Clyde William Knight
Clyde William Knight does not appear on the Valencia’s list of passengers; however, he is listed with four other men on leave from the US navy that were killed during the Valencia disaster. The official navy listing, published months after the Valencia disaster, is likely accurate and credible and it is interesting to note how often names were misspelled in newspapers in 1906. Two of the men listed in the navy report, Charles Uhler and John Finley were misspelled in the Valencia’s passenger list as C. Yuler and J. Fernie. This seems to make possible that Clyde Knight was a listed passenger on the Valencia and his name was too misspelled to recognize. No listed passengers come close to his name however. The US navy listing reads:
Merchant ship SS Valencia wrecked on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Five personnel on leave were drowned: Ordinary Seaman John Finley, Coal Passer Harman Fisher, Ordinary Seaman Clyde William Knight, Ordinary Seaman Charles Uhler and Coal Passer John Sidney Widmer. 23 Jan. 1906.
The Seattle Star newspaper wrote an article on February 5th, 1906 that confirmed Clyde William Knight was on the Valencia:
Albert Willis, of Spokane, one of the survivors of the wrecked steamship Valencia gives the name of C.W. Knight as on of the party of six naval men from San Francisco to Bremerton. Knight's name does not appear on the passenger list given out by the company and as he was not among those rescued his name must be added to the already long death roll.