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| A view of Kobe in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
By Robert Neff
On Feb. 28, 1880, the American merchant vessel St. Charles sailed into Hiogo (Kobe) Harbor with a small load of miscellaneous goods and 40,000 cases of kerosene from New York. The ship was relatively new (only 11 years old) and in good repair ― having been newly coppered for the voyage and equipped with new sails. After such a long voyage, one can imagine Captain E.V. Gates and his crew were more than a little excited with the prospect of celebrating the success of their voyage in one of the port's many taverns and drinking establishments. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be much of a celebration.
On March 1, the ship suddenly burst into flames. The crews of three warships (British, German and Italian) rendered assistance but all efforts to extinguish the fires failed and the American merchant ship was towed into shallow water and scuttled. There was nothing anyone could do but wait for the ship to burn itself out.
Adding fuel to the flames, it was discovered that the kerosene was insured, but the ship was not. This discovery, however, was not the worst news surrounding the ship.
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| The dock area in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
The crew was housed at Kobe Hotel, the proprietor of which was a Japanese man, though I am not sure why the newspaper felt compelled to note the proprietor was Japanese as he had no relevance to the events that followed. On March 3, the body of James King, the second mate, was discovered in his room lying in his blood-drenched bed. A quick investigation revealed that on the previous night, King had violently quarreled with one of his crew members, James O'Neill (alias James Rodger). Infuriated, O'Neill had apparently crept into King's room and stabbed him three or four times in the neck, and death had been "almost instantaneous." O'Neill was quickly apprehended and charged with murder.
The very next day, the fire aboard the St. Charles was finally extinguished and the remains of the ship and its cargo were auctioned off to E.C. Kirby, an English merchant, for $7,700. A Court of Inquiry was held and Captain Gates and his crew were found innocent of any wrongdoing in regard to the fire aboard the ship. The cause of the fire was never determined.
As for O'Neill, the United States Consular Court found him guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 20 years in the foreign prison at Kanagawa. He wouldn't be the only one going to that notorious prison.
On Saturday, April 3, 1880, the first and second mates of the American vessel Centennial came to blows on the ship's deck. William Drinkelle, the second mate, got the worst of the fight but was not willing to let it end. He went and got his revolver and fired five shots. Three of the shots hit Charles H. Abbott (the first mate) mortally wounding him. Abbott died before medical assistance could arrive. The ship's steward was also severely wounded ― shot in the knee ― but was expected to recover. Drinkelle was immediately apprehended.
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| Street view of Kobe in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
After a short trial, J. Stahel, the United States Consul at Kobe, found Drinkelle guilty of murder and sentenced him "to suffer the penalty of death, in such time, place and manner as the United States Minister to Japan may direct." Fortunately for the condemned man, Minister John A. Bingham refused to issue the warrant for execution until he could confer with the president.
We don't know what happened to O'Neill but we do know Drinkelle's fate. On Sept. 27, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt "granted a full and unconditional pardon to William Drinkelle." According to a New York newspaper:
"Drinkelle has been in prison for more than 22 years, two years in Japan and over twenty years in the Albany, N.Y. Penitentiary. He always has insisted that the crime was committed in the heat of passion and when he believed his own life was in jeopardy, the testimony showing that the murdered man had beaten and choked the prisoner almost into insensibility when the prisoner secured his pistol and shot Abbott dead. The Attorney General says that the element of premeditation was entirely lacking."
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| The road to the hot springs in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
Drinkelle was not the only one saved. When E. C. Kirby purchased the still-smoldering St. Charles, he probably expected to make a little profit from salvaging the copper bottom and some of the goods but he was wrong ― he made a huge profit.
According to the local English-language newspaper, the Hiogo News:
"The loss of the St. Charles by fire in the harbour was unfortunate for the owners, but the 'ill wind' they experienced seems to have blown the proverbial 'good' to Mr. E. C. Kirby ... [who] salved between 1,700 and 1,800 cases of kerosene from the 'tween decks, and it was found that the whole of cargo in the lower hold, over 28,000 cases, was untouched by the fire."
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| A colorful view of the pier at Kobe in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
The newspaper noted that the fire had burned much of the deck but the hull was still good and could be put in sea-going condition again, "being made into a much sounder and stauncher craft than the majority of the native-owned sailing ships of foreign build. Mr. Kirby is to be congratulated on the foresight and energy which have made him so handsome a return."
In February 1881, Kirby sold the St. Charles to a shipbuilder in Osaka for a tidy sum ($6,000 to $7,000). By the end of May, the St. Charles was ready to sail again. According to the Hiogo News:
"We are informed that the vessel has now been completely restored, rigged as a barque, and is ready for sea again. Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting her out of the river, but although the operation took a long time, the means adopted ultimately proved successful. We believe the vessel is chartered to carry timber from the west coast for the building of the new Houganji temple in Kioto."
I guess it is true, one man's loss is another man's gain.
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| The Kobe Bund in 1909 Robert Neff Collection |
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| Daibutsu in Kobe in 1910 Robert Neff Collection |
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| Bicycles and boats at the piers in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection |
Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.
