown^[17]
• October 4, 1890; Arrive Rio de Janeiro, suffering damage, lost boats, house, etc. Captain Sheldon ^[18]
• January 20, 1891; New York City loading for San Francisco ^[19]
• February 4, 1891; Depart New York for San Francisco^[20]
• March 4, 1891, Spoke at Sea (Mid Atlantic) 4 N 23 W, Bound for San Francisco^[21]
• August 27, 1891; 204 Days at Sea - still en route for San Francisco^[22]
• August 31, 1891; Arrived San Francisco, story of damage en route, broken rudder, stop in Rio de Janeiro^[23]
• October 11, 1891; Chartered for Liverpool, Cargo Wheat^[24]
• October 29, 1891; Correction: Cork Ireland^[25]
• March 26, 1892; Arrived Dublin, via Queenstown? ^[26]
• July 17, 1892; Advertisement for New York Freight^[27]
• July 21, 1892, Loading NYC for San Francisco^[28]
• September 22, 1892, NYC - Cleared for San Francisco^[29]
• March 2, 1893, Arrived San Francisco, Captain Simmons^[30]
• March 28, 1893, Loading Redwood for the UK^[31]
• July 11, 1893, Spoken at Sea, For Queenstown^[32]
• September 28, 1893, Arrived Liverpool via Queenstown^[33]
• May 12, 1894; Sighted in Straits of Sunda en route New York to Hong Kong;^[34]
• January 1894; Hong Kong - Received Lending Library from Sea Man's Friend ^[35]
• July 23, 1895, Philadelphia, Captain Eldridge W. Simmons fined for improper payment of a seaman^[36]
• Next port of call Cienfuegos, Cuba^[36]
• 1895 - Arrived at Manila Philippines from Hong Kong;^[37]
• Dec 10, 1896 - Spoken at Lat 5N, Long 25W - Nichols, enroute New York to Hiogo (Japan?) ^[38]
• January 5, 1898; passed ship Venezuela at sea, Location: lat 34 50. lon 72 27, from Hlogo (Kobe, Japan) for New York.^[39]
• October 29, 1888, Singapore^[40]
• Nov 7 - 1888 Departed Singapore
• March 9, 1899 Arrive New York From Singapore, Damage to top mast ^[41]
• September 25, 1899 - Singapore ^[42]
• September 28, 1899 - Singapore (Damaged ship?) ^[43]
• April 22, 1900, Port Townsend, Washington, From Hong Kong,^[44]
• August 1, 1900; Kahului Hi; Capt. George A. Baker - Departed to San Francisco ^[45]
• August 24, 1900; San Francisco; Capt. George A. Baker - Arrived in port (From Kahului HI, 23 days at sea) ^[45]
• November 19, 1900; Sydney NSW Australia; Capt. George A. Baker - Arrive in port (From San Francisco) ^[46]
• February 5, 1901; In port Sydney, NSW; Caught in Hurricane, partly demasted ^[47]
• 1901 Generally - San Francisco to Sydney, Hong Kong, Puget Sound ^[48]
• October 1901; Honolulu, HI; Capt. George A. Baker - Jumps bail and sails away^[49]
• January 2, 1902; Sailed from Sydney NSW Australia, Captain Baker to San Francisco ^[50]
• June 21, 1902; Maui, Hi; Capt. George A Baker; leaves for the "sound" to load coal (?New Castle AUS?) ^[51]
• December 27, 1902 - Cape Town South Africa from Chemainus^[52]
• April 2, 1903; Spoken @ 43S 106.18E; en route Delagoa Bay to Hobart ^[53]
• July 31, 1903; New Zealand; Capt. George A. Baker - altercation on-board between crew members ^[54]
• May ?? 1903; Deiagoa Bay, Mozambique (Now: Maputo Bay); Leave for Hobart Tasmania ^[55]
• April 10, 1903; Passage at sea 43 deg S, 108 deg E in route, "All Is Well" ^[56]
• April 13, 1903; Passage Point, Hobart Tasmania; Arrived to pickup shipment of piles to South Africa ^[57]
• May 20, 1903; Finders Bay (Norfolk Bay), Tasmania to complete loading;^[58]
• June 22, 1903 - The Mercury, Page 2, Column 2; Letter to the editor mentions departure to South Africa.^[59]
• October 11, 1905 - Portland Oregon, chartered for wheat transport to San Francisco ^[60]

Further Research

• Reported more detail in Wiliam Fairburn's Merchant Sail, Volume V ^[61]
• Penobscot Main Marine Museum Picture,^[62]

