Outcry After Steamer Captain Fails to Rescue Men from Collapsed Wharf
A Seattle harbor accident ignites public debate over a captain's choice to pull away from a sinking structure.
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Capt. Ross of the steamer Haitian Republic is being severely criticized for failing to lower a boat to pick up three men who fell into the water when H.W. Baker & Co.’s wharf collapsed. Instead of rendering aid, Ross headed the vessel out into the harbor, leaving the men to climb onto the wreckage as best they could. Ross claims he did not know if anyone had been killed, and later expressed relief upon learning no one was injured. The incident has raised questions about maritime duty and the responsibilities of vessel masters when accidents occur in port.
“He headed the vessel out into the harbor and left the men struggling to climb up on the wreck as best they could.”
Harbor safety and corporate liability remain central issues for the working waterfront in Seattle. The public criticism of Capt. Ross reflects an era when the duty of care in a maritime city was enforced as much by public opinion as by law.
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