The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-10

broken on the left side, but otherwise
than the shock Of being thrown into the
water at the time of the collision 10 all
right
Thomas Foran had his leg set yesterday
and is resting easy in room No. s.
Alban Leidholdt wears his right arm in
sling and the physician fears he NAV
have trouble with his right hip. He is
not confined to his bed.
T. A. Fallihee, whose right foot was
hurt and his head bruised, left the hospi.
tai yesterday morning.
The other passengers who were not in
jured seriously either went to their homes,
hotel or continued on their journey by
the first train or boat Mr.. and Mrs. Wyn-
koop. both of whom were badly bruised,
went to Tacoma with the remains Of their
SON.
The story of the collision IL ono that is
told