1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson and I'm Holly Fry. We're coming 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: up on the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: s S Princess of Faia, which sank in the Lynn 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: Canal in southeastern Alaska on October This was a massive 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: tragedy for both Canada and the United States. It had 8 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: a huge impact on Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon, but 9 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: it was also really overshadowed by the end of World 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: War One and the flu pandemic that was going on 11 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: by that point, so it has been nicknamed the Unknown 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: Titanic of the West Coast. In eighteen the primary way 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: to get to many parts of Alaska and Yukon was 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: by water. Ships carried passengers, cargo and mail to ports 15 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: along the coast of Alaska and British Columbia, and people 16 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: traveled by river inland from there. And to some extent, 17 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: this continues to be true today. Although there are more 18 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: roads and airplanes going to and from these places, boats 19 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: still continue to be a major way to travel. One 20 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: of the companies that was providing passenger and cargo service 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: along the coast of Alaska and British Columbia was Canadian 22 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: Pacific Railway Company, which is often abbreviated as CPR that 23 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: still exists today as Canadian Pacific. CPR started a steamship business, 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: which was called Canadian Pacific Steamship Company in a late 25 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds. Their first routes were trans Pacific and they 26 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,919 Speaker 1: connected Vancouver, British Columbia with Asia. Soon the company started 27 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: offering transatlantic service from the east coast of North America 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: as well. In the early twentieth century, Canadian Pacific Steamship 29 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: Company started providing service up and down the coast of 30 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: the Pacific Northwest. To that end, CPR purchased Canadian Pacific 31 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: Navigation Company in n one. The newly purchased company had 32 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: been carrying passengers and cargo along the coast of British 33 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: Columbia as well as through Alaska's Inside Passage. So the 34 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: Inside Passage is a collection of fiords, channels and straits 35 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: that stretches more than a thousand miles. It's about six 36 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: hundred kilometers from Seattle, Washington north through British Columbia, to Skagway, Alaska. 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: The vessels that CPR operated along these routes were nicknamed 38 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: the Princess Fleet, and all the ships had the word 39 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 1: Princess and their names. The Princess Fleet grew really quickly 40 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: during the first two decades of the twentieth century, and 41 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: the company was supporting the tourism industry in addition to 42 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: carrying the workers, families, cargo, and mail that needed to 43 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: get around that area. This growth didn't really slow down 44 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: during World War One. Although some of CPR ships were 45 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,239 Speaker 1: requisitioned for the war effort, people still needed to get 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: to and from all these places, and the best way 47 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: to do it was still by water. People from the 48 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: US and Canada who had the means to travel for fun, 49 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: we're also choosing to do it in North America rather 50 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: than visiting increasingly war torn Europe. During the war, the 51 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: Princess Fleet also started carrying troops, including people who had 52 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: enlisted and were reporting for duty. The s S Princess 53 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: Sofia was, of course part of this fleet. It was 54 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: built by bou McLaughlin and Company, was launched on November 55 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: eighth of nineteen eleven and took its maiden voyage on 56 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: June seventh. On the following year, the Princess Safia had 57 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: been commissioned specifically for running these routes along the inside passage. 58 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: During the May to October season and the off season, 59 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: the ship operated as a ferry between Victoria and Vancouver, 60 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: British Columbia. The Princess Sofia was built to be a 61 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: modest but comfortable vessel, suited for both passengers and cargo 62 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: in these northern waters. It was two forty five ft 63 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: or seventy five ms long, with a maximum speed of 64 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: thirteen to fourteen knots. It's typical running speed was eleven knots. 