By Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
It’s well known that the paddle-wheeler ferry Sausalito collided with another ferry in 1901, inspiring the opening of Jack London’s novel, The Sea-Wolf. But I was shocked to learn that the Sausalito had a reputation for careless navigation long before, and even after, that tragic accident.
The San Francisco Call, San Francisco’s dominant morning paper, reported on one of these mishaps in October, 1895:
“The Tiburon and Sausalito ferry-boats were again nearly in collision yesterday morning. On half a dozen different occasions either one steamer or the other has been in fault, but the Inspectors of Hulls and Boilers have always whitewashed the captains. No one has been to blame and the steamers of the two lines keep on getting within a few feet of each other in the fog and thus endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers.
“In the narrow escape of yesterday morning there was gross carelessness somewhere and the investigation, if inspectors Talbot and Phillips decide upon holding one, will probably be very searching. The steamer Tiburon, in charge of Captain White, left Tiburon for San Francisco at 7
a. m., and the Sausalito, in charge of Captain Wilson, left San Francisco for Sausalito at the same time.
“Both ferry-boats passed Alcatraz on the east side, but owing to the dense fog it was impossible to discern each other. When less than a hundred feet apart the passengers on the Tiburon saw the Sausalito heading for them at full speed. Captain White had seen the danger, however, and had ordered the engines reversed, so that the Tiburon was going full speed astern. The Sausalito held on her way, and the passengers say they could have thrown a biscuit on the rival boat had they so desired.
“At one time it looked as though a collision could not be avoided, and the passengers on both steamers made a rush for life-preservers. A narrow margin of seven feet averted the catastrophe and probably saved many lives.”
Captain White was quoted by the Call: “The Sausalito was making fully twelve knots an hour and she fairly flew toward us. I never thought we could escape her and aimed at taking a glancing blow. She just missed us, however, and all's well that ends well."
Evidently not. More risky behavior was reported in June 1898:
“The friendly practice of racing, in which the ferry boats Tiburon and Sausalito have been engaging for some time, came near ending In a collision last evening, As usual, they entered upon a contest as The Tiburon got a hundred feet the start, but the Sausalito gradually pulled up to her. When opposite Angel Island Captain White of the Tiburon veered slightly from his former course, the new course taking him obliquely across the Sausalito's bow.” This time a new Captain Wilson “reversed his engines in time to permit his adversary to cross by a narrow margin— about twenty or thirty feet. Otherwise, the Sausalito would have struck the Tiburon amidship at full speed.”
When the Sausalito rammed and sank the ferry San Rafael three years later, the paper ran this eyewitness account by a passenger, J. D. Warrack:
“The fog was very dense, in fact I have never seen a thicker fog in the six years I have lived across the bay. The San Rafael was going at half speed from the time we started until the Sausalito ran into her.
"I heard whistles blown while we were playing cards, but I did not pay any particular attention to them. We knew nothing of the Sausalito being close to us until the collision took place.
"There was considerable excitement but no panic. Women were screaming and the men were trying to quiet them. When I got around to the other side of the boat the Sausalito was close to us. She had backed off after the collision and then came up head-on and tied up to the San Rafael. I helped to get women and children from the San Rafael to the Sausalito.
"I think that about 200 people had got on board the Sausalito when a fireman of the San Rafael came on deck and said the boat was sinking. The life boats of the two ferry-boats were lowered by this time. I saw many people jump into the water when it was stated that the San Rafael was sinking. I should judge that eighty people went into the water. We threw life preservers over from the Sausalito and lowered lanterns with ropes.”
Even after that tragedy, which resulted in two deaths, the Sausalito continued to engage in hazardous practices. In February, 1902, she had another near miss with the ferry James F. Donahue. And in 1903, while the ironically-named captain C. J. Lucky was trying to avoid yet another collision, she went aground on the western side of Angel Island.
Against all odds, the old ferry survived into the 1930s.
PHOTO FROM SAUSALITO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
This photograph of the captain and crew of the Sausalito dates from the mid-1920s