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The Wreck of the Steamship Pacific
How Greed and Gold Sent Hundreds to a Watery Grave
By Rod Scher
Foreword by Richard M. Jones / Illustrated by Molly Dumas
Published by Lyons Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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Table of Contents
About the Book
The deadliest shipwreck on the Pacific Coast—and one of the most cynical cover-ups in maritime history
On the night of November 4, 1875, off the coast of Cape Flattery, Washington, the sidewheel steamer Pacific was struck a glancing blow by a larger and heavier sailing ship, the Orpheus. What followed was the worst disaster in “the Graveyard of the Pacific,” a region notorious then and now for maritime disasters. Well over three hundred people died when the Pacific sank, including many children who were allowed to board at no charge; they would survive for mere minutes in the icy, storm-tossed waters after the ship went down. In the end, there were only two survivors among the crew and passengers.
Like most such tragedies, the sinking of the Pacific was entirely preventable. The sinking—and the deaths—were the result of an all-too-common mixture of human greed and political chicanery. The steamship, though once a stout and resolute explorer of the seas, was by the time of the wreck an old and battered warhorse; shabby and listing, she had no business carrying passengers on the open ocean. Yet she had been pressed into service and pronounced fit for sailing because of the greed of gold miners, speculators, and crooked officials.
The Pacific allegedly has been located on the ocean floor, still holding a fortune in gold and cash—which has drawn attention from journalists, historians, and treasure hunters alike and renewed interest in a wreck long overshadowed by other maritime disasters. Author Rod Scher goes beneath the treasure story to the one that matters: the events of the fateful final voyage and the greed and political cover-up that occurred after the sinking.
On the night of November 4, 1875, off the coast of Cape Flattery, Washington, the sidewheel steamer Pacific was struck a glancing blow by a larger and heavier sailing ship, the Orpheus. What followed was the worst disaster in “the Graveyard of the Pacific,” a region notorious then and now for maritime disasters. Well over three hundred people died when the Pacific sank, including many children who were allowed to board at no charge; they would survive for mere minutes in the icy, storm-tossed waters after the ship went down. In the end, there were only two survivors among the crew and passengers.
Like most such tragedies, the sinking of the Pacific was entirely preventable. The sinking—and the deaths—were the result of an all-too-common mixture of human greed and political chicanery. The steamship, though once a stout and resolute explorer of the seas, was by the time of the wreck an old and battered warhorse; shabby and listing, she had no business carrying passengers on the open ocean. Yet she had been pressed into service and pronounced fit for sailing because of the greed of gold miners, speculators, and crooked officials.
The Pacific allegedly has been located on the ocean floor, still holding a fortune in gold and cash—which has drawn attention from journalists, historians, and treasure hunters alike and renewed interest in a wreck long overshadowed by other maritime disasters. Author Rod Scher goes beneath the treasure story to the one that matters: the events of the fateful final voyage and the greed and political cover-up that occurred after the sinking.
About the Illustrator
Product Details
- Publisher: Lyons Press (June 1, 2027)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781493094219
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Raves and Reviews
“Scher’s latest book skillfully brings together details of the sinking of the SS Pacific by looking at the broader aspects of the tragedy, including technology and socioeconomic influences, as well as examining how inflexible adherence to schedules and finances can lead to accidents. This well-documented and comprehensive analysis captivates, with interesting historical details that connect this 1875 tragedy to today’s maritime mishaps.”
– CDR John Harrington, USCG (ret.)
“Scher walks a fine line between sobering history and ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ disbelief. The result is an engrossing and thought-provoking read that proves even the darkest stories can carry a glint of irony—and a few hard-earned lessons. The book reads like the ‘Perfect Storm’ of human error.”
– Sam Catling, author of Seems Like Smooth Sailing; host of the DeckTales podcast
“The wreck of SS Pacific was the worst maritime disaster in the history of the 'Graveyard of the Pacific' and yet has nearly been forgotten. Rod Scher's detailed account of the sinking returns Pacific to its rightful place in the annals of marine misfortune in the Pacific Northwest.”
– Dr. Coll Thrush, associate faculty, Critical Indigenous Studies, University of British Columbia; author of Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific
“Will leave the reader . . . with a much greater appreciation for a tragedy that has, up until now, been lost to history.”
– Richard Jones, historian and author of Mined in the Humber: The Sinking of the Yorkshire Belle and Othello and Titanic: The Searches and the Dives
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Hardcover 9781493094219