65 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: Under normal conditions. The Princess Sofia carried between two hundred 66 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: fifty and three hundred fifty passengers, but that number could 67 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: be increased all the way up to five hundred in 68 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: special circumstances and with special permission. The ship's typical route 69 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 1: had four stops in British Columbia and four in Alaska 70 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: from north to south. These were Victoria, Vancouver, Alert Bay 71 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: and Prince British Columbia, and Wrangel Catkan, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska. 72 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: The stops in Juneo and Skaguay were also really important 73 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: to communities in Yukon since they were connected to the 74 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: Yukon interior by water. Even with an experienced and capable crew, 75 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: this route could be really treacherous. The s S Princess 76 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,359 Speaker 1: Sofia had a number of incidents before sinking in nineteen eighteen, 77 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 1: some of them serious. The ship collided with something under 78 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: water in November of nineteen thirteen, which broke its stern post, 79 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: and it also ran aground twice, once in April of 80 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: nineteen thirteen and again in January, and there were also 81 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: many more minor incidents over the years. One particularly treacherous 82 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: stretch of the route that the Princess of File was 83 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,599 Speaker 1: usually taking was the Lynn Canal. In spite of what 84 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: its name suggests, the Lynn Canal isn't an artificial waterway. 85 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: It's a fjord that's part of the inside passage. Captain 86 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: George Vancouver named it after his birthplace of King's Lynn. 87 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: The Lynn Canal is very narrow. It ranges from about 88 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: three to thirteen miles or roughly five to twenty kilometers wide, 89 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: and it is also very windy. The shape of the 90 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: canal funnels the wind, so wind speeds of seventy to 91 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: eighty knots are not uncommon. On top of that are 92 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: willow waws, which are sudden, violent squalls and winds that 93 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: blow in off the surrounding glaciers, making the Lynn Canal 94 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: even more dangerous than all that wind and the squalls. 95 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 1: Is the Vanderbilt Reef, which is a stretch of about 96 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: seven miles or eleven kilometers of rock that's right in 97 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: the middle of the fiord. The tides create a huge 98 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: variation and how deep the water is around the reef. 99 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: Most of the time it is just under the surface, 100 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: but during very low tides, it can be as much 101 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 1: as twelve feet or about three and a half meters 102 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: above the surface. Obviously, this reef has been there for 103 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: thousands of years and people knew that it existed, but 104 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: in terms of being a hazard to commercial shipping, it 105 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: was first noted in eighteen eighty when J. M. Vanderbilt 106 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: of the Northwest Trading Company charted it and named it 107 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: after himself, and then spread the word to other captains 108 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: about it. In nineteen eighteen, the Vanderbilt Reef wasn't well 109 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: marked at all. The nearest lighthouse was the Sentinel Island Lighthouse, 110 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 1: which is about four miles or six and a half 111 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,119 Speaker 1: kilometers away. The reef itself was marked with a buoy 112 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: that was only visible by daylight. CPR had asked the 113 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: US government to install a light on the reef in 114 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,599 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen. Although Canadian vessels were in and out of 115 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: this area all the time, the reef itself was part 116 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: of Alaska Territory and therefore it was the responsibility of 117 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: the United States and not Canada to put a light there, 118 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: but because of the war, funding wasn't set aside to 119 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: do it. The s S Princess Sofia departed Skagway, Alaska 120 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: at the end of the Lynn Canal on October twenty three, 121 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen, for the last run of the season, and 122 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: this was a big trip every year. The ship was 123 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: sold out and the company had prepared for a big crowd, 124 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: but even in spite of the advanced preparations, boarding and 125 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: loading that evening had been particularly chaotic. There were people 126 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: who had made their way to the region during the 127 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: Klondike gold Rush. Skagway itself had been founded during the 128 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: gold Rush. By this point, the gold rush was over 129 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: and this departing crowd included people who had decided finally 130 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: to leave Alaska and the North entirely. It also included 131 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: seasonal miners whose jobs were ending for the winter, but 132 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: who planned to come back again in the spring. Miners 133 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: weren't the only scenal employees leaving Skagway that day. The 134 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 1: Yukon River connected Skagway, Alaska to Dawson, Yukon, and the 135 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: steamship operators who traveled that route were shutting down for 136 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: the season. Two other passengers included government officials, business travelers, 137 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: and families, and there were also new recruits aboard reporting 138 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: for duty in World War One. Because this was the 139 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: last run of the season, the mood at the dock 140 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: was really festive. It was basically a big Sea in 141 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: the Spring party, with the people who were staying put 142 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: getting ready to hunker down for the winter. A lot 143 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: of people were also bidding what they thought was a 144 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: temporary farewell to friends and family who were planning to 145 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: come back once all the waterways thought in the following spring. 