A steamship carrying gold worth millions of dollars sank in the Pacific in 1875 . Hundreds of people died and the wreckage was undiscovered for over a century. The gold is still at the bottom of the ocean somewhere, untouched. This is a mystery of disaster and greed that’ll leave you shocked.
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company
The SS Pacific was one of the ships that formed part of a growing trading industry of people, products and gold along the West Coast. It was owned by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. It had been operating for years before its final trip. It wasn’t just a ship, it was a vital cog in the machine of trade.
The Final Voyage: November 4th, 1875
On a cold day in November, the SS Pacific departed from Victoria, Canada heading for San Francisco. It was packed with passengers and gold. Nobody knew that the cold was the least of their worries, because in just hours, almost all of them would be dead.
The Collision That Sealed Its Fate
The Pacific crashed into the Orpheus off the Washington coast, a much smaller sailing ship. The Pacific split open and started going under almost instantly. People panicked and there were barely any lifeboats. In just 20 minutes the entire ship had sunk.
The Survivors: A Rare Escape
Only two men survived including a man called Neil Henley. They held on to floating wreckage for two days before they were saved. Exhausted, freezing and in shock, they described a nightmare. They explained how fast the ship sank, how people screamed in terror, and how debris was everywhere. Without the survivors, we wouldn’t have known much about what actually happened.
The Gold That Vanished With It
The Pacific not only carried people, but a lot of gold. Many passengers were miners coming back from British Columbia with their wealth. The gold is worth over 100 million in today’s money. Treasure seekers have been searching for years but without any luck.
The Deep-Sea Mystery
No one found the wreck in over a century. The ocean is deep, the currents strong, and shipwrecks often disintegrate over time. In 2022, it was finally found thanks to modern technology. But getting to it and recovering anything is a whole new challenge.
The Human Cost of Greed
Later reports indicated that the Pacific was overloaded, badly maintained, and didn’t have basic safety measures. This was a more common occurrence back then; businesses were more focused on profit than safety. Greed played a big role in the wreck, and hundreds of people paid the price with their lives.
A Legacy of Tragedy and Treasure
The SS Pacific was one of the most destructive shipwrecks in West Coast history: almost 350 individuals lost their lives. The gold onboard is now worth over $100 million. The wreck stayed hidden for over 140 years, and the gold could still be buried in the Pacific seabed.
A Lost Fortune, A Lost Chapter
The gold is still waiting at the bottom of the ocean, but the real weight of this story isn’t about treasure. It’s about the people who never made it home. After almost 150 years, the Pacific still holds on to its mysteries.
Sources
The Public Be Damned: One Black Week in 1875 – The SS Pacific
The Sinking Of The SS Pacific
