In November 1935, the British ship, the Silverhazel, wrecked during a storm in the Philippines.
What would that have to do with local history? Surprisingly, there was a local connection to that tragedy on the other side of the world.
The story begins with Homer N. Zerfing, a 1928 graduate of Riverside’s Poly High School.
Homer was a first-class radio officer, stationed in Manila on the USS John D. Ford. Zerfing still had family in Riverside, including his father and sister. Zerfing was also married, and he and his wife Jeanne had many good friends in Riverside. Jeanne had recently spent several weeks in Riverside, visiting with family and friends.
Jeanne then went to join her husband in the Philippines on, you guessed it, the Silverhazel.
Unfortunately, the Silverhazel was caught in a storm in the Straights of San Bernardino in the Philippines. The ship broke in two and the 49 crew members and five passengers clung to a wave-swept rock for two nights and three days before being rescued by the American destroyer USS Peary and the commercial tugboat Trajabador. They were then taken to Manila. Amazingly, only a few people lost their lives in the wreck, including the captain, one seaman and one passenger who was reported to have gone mad and flung themselves into the sea.
The Riverside Enterprise carried an Associated Press account of the wreck, which included an interview with Jeanne. According to the article, she was asleep in her cabin when her roommate woke her up and told her the ship was sinking. They made their way up to the top deck, as the lower deck was already underwater. The ship was jammed up against some rocks, and the crew used the ship’s derrick to move passengers from the ship and onto the rocks, where they were almost swept away by waves several times.
The crew was able to take food and tarps off the ship, and with the tarps made makeshift shelter for everyone. As ships became aware of their peril, they arrived in the area but had no way to rescue them from the rocks. The crew then made rafts from the Silverhazel wreckage to float everyone to the rescue ships.
However, everyone had to jump from the rocks into the water and swim to the rafts. Capt. Lennard gave his life vest to a crewman who didn’t have one. He then tied his pet dog to his neck, and he jumped into the water and was swimming near Jeanne. Without the life vest and with the dog tied to him, the captain began to struggle. Jeanne tried to help him but was unsuccessful and the captain was lost.
Happily, Jeanne survived her ordeal and sailed again several times. However, Homer and Jeanne later divorced. It appears she never remarried but Homer did and had one daughter. Homer spent 31 years in the Navy before retiring in 1958. He and his family lived in the Jurupa Valley area after he left the Navy. He died in Texas in 1979, where he and his wife lived in their later years.
If you have an idea for a future Back in the Day column about a local historic person, place or event, contact Steve Lech and Kim Jarrell Johnson at backinthedaype@gmail.com.
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