146 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: Probably because of all the business and chaos, the s 147 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: S Princess Sofia left Skagway, Alaska at about ten pm 148 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: on the twenty three that was about three hours behind schedule. 149 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: Captain Leonard Locke was at the helm, and most of 150 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: the Princess Sofia's crew had plenty of experiences on this route, 151 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: and Locke was no exception. He had been working in 152 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: the waterways in this part of the Northwest for twenty 153 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: five years. But not long after departing, the weather really 154 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: started to turn sour. We will get to that after 155 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: a quick sponsor break. About an hour after leaving Skagway, Alaska, 156 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: the s S Princess Safia rounded battery point and met 157 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: a terrible storm. Winds were blowing at about fifty knots 158 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 1: and a heavy snow and fog had rolled in. Under 159 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: normal procedures, Locke would have slowed his speed from the 160 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: typical running speed of about eleven knots down to seven knots, 161 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: but instead, possibly because they were running so late, he 162 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: kept the ship running at eleven knots. Many of the 163 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: technologies used for navigation and avoiding collisions today did not 164 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: exist yet, or they were in their infancy. The first 165 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: passive sonar system for detecting submerged objects was developed in 166 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: nineteen and the first active sonar system was created in 167 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: nine eighteen so this technology was still brand new and 168 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: was being used to detect submarines and military vessels, but 169 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: it really wasn't in use in civilian vessels at all yet, 170 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: practical radar systems were still a couple of decades away. 171 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,199 Speaker 1: By daylight ships navigated the Limb Canal by taking compass 172 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: readings while citing known points on the land and the 173 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: dark and in bad weather, what they would do is 174 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: sound the ship's horn and then count the time until 175 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: they heard the echo off the surrounding cliffs and glaciers. 176 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: That's one of those things that when people describe it, 177 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: I know people used this all the time, very safely. 178 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: To me, this is terrifying. Well, and I mean that 179 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: was an imprecise way of doing it, even under good circumstances. Yes, 180 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: And of course as the storm got worse, it probably 181 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 1: became harder and harder to hear those echoes, and soon 182 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: the Princess Sofia was blown off course. Rather than to 183 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: one side of the canal where they were supposed to be, 184 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: they were right in the middle. The Princess Sofia struck 185 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,479 Speaker 1: the Vanderbilt Reef at about two am on October, traveling 186 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: at their usual speed of eleven knots. The ship came 187 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: to a total halt almost instantly, with sleeping passengers being 188 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: thrown from their births and crew being thrown from their stations. 189 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 1: At first, the situation seemed to be extremely inconvenient, but 190 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: not all that perilous. The ship was firmly jammed on 191 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: the rocks, but didn't seem to be badly damaged. Once 192 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: everyone recovered from the shock and the physical effects of 193 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: being thrown around, most of the passengers really remained calm. 194 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: People who had minor injuries were patched up, and some 195 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: damage within the ship was repaired. At first, Captain Locke 196 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: thought they might be floated off of the rocks the 197 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: next high tide and just continue on their way. That 198 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: is actually what had happened when the Princess Sofia had 199 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: run aground in April of nineteen, which had also happened 200 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: on the Vanderbilt Reef. Passenger R. S. McQueen wrote a 201 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: letter during these relatively calm hours which said quote, she 202 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 1: is a double bottom boat and her inner hall is 203 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: not penetrated, so here we stick. She pounds some on 204 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,959 Speaker 1: a rising tide, and it is slow writing, but our 205 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: only inconvenience is so far lack of water. The main 206 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: steam pipe got twisted off, and we were without lights 207 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: last night and have run out of soft sugar. But 208 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: the pipe is fixed, so we are getting heat and 209 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: lights now and we still have lump sugar and water 210 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: for drinking. If you have the energy and the note 211 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: that they're out of soft sugar, right, things seem fine. 212 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: They don't seem that bad at that point. So, of course, 213 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: after hitting the Vanderbilt reef, the ship's wireless operator had 214 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: sent out a distress call. There weren't any other vessels 215 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: in the area that were large enough to accommodate all 216 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: the Princess Sofia's passengers and crew, though, so four phishing 217 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: vessels