R.P. Rithet (sternwheeler) - Collision With Sidewheeler Enterprise

Collision With Sidewheeler Enterprise

On the afternoon of July 28, 1885, Rithet and another vessel, the sidewheeler Enterprise were both bound for Victoria out of New Westminster. Rithet was under the command of Capt. Asbury Insley, and Enterprise was under Captain George Rudlin. The weather was clear and visibility was excellent on that summer day. At about 2:25 p.m. near Victoria, at Ten Mile Point (now known as Cadburo Point) at the entrance to Cadburo Bay, they collided. Rithet's crew claimed Enterprise ignored a whistle blast directly her to put her helm over to port. A minute before the collision, both vessels were proceeding at full speed, although there had been a last minute attempt to reverse the engines on Rithet just before the impact, and the engines on Enterprise had been stopped. Rithet struck Enterprise bow-on, about eight feet forward of the wheelhouse. Enterprise started sinking immediately and panic broke out among the passengers.

The force of the blow knocked Captain Rudlin off Enterprise and on to the Rithet. Cattle being transported on Enterprise started swimming around in the water, and passengers and crew grabbed on for anything that would float. Most of the passengers of Enterprise were rescued, either by Rithet or by Western Slope which happened to be in the area and assisted in the rescue. Two passengers were drowned however. This was the first fatal accident involving the C.P.N. A later inquest found Captain Insley of Rithet was responsible for the accident, and that all the officers of both vessels, save only the mate of Enterprise, who was seriously hurt, deserved censure for not acting to quell the panic of the passengers aboard Enterprise. Captain Insley's license was suspended for 12 months and he was never employed by C.P.N. or any other company on the coast again, although he was able to find work as a master of inland steamers. His fault was that he had left a green hand at the helm while he left the wheelhouse to eat dinner. Captain Rudlin was faulted for not reboarding Enterprise from Rithet to take action to manage the evacuation of the vessel, but unlike Insley, he continued to receive command assignments from C.P.N.