References

1. "The Down Easter, Emily Reed"
2. "Disastrous shipwreck". The Argus. February 19, 1908. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
3. San Francisco Morning Call, September 1, 1891; page 3 column 1, Sea and Shore
4. American Merchant Ships, 1850-1900, Volume 1, Page 355
5. "Pacific Marine Review, March 1929, Page 100, Two Famous Shipmasters Cross the Bar"
6. "Morning Oregonian, April 17, 1900; Page 8, Column 5/6 Marine Notes"
7. "The ship Emily Reed". The Examiner (Launceston). August 1, 1903. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
8. "Ship Emily Reed wrecked – survivors' thrilling experiences". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill). April 6, 1908. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
9. "Eleven lost on Emily Reed". The Spokesman-Review. February 15, 1908. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
10. Tobias, Lori. "Shifting sands reveal 102-year-old shipwreck off Rockaway Beach". Oregon Live, December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012.
11. "New York Times, Marine Intelligence (Arrived - second column)"
12. Japan Daily Mail August 19, 1882, Column 1 page 1031 (google books)
13. Daily Alta California, August 25, 1885, Page 8, Column 4, Vessels on way to ... San Francisco
14. Pitcairn Island as a Port of Call: A Record, 1790-2010, 2d ed., Page 60
15. The Collected Writings of Walt Whitman, The Correspondence 1886-1889, Page 366, Letter dated August 24, 1889 Camden
16. "The Morning Call, San Francisco, June 2, 1890, page 6, column 5, Sea And Shore, Coal From Japan"
17. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, July 12, 1890, Page 6,Column 3, Movements Of Vessels
18. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, October 07, 1890, Page 1, Column 2, A Damaged Ship", and Page 6, Column 3 Sea And Shore
19. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, January 20, 1891, Page 6, Column 3, Sea And Shore
20. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, February 8, 1891, Page 3, Column 6, Around The Bay
21. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, March 19, 1891, Page 6, Column 8, Spoken
22. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, August 27, 1891, Page 3, Column 5, Out over 100 days
23. The Morning Call, San Francisco Calif, Sept 1, 1891, Page 3, Column 1
24. The Morning Call, San Francisco Calif, October 11, 1891, Page 3, Column 6, Reported Charters
25. The Morning Call, San Francisco Calif, October 29, 1891, Page 6, Column 6, Shipping Notes
26. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif March 29, 1891, Page 6, Column 6, Foreign Ports
27. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, July 17, 1892, Page 10, Column 8, bottom"
28. The Morning Call, San Francisco Calif, July 21, 1892, Page 7, Column 2, Removals
29. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif September 23, 1892
30. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, March 2, 1893, Page 3, Column 1, Clipper Line In Full Operation
31. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, March 28, 1893, Page6, Column 6
32. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, July 11, 1893, Page 9, Column 4
33. The Morning Call, San Francisco, Calif, Sept 28, 1893, Page 9, Column 5, Foreign Ports
34. "London and China Telegraph, June 18, 1894; page 8, left side"
35. Google Books: Seamen's Friend, Volumes 65-66, Page 128
36. The Morning Call, San Francisco, July 23, 1895, Page 7, Column 2, Around the Water Front
37. "Annual Report of the Commissioner of Navigation to the Secretary of Commerce, Page 127"
38. New York Herald January 27, 1987 Page 12, Column 5 http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/New%20York%20NY%20Herald/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201897/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201897%20-%200639.pdf
39. "New York Herald, January 8, 1898, Page 14, Column 3"
40. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 29 October 1898, Page 4, Column 3, Advertisement
41. New York Herald, March 10, 1899 page 14, column 2 arrivals http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/New%20York%20NY%20Herald/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201899/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201899%20-%201695.pdf
42. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 25 September 1899, Page 2, Column 3
43. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 28 September 1899, Page 3
44. REPORTS FROM NATIONAL QUARANTINE AND INSPECTION STATIONS Public Health Reports (1896-1970) Vol. 15, No. 19 (May 11, 1900), pp. 1120-1123 (Page: 1120, line 14, JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41452321
45. "Honolulu Republican, Sept 5, 1900, Page 4, Column 3 Shipping Notes"
46. "State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Master's Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; NRS13278, (X268) reel 560. Transcribed by Tom Bird."
47. "San Francisco Call February 5, 1901, page 7, center top"
48. "Report of the Commissioner Of Navigation, US Government Printing Office 1901, Page 346"
49. "Honolulu Republic, Vol II, #424, Page 1, Column 8, Judge Estee Orders That Bonds Stand"
50. "New York Herald; January 5, 1902 ; Herald Cable Reports, Page 9, Column 4"
51. "Maui News, June 21, 1902, Page 4, Column 4, Shipping News"
52. San Francisco Morning Call, December 30, 1902, Page 5, Column 5, Foreign Ports
53. Sydney Morning Herald April 10, 1903, Pg 8, Column 7
54. "New Zealand Star, Issue 7771, 31 July 1903, Page 3, retrieved on February 4, 2013"
55. "The Mercury, Hobart Tasmania, Page 4 Column 3; Tasmanian timber for South Africa, Arrival of an American Ship"]
56. "Sydney Morning Herald, Page 8, Column 7 Emily Reed Spoken"
57. "The Mercury, April 13, 1903; Hobart Tasmania, Page 4 Column 3 (Shipping); Tasmanian timber for South Africa, Arrival of an American Ship"]
58. "The Mercury, Hobart Tasmania, May 20, 1903; Page 4 Column 2 (Shipping); Tasmanian timber for South Africa, Arrival of an American Ship"]
59. "June 22, 1903 The Mercury; Hobart Tasmania, Page 2, Column 2; Letter to the Editor dated June 15 discussing the Emily Reed departure and complaining about taxes"
60. ["Bad Google Link - North Western Miller, October 11, 1905, Page 97, Column 3, Oregon mentioned charter shipment"]
61. "Wiliam Fairburn's Merchant Sail, Volume V"
62. "Penobscot Main Marine Museum Picture, Applebee Collection, catalog number LB1980.220.146"

External links

• Image of the Emily Reed, from the book Merchant of the Medomak by Mark W. Biscoe.