were sent to try to assist. These were the Stab, 218 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: the Amy, the E a Heg, and the Peterson. Soon 219 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: a fishing schooner called the King and Wing came to assist, 220 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: as well as the Cedar, which was a lighthouse tender 221 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: from the U S Lighthouse Service. As these vessels started 222 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: to arrive on the morning of the twenty four though, 223 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: the weather got worse. The other vessels couldn't get close 224 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: to the Princess Sofia without endangering themselves, and it became 225 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: clear that a cross wind was grinding the ship onto 226 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: the rocks, and that was making a visible hole in 227 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 1: the outer hole. Captain Locke thought it would be more 228 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: dangerous to try to put people into lifeboats than it 229 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: would be to just stay put and wait for the 230 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: weather to turn, and the barometer was rising, so he 231 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: was hopeful that better weather was on the way. High 232 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: tide also came and went without shifting the boat off 233 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: the rocks. The wind was blowing the water so hard 234 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: that the tide appeared to be several feet lower than 235 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,679 Speaker 1: it really was. They weren't hoping to be lifted off 236 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: the rocks anymore now that it was clear that the 237 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: hall was damaged, but with all that having happened, it 238 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 1: didn't seem like they would be, so with all that 239 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,079 Speaker 1: in mind, it seemed safer to just wait. The captain's 240 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: decision may have also been influenced by the nineteen o 241 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: four wreck of the S S. Klalum, which foundered just 242 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: outside of Victoria Harbor, and on that ship, the captain 243 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: ordered all of the women and children to be evacuated 244 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: into lifeboats along with some of the men, and every 245 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: lifeboat either capsized or was wrecked. Everyone who had been 246 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: evacuated died. Captain Locke also would have been familiar with 247 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: the nineteen ten stranding of the Princess May on nearby 248 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: Sentinel Island, from which all the passengers and crew were 249 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: evacuated safely. It turned out that barometer reading was deceptive, though. 250 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: The barometer started falling rapidly at about three pm on 251 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: and the weather suddenly got a whole lot worse. A 252 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: Royal Canadian Mounted Police report that was written after the 253 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: disaster called it, quote the worst storm in progress ever 254 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: known in the Lynn Canal. During all of this, the 255 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: Princess Sofia was communicating with all these other vessels by radio, 256 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 1: megaphone and radiogram, which is a telegram that's sent by 257 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: radio rather than over wires. Radiograms were sent back and 258 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: forth to CPR headquarters as well. Captain Lack sent a 259 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: radiogram to the Cedar at four or forty five pm. Quote, 260 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: impossible to get passengers off tonight as c is running 261 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: too strong. Will probably be able to get them off 262 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: early morning, strong tide. Captain Leadbetter aboard the Cedar replied, quote, 263 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: if Sofia in no danger slipping off and passengers safe 264 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: until daylight. Would like to drop anchor under Sentinel Island, 265 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: be in touch by wireless if you think necessary, will 266 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: remain under way all night. By this point, the passengers, 267 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: who had been waiting for more than all hours, were 268 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: becoming increasingly apprehensive. Passenger John R. Maskell, known as Jack, 269 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: wrote a letter to his fiance Dorothy Burgess, which ended quote, 270 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: We're expecting the lights to go out at any minute. 271 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 1: Also the fires the boat might go to pieces for 272 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: the force of the waves are terrible, making awful noises 273 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: on the side of the boat, which has quite a 274 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: list to port. No one is allowed to sleep, but 275 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: believe me, dear Dorry, it might have been much worse. 276 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: Just here there is a big steamer coming. We struck 277 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: the reef in a terrible snowstorm. There is a big 278 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: buoy near marking the danger, but the captain was to 279 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: port instead to starboard the buoy. I made by will 280 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 1: this morning, leaving everything to you, my own true love, 281 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: and I want you to give a hundred pounds to 282 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: my dear mother, a hundred pounds to my dear dad, 283 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: a hundred pounds to dear wee Jack, and the balance 284 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: of my estate about three hundred pounds to you, Dory dear. 285 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: The Eagle Lodge will take care of my remains. Endanger 286 00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: at sea, Princess Safia October eighteen. In the face of 287 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: the treacherous weather, the rescue ships left to seek shelter, 288 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,719 Speaker 1: and the Princess Sofia spent the night on the rocks. 