12 November 1895: Coptic (Capt. Lindsay) arrives at San Francisco from Hong
Kong, Yokohama and Honolulu, setting a new record of 6 days, 2 hours for the
Honolulu-San Francisco leg of the trip. Because of her unexpectedly early
arrival, she will anchor between Alcatraz and Lima Point overnight rather
than try to dock in the dark. Among her passengers is Francis M. Hatch, the
new Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary from the Republic of
Hawaii to the United States. (Source: The San Francisco Call, 13 November
1895.)
7 January 1903: Corinthic, see 21 November, which arrived last night and
anchored in the stream overnight, docks at Wellington for the first time.
Continued 9 January. (Source: The Evening Post (Wellington), 7 January
1903.)
15 August 1903: At New York, Celtic II (Capt. Lindsay) arrives at the Bar at
6:15 p.m. and, rather than anchoring overnight in the harbor, proceeds
directly to her dock. This leaves her "dumbfounded" passengers, who had
counted on another night and breakfast on board, unexpectedly in search of
hotel accommodations when they disembark. (Source: The New York Times, 16
August 1903.)
9 January 1906: Canopic (Capt. Inman Sealby) arrives at Boston from the
Mediterranean with over 900 passengers, most of them Italian or Portuguese.
As the ship is being docked the tide carries her toward the Boston Navy
Yard, and she comes close to colliding with the nearby U.S.S. Constitution
before being brought safely to her pier. After she is secure her saloon
passengers and U.S. citizens in second-class and steerage will be cleared by
immigration officials tonight; the balance of her passengers will remain on
board overnight and be examined tomorrow. (Source: Boston Daily Globe, 10
January 1906.)
8 July 1906: Celtic II (Capt. Ranson), which arrived at New York last
night, but too late to dock, is able to land her passengers by 8 a.m. due to
the early morning arrival of the medical examiners at Quarantine. Among her
294 cabin passengers are Waldorf Astor and his bride, Nancy Langhorrne Shaw,
publisher Joseph Pulitzer, and J. P. Morgan, Jr.; there are also 206 in
steerage. (Sources: The New York Times, 9 July 1906; New-York Tribune, 9
July 1906; The Sun (New York), 9 July 1906.)
1 April 1908: After a westbound trip during which she encountered much
rough weather followed by "remarkable clam water" at the end, Oceanic II
(Capt. Haddock) arrives at New York late in the evening. Her gangplank is
not put down until 10:45 p.m. and most of the ship's second-class passengers
reportedly decide to remain in board overnight because of the late hour.
Among Oceanic's passengers is suffragette Lady Cook, née Tennessee Clafin,
accompanied by her nephew Millard Sparr. (Sources: The New York Times, 2
April 1908; Ellis Island ship manifest.)
12 September 1909: When Arabic II arrives at her New York pier at 10:15
p.m., nearly 400 of her 548 cabin passengers refuse to come ashore and
decide to spend the night on board rather than have to face customs
officials and then hotel accommodations that late at night. The customs
inspectors are said to be "upset" by their having had to leave
"half-finished dinners" to clear only a small number of passengers and
having to return early tomorrow morning, in the words of one, "to
accommodate them who would rather sleep than spend a few late hours on the
pier opening their trunks and explaining the contents of them to our men."
(Sources: The New York Times, 13 September 1909; Ellis Island ship
manifest.)
15 August 1911: Returning from his annual trip abroad, J. P. Morgan arrives
at New York on
Olympic (Capt. E. J. Smith); when reporters board at
Quarantine at 10 p.m., they find Morgan in his suite on C deck, playing
solitaire. His yacht Corsair comes alongside, but Morgan remains on board
Olympic overnight and boards Corsair at the pier. Other passengers include
U.S. Ambassador to France Robert Bacon, Sir Charles Beresford and
Philadelphia traction magnate P. A. B. Widener. (Sources: New-York Tribune,
16 August 1911; The Sun (New York), 16 August 1911; The World Evening
Edition (New York), 16 August 1911; Ellis Island ship manifest.)
30 September 1920: As Baltic II reaches the Ambrose Lightship just before
midnight and prepares to anchor there until morning, a severe southeasterly
gale leads Capt. Hambelton to return to sea to await calmer weather. Baltic
will proceed to quarantine early tomorrow, but because of congestion at
White Star's piers she will be held at anchorage there and will not arrive
at Pier 60 until 1:30 in the afternoon. On board are 2,060 passengers and
$10 million in gold consigned to New York bankers. (Source: New York
Tribune, 2 October 1920; The New York Times, 2 October.)
