Tuesday, September 11, 2012

SS Orteric


Wow wow this is so exciting. Through Blogs, Facebook friends, Google+ and Facebook groups I am finding quite a few people who are descendants of passengers on this voyage on the SS Orteric. There have been some light referral to the problems on this ship and a few discrepant reports, such as: Were there 48 or 58 children that died on this 48 day voyage? None of the accounts I read from descendants’
referred to The Federal Reporter vol.225 pages 341-348 Findley vs United States explaining how there was a law suit brought up against Captain Findley (under English owners) regarding the filthy conditions of this particular journey on this ship.
The SS Orteric departed Gibraltar on 24 Feb 1911 and arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii 13 April 1911 9am. Yet the ship and all the passengers were sent to Quarantine Island for an additional 15 days. Over one hundred (100) years ago my husband’s father left his homeland Espana and migrated to the Hawaiian Islands with his family. On a ship: The date in 1911 they left the harbor was a year before the Titanic left England. I had seen the movie Titanic, I had been on the Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, Calif. I understood things were not idea, but I thought their trip could have been reasonably comfortable. SS Orteric Who: Spanish and Portuguese Migrants What: SS Orteric Why: War -- King Alfonso and Sugar Industry Treaty How: Panama Canal ? NO AROUND THE CAPE!! first ship through the Panama Canal was 1914 When: 1911 (48 – 52 days)
But I was curious: Photo and dimensions’ of the ship Details of the journey Spaniards sent below Death Illness Quarantined Cholera For all his bother how was the captain awarded??? Law suit and fined. In His defense the captain presented the difficulties encountered on the journey ChickenPox. poor food, seasickness, women fighting including hair pulling and pitched battles. I was curious what exactly was meant by pitched battles (I imagined fights that started up whereas participants would pick up weapons like a pitch fork) but in truth the phrase means something a lot more menacing and potentially dangerous: pitched battle (p cht) n. 1. An intense battle fought in close contact by troops arranged in a predetermined formation 2. A fiercely waged battle or struggle between opposing forces. Therefore the separation of passengers were necessary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights r Our purpose is to spark interest in the next generation to learn about their ancestors. If we do not dig past the surface information, maybe we can have the FACTS Yes we could have just put the “facts” in but I think we would have missed the real story. Not to scare the heck out of next gerneration, I need to relax some of the more ominious details but I would like them to gain some insights of their relatives so I will emphasis the facts of Self-made people Cleanliness counts Stay true to your dreams Stick together with those that care about you This too shall pass Educate yourself and assume nothing!! In conclusion I want to introduce the new generation to game called
Tape the Boat on the Map.
Here I have copied photos of the SS Orteric, one by one the participant will be blindfolded and turned around. The game will have two TOP winner and several second place winners. The Winners will be the two boats that are the closest to the departure port and arrival port. The secondary winners will be anyone with a boat placed anywhere along the immigrants ocean voyage. I will also include some but not all my references for future genealogists. S.S. ORTERIC 1) Excerpts taken from the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. State of Hawaii Library on microfilm, State of Hawaii Archives. 2 ) The Island Routes Facebook Blog (founded by Melody Lassele) 3) http://www.clydebuiltships.co.uk (dimensions of the ship) 4) The Federal reporter: with key-number annotations ..., Volume 225 By District of Columbia. Court of Appeals, United States. Circuit Court of Appeals, United States. Circuit Courts, United States. Commerce Court, United States. District Courts Pages 341===348 5) S.S. ORTERIC Date(s) of creation: [ca. 1910-ca. 1920] postcard : printed, b&w ; 8 x 13.8 cm. approx. Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria Accession No: H27570/128 Image No: a12541 The ship: Launched 1910: ss ORTERIC ss ORTERIC ________________________________________ built by Russell & Co Port Glasgow, Yard No 607 Engines by Rankin & Blackmore ________________________________________ Propulsion: steam, triple expansion, single screw, 13 knots Launched: Monday, 19/12/1910 Built: 1911 Ship Type: Steamship Tonnage: 6535 grt Length: 460 feet Breadth: 57 feet Owner History: Bank Line Ltd ( Andrew Weir ), Glasgow Status: Torpedoed & Sunk - 09/12/1915 Remarks: O.N. 129534 Completed: January 1911. Torpedoed by U.39 in 32.30N 25.30E, Antofagasta for Alexandria with nitrate. Previous updates by Stuart Cameron, George Robinson and Bruce Biddulph

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Himan Reunion June 11, 2012 --- So the planning starts

Okay before you start to read this---- note this is a draft of a blog. This will be a series of blogs as I participate in a family reunion committee. Blogspot has a new format! I will correct this blog and edit ---- when I find the spell check!!! Someone stoled my spell check!! In May of 2012, Tony and I took a ride to spend a few days with his brother Hank and his wife Linda. We began talking about the genealogy I have been doing and what was the best way to try to get it more complete family history and distribute the information we have discovered.
We also discussed Lee Hardcastle and his failing health and how many of the children would love to see their Uncle Lee. We discussed ways to get people together and decided RENO was a good middle of the map for us to visit. We further evaluated that Reno had ready transportation via the airlines for most people traveling from out of state.
Circus Circus often has great deals on their rooms, We would not have to worry if any of the kids decided to run around in the hallways, and Circus Circus has of course the Circus to entertain the kids!
RENO also has great sentimental connections to the Himan family. Tony and his family traveled to RENO several times a year when Tony was a child. Every year on or around Nov 13th, Billy and I would pick up Aunt Pat and spend a week or so at Circus Circus. Pat and I would gossip for days and Billy would run down to the carnival and bring us stuffed animals he had won at the Circus Circus. We women would go to the "Chicken in the Pot" booth. The "Chicken in the Pot" booth is where you placed those silly dead chickens on a platform and then hit the platform with a rubber mallet. The object of the game was an to land the chicken in a one of several pots that were moving constantly. It was such fun and a great stress reducer.
Let's just say AUNT BARBARA never need to pay for a room or meal at HARRAH's RENO and had her "favorite room"! She also had her favorite poker video game that she hit the jackpot quite often. Jackpot was just under 1200 (therefore no tax information was required!) Truth be told-- I hit the jackpot on her machine also one time.
Because it was near Pat's birthday --- Uncle Hank picked Nov 10, 2012 as the reunion date. Linda Himan sent out SAVE A DATE letters. I added family group sheets with instructions to be added to the SAVE A DATE announcement. This is Hank and Tony's sister called SISTAH later she named herself PAT Her birth name was Isabel Gloria Himan named after her parent's two mothers
June 11, 2012 email from Linda Himan: Himan ReunionMonday, June 11, 2012 6:43 PMFrom: This sender is DomainKeys verified"Linda Himan" View contact detailsTo: "Ruth Himan" , "ruth & tony himan"
Hi Ruth - I Spoke with Hank, He felt 11/10 a Saturday would be best, is this o.k. with you & Tony? We are leaving in the morning to see Mendy Himan, our grandaughter in Las Vegas, she got married last year, and we found out of facebook, she & Hank haven't been keeping in touch(she is Bear's Daughter) Like you do, I made plans for us to go & see her and meet her husband. We will be back on 6/14 Late. Love ya - Linda P.S. When I get your list & phone #'s I willl start making calls, and send you results. I'm really excited about the reunion