289 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: On the morning of oct the rescue ships returned to 290 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 1: try again. The captain of the Cedar proposed making a 291 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: bridge is buoy, which she might also say as a 292 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: breach is buoy. To do this, the cedar would drop 293 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: an anchor and run a line over to the Princess Sofia. 294 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: People would then use it like a zip line, sliding 295 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: from the Princess Sofia over to the Cedar one at 296 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: a time. The name of this comes from the practice 297 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: of slinging a pair of canvas bridges over the line 298 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 1: to hang on to. We can do historical zip line 299 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: tours this way. I think we have a business venture 300 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: in our future. But the water was still so rough 301 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: that the cedars anchor simply would not hold. At eleven 302 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,479 Speaker 1: am on the twenty, led Better sent a radiogram quote 303 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: I can't make anchors hold could not row boat to 304 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: you at present. Believe your passengers are perfectly safe until 305 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: we and moderates. We'll stand by until safe to make 306 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: transfer with safety. As the violent storm continued, the rescue 307 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: ships were once again driven away to take shelter, but 308 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: kept in touch with the Princess of Fia. What had 309 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: been a tedious but relatively safe weight became terrifying. After 310 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: all the rescue vessels were gone. The wind was howling 311 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: and pounding the ship into the rocks. The power went 312 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: out about three o'clock in the afternoon, which meant most 313 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: of the passengers were in total darkness with a screaming, 314 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: violent storm going on around them. E. M. Miller of 315 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 1: the King and Wing later sent the summary of what 316 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:44,439 Speaker 1: happened by radiogram quote. Talked with Sophia several times between 317 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: two and three pm. Their dynamo went out and lost 318 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 1: power about three PM. Called the Sofia several times between 319 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: four thirty and four forty five PM. No answer five 320 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: forty five Talking to s s Atlas gave him seven 321 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: messages for to you know fourty pm Sofia sending s 322 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: O S said taking water and foundering for God's sake, 323 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 1: come and save us, replied, saying coming full speed, but 324 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: cannot see account thick snow and taking heavy seas. Told S. 325 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: S Atlas better come and tried to get Juno, and 326 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: then kept on with Safia until five twenty, when his 327 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: battery was so weak it was almost impossible to understand him. 328 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 1: Told him to quit talking except for what was absolutely necessary. 329 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: He replied, all right, but for God's sake, hurry water 330 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,399 Speaker 1: coming in room. No more was heard from him. The 331 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: S s Atlas, which had left Juno at about four 332 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 1: PM to try to help, also sent a telegram to 333 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: the Cedar at five thirty PM on describing near progress 334 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 1: to try to join the rescue as quote, feeling our 335 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: way in blinding snowstorm. It was just too dangerous for 336 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,879 Speaker 1: any of these other ships to stay with the Princess Sofia. 337 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: That's why they had all once again gone away to 338 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: seek shelter. The weather finally cleared overnight, and at nine 339 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: fifteen on the morning of October, a lighthouse superintendent from 340 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: Sentinel Island sent a radio graham saying he had arrived 341 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,360 Speaker 1: at the scene at eight thirty and only the Princess 342 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: Sofia's foremast was visible above the surface of the water. 343 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: We're going to take another quick moment for a brief 344 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: sponsor break. Sometimes between five thirty and six thirty pm 345 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: on October after all the rescue ships had gone to 346 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,880 Speaker 1: try to take shelter, the high wind and the tide 347 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,719 Speaker 1: had combined to twist the s s Princess Sofia completely 348 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: around on top of Vanderbilt Reef, causing it to point 349 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: north instead of south, and the process it tore the 350 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: bottom completely out of the ship. The ship slid into 351 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: the water, tanks ruptured and covered the water's surface a 352 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: thick layer of oil. An order was apparently given to 353 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,720 Speaker 1: abandon ship, and some lifeboats were deployed, but none of 354 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: them were deployed successfully. Only one person seems to have 355 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: gotten away from the actual sinking, Frank Gussie, the ship's 356 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:19,239 Speaker 1: second officer. He was found on shore, but he had 357 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,639 Speaker 1: died of exposure. The recks only confirmed survivor was a 358 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: dog an English center, who was found covered in oil 359 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: about twenty miles or thirty two kilometers to the south 360 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 1: two days later. The exact death toll for this wreck 361 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: is unclear. There were probably between two d and two 362 