Leaves San Pedro With Fifty-Twp People on Board, Is Overdue and Alarm Is Felt for Her Safety
April 5, 1903 – The freight and passenger steamer Newsboy of the Merchants’ Independent line, which left the East San Pedro wharf Wednesday evening for San Francisco, has not yet reached her destination, according to private advices received by the local representative of the company last night, and great concern is felt for the safety of the boat, her crew of twenty men and the thirty-two passengers who are on board. The fact that the steamer met with a rough passage on her last trip down lends to the supposition that she may have experienced similar weather on the return journey. It is known that the vessel met with an accident which injured her side, and it is said that the repairs were not finished when the boat set sail for the Bay City Wednesday. So much concern over the continued absence of the steamer is felt in San Francisco that the marine exchange of that city wired to C. J. Lehman, the local agent of the company, last evening for the passenger list. Later the exchange telephoned only to be informed by Mr. Lehman that the list was in the hands of George A. Gray & Co. The Newsboy is more than thirty hours overdue. With ordinary weather the run from San Pedro to San Francisco is made in from forty to forty-five hours. The boat leaves San Pedro every Tuesday evening and reaches the Bay City Thursdays. Returning, the Newsboy is scheduled to leave San Francisco every Saturday, reaching San Pedro Sunday or Monday. In its trip down last week the Newsboy encountered a fierce storm. The waves rolled high and the wind blew a gale. The steamer pitched and tossed and at one time was almost thrown upon her side by a great wave that swept clean over her deck. In buffeting the elements a steel shod timber broke loose and was dashed against the side of the vessel, ripping out her side and doing considerable damage. Fortunately, however, a cessation of the storm enabled the steamer to reach port without further mishap. The passengers were badly frightened and it goes without saying all were glad to step upon terra firma once more.
It is stated that when the Newsboy started for San Francisco Wednesday night the repairs to her damaged side had not been completed, as there was not sufficient time to do the work from Monday until Wednesday.
The steamer was in charge of Captain Corning, an experienced master, who has been with the George D. Gray company for years.
The Newsboy is a steam schooner, with, a gross registered tonnage of 208 tons. She is 121 feet long, thirty-one feet beam and 9.2 feet depth of hold. She was built in San Francisco in 18SS.
The exact time of the steamers departure from San Pedro was 6 o’clock Wednesday night. The boat carried fourteen first class passengers and eighteen second class passengers, besides a crew of twenty and a large amount of freight.
A telegram from Santa Monica last night announced the arrival there of the steamer State of California, which reported exceptionally high seas and a bad storm on Thursday.
An attempt was made to communicate with Mr. Lehman last night, but he could not be found. There is a list of the passengers in the local office which cannot be reached until Mr. Lehman goes to the office.
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