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: D nine passengers on board and fifty five to sixty 363 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: five crew. A list of known passengers includes three hundred 364 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: sixty people, but there were definitely stowaways on board, as 365 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: well as people who boarded in Skagway planning to work 366 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,479 Speaker 1: for their passage, but who weren't written down. Babies in 367 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,639 Speaker 1: arms also weren't necessarily on the passenger list. The victims 368 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: included more than a hundred residents of Dawson, Yukon, which 369 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: only had a population of about eight hundred at that time. 370 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: Approximately eight percent of the white population of Yukon died. 371 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: Similar numbers for the indigenous population of Canada and Alaska 372 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,640 Speaker 1: aren't really known. But Walter Harper, who was an Athabaskan 373 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,479 Speaker 1: guide and the first person to summit to Nally, was 374 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: killed along with his wife Francis. Some writers have made 375 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: the argument that this was economically catastrophic for Yukon and 376 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: led to a serious decline for the territory and for 377 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,199 Speaker 1: all of the Canadian North, but really there was a 378 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: lot of other stuff going on at the same time 379 00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:45,760 Speaker 1: as well, including the flu pandemic and changes to the 380 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: mining industry. So this was definitely a tragedy that had 381 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 1: a real impact, but it was not the only factor. 382 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: John F. Pugh, who was District Collector of US Customs 383 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: for Alaska, was also on board, along with Walter J. O'Brien, 384 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: who was a CPR Company agent from Dawson. He was 385 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: on the ship with his wife and five children, and 386 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: was found with his arms around one of his sons. 387 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: The passengers also included eighty five members of riverboat crews 388 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:16,360 Speaker 1: that operated out of Skagway, which destroyed the riverboat Company's 389 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: workforce for that route completely. So after it was discovered 390 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,360 Speaker 1: that the ship had sunk, what had been a rescue 391 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: effort immediately turned to recovery. More than a hundred bodies 392 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: were recovered in the first hour. Many of the people 393 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: had drowned or died of exposure, but another major cause 394 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: of death was asphyxiation, either because people got caught up 395 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,679 Speaker 1: in the oil slick and couldn't breathe, or because of 396 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: the build up of gases inside the vessel as its 397 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:48,360 Speaker 1: operating systems blue. The oil slick also caused wildlife deaths, 398 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:51,639 Speaker 1: including the deaths of flocks of ducks. The s S 399 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:56,159 Speaker 1: Princess Safaia itself was quickly determined not to be salvageable, 400 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 1: or at least not salvageable until spring, but the effort 401 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,479 Speaker 1: to recover bodies went on for weeks. A total of 402 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: on bodies were eventually recovered, some of them many miles 403 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: away from the wreck itself. Initially, the bodies were housed 404 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: in an empty warehouse in Juno that was used as 405 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 1: a temporary mortuary, with members of the community cleaning the 406 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: oil from the bodies. Divers were also sent to recover 407 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: a safe full of gold that had been on board, 408 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: and they returned with a body as well. The bodies 409 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: of Canadian residents were sent to Vancouver aboard the Princess Alice, 410 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,679 Speaker 1: which was nicknamed the Ship of Sorrow because of this 411 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: sad duty. But the Princess Alice arrived in Vancouver on 412 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,919 Speaker 1: November eleven, nineteen eighteen, which was Armistice Day, so the 413 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 1: mood in Vancouver when the ship actually got there was 414 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: exuberant because at the end of the war, the mayor 415 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: had the flags blown at half staff for an hour. 416 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: On the twelfth, Thomas Riggs Jr. Territorial Governor of Alaska, 417 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 1: issued a statement after learning the news of the wreck, 418 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: quote wreck of the Princess Safia has cast a great 419 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,919 Speaker 1: chew At overall of Northland, Alaska grieves with the Yukon, 420 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,439 Speaker 1: and he also sent a message to the U. S 421 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: Secretary of the Interior calling it the quote most ghastly 422 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: incident in the history of the territory. Of course, this 423 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,199 Speaker 1: is a massive tragedy and there were immediate cults for 424 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: an end quest. But there were also a lot of 425 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: questions and complications because of the international nature of the disaster. 426 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: It had happened in Alaska, and virtually everyone involved in 427 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:30,680 Speaker 1: the rescue attempt was American, but it was a Canadian ship, 428 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: and many of the people who died aboard were Canadian, 429 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 1: most of them from Yukon. There was also the question 430 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 1: of how and what exactly to investigate, because everyone who 431 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: could have been questioned about what happened aboard the Princess 432 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: Safia was dead. The first official inquiry was held January six, 433 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:54,400 Speaker 1: nine nineteen, at Bastion Square Court House in Victoria, British Columbia. 434 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: Witnesses from the rescue vessels offered testimony about how treacherous 435 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 1: Lynn Canal was, but some also raised doubts about whether 436 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: Locke had made the right decisions. A big point of 437 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: contention was the Sufist traveling at eleven knots rather than 438 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: at seven. The other was the decision not to evacuate 439 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:18,199 Speaker 1: Captain Cornelia Stidham aboard the Peterson and Captain Miller of 440 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,640 Speaker 1: the King and Wing both said that the evacuation would 441 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: have been possible during a very brief window of time 442 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 1: before the wind really picked up. Captain James Davis of 443 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: the Estabethan Edward McDougal of the Amy backed them up 444 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: in this opinion. These judgments, though, were made with the 445 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: benefit of hindsight and knowing how the weather progressed after 446 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: that call was made to stay put, and everyone agreed 447 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: that even if some people had been rescued in this 448 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 1: window of relatively less treacherous weather, many others would still 449 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: have died. There were also other captains who had the 450 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 1: opposite opinion. According to one inspector from the Royal Canadian 451 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,680 Speaker 1: Mounted Police quote, I have interviewed several deep sea captains 452 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,880 Speaker 1: and are all of the same opinion that given similar 453 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 1: conditions and circumstances, they would have acted exactly as did 454 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: Captain Locke. It is considered that he acted as any 455 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: level headed seafaring man would have done, and while his 456 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,880 Speaker 1: error of judgment caused the loss of so many lives 457 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: it is considered simply an act of providence. The inquiry 458 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 1: was closed on March tenth, nineteen, and taken to Parliament 459 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 1: on April twenty three. In the end, no blame was 460 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: placed on Lock or on CPR. The U S vessels 461 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 1: that came to assist were compensated for their time and 462 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,920 Speaker 1: efforts in a small payment was given to families. American 463 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: relatives of the victims filed a class action suit in 464 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: the United States, and that dragged on for fourteen years. 465 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,439 Speaker 1: At first, a U S. District Court judge found that 466 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:53,440 Speaker 1: CPR was negligent and CPR was fined two point five 467 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: million dollars to be paid to the families of the 468 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: passengers and crew, plus a million dollars of court costs, 469 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: But the judge reversed this decision a couple of weeks later, 470 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 1: saying that this tragedy fell under the Limited Liabilities Act 471 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: of eighteen fifty one, so all CPR was responsible for 472 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: was the cost of fairs and baggage. The Limited Liabilities 473 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: Act of eighteen fifty one was crafted to mimic limited 474 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 1: liability laws that were already in effect. In other countries, 475 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: there wasn't any such thing as comprehensive insurance for shipping companies, 476 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,199 Speaker 1: and because American companies had no limits to their liability 477 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,359 Speaker 1: in the event of a disaster, they faced much higher 478 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:37,199 Speaker 1: potential costs. So a law was drafted to try to 479 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: make shipping companies operating out of the United States more 480 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 1: competitive with similar businesses operating out of other countries. This 481 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: law limited a company's liability to the value of the 482 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: ship and the cargo after a disaster, so if the 483 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: ship was a total loss, that value might actually be zero. 484 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: This law, by the way, is still in effect. That 485 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: was used in a tempt to get the damages of 486 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: the Deep Water Horizon disaster capped at twenty seven billion dollars. 487 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: The Princess Sofia case was appealed all the way to 488 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 1: the Ninth Circuit Court, and the Supreme Court declined to 489 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: hear it. In the end, CPR settled for six hundred 490 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: forty three dollars and fifty cents, which was less than 491 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,520 Speaker 1: two dollars for each victim. Meanwhile, the company did get 492 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: a payment of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from 493 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: its ensure. The Lynn Canal is still overwhelmingly how people 494 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: get to and from Skagway, Alaska, although there is a 495 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: year round highway connection and small plane service today. But 496 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: the canal is also much safer today than it was 497 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: in nine eighteen, and it is a popular route for 498 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: Alaska cruises. The buoy that had been visible only by 499 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,760 Speaker 1: day was replaced with a light, and of course navigation 500 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: and sonar technologies are far more advanced than they were 501 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 1: one hundred years ago. Ultimately, the s S Princess Sofia 502 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: was a total loss and the wreck is still there 503 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: the Lynn Canal Today it's a popular dive site, with 504 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: some divers saying that it's haunted. Keepers at the nearby 505 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: Sentinel Lighthouse have also attributed ghostly noises to the Princess 506 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 1: Safayatt's passengers. Do you have um ghostly email? I do 507 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: have email, and the title of it is my air 508 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: conditioning horror question mark story. So that's see a little appropriate. Uh. 509 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 1: It is from Amelia, and Amelia says Hi, Holly and Tracy. 510 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: I'm currently listening to the History of air Conditioning. I 511 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 1: had a story sometime in the last five to seven 512 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: minutes of the podcast. You mentioned that hospitals were somewhat 513 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 1: slow to get air conditioning anyway. I spent a month 514 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 1: in Italy this summer May doing a study abroad project 515 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: with a few of my friends. Italy is really hot 516 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: in the summer, and even was quite warm eighties to 517 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: ninety degrees fahrenheit in May when I was there. They 518 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: also do not have a ton of air conditioning, but 519 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: generally a lot of vernacular architecture. I am someone with 520 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: a chronic illness, so a flare up is always possible, 521 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: but I didn't think it would happen. I was wrong. 522 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: I ended up being hospitalized for a week in Italy, 523 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: and I don't think I have ever swept so much 524 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: in my life. The hospital I was admitted to is 525 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: a very old hospital scheduled to be demolished in August 526 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: of this year, and my room there looked like there 527 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:19,959 Speaker 1: was a ceiling vent, but the nurses said it was 528 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 1: not working. So at this point my room was probably 529 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: eighty five degrees fahrenheit of stagnant air. I decided I 530 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 1: could not stay in my sweaty clothes, so I removed 531 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,719 Speaker 1: as much as I could. Given the i V I 532 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: was connected to as night felt it was still too 533 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: hot to sleep. I asked one of the nurses as 534 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: best I could if they had a fan I could use, 535 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 1: and she came back with a six by twelve inch 536 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:47,000 Speaker 1: piece of cardboard. This piece of cardboard was the single 537 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: best thing I had for this whole week. It was 538 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,920 Speaker 1: my only salvation from the oppressive and stagnant heat. I 539 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: had a very strong right wrist after that one week, 540 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 1: just from the repetitive motion of fanning myself with the cardboard. 541 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: Friends came to is It one evening and one of 542 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: the first things they said was about the temperature. Ultimately, 543 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: I came back to the States after being discharged. I'm 544 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: a okay now. I even attended your live show in 545 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: d C last week. My study abroad experience definitely did 546 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: not go as planned, but I now have several stories 547 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: about Italian hospitals and just Italy. I hope you both 548 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: enjoyed the story. I try to tell it as often 549 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: as I can. Amelia, thank you so much for sharing 550 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 1: this story with us. Amelia. That sounds miserable like being 551 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 1: sick in another country. Do you even start being sick 552 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: somewhere where you don't get to have your own bed? 553 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: Being sick when you're traveling you're in paradise sucks, yeah, 554 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: And then being sick when you're traveling, being sick when 555 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: you're traveling in another country, being sick when you're traveling 556 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: in another country and it's hot and there's no air 557 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: conditioning like that just sounds like heaps on heaps of misery. 558 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: So I'm very very glad you're okay now and that 559 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: you told this story and that it all worked out fine. Yeah. 560 00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 1: We we continue to get various emails about people's experience 561 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 1: in non air conditioned places. If you would like to 562 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: write to us about this or any other podcast, where 563 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: History podcasts at how stuff Works dot com. And then 564 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: we are all over social media at miss in History. 565 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 1: That is where you will find our Facebook and our 566 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: Instagram and our Pinterest in our Twitter. You can come 567 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 1: to our website, which is missed in History dot com 568 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: and you will find a searchable archive of every episode 569 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: we've ever done and show notes for all the episodes 570 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: Holly and I have done. And you can subscribe to 571 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: our podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, wherever else you 572 00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. For more on this and thousands of 573 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:43,479 Speaker 1: other topics, visit how Stuff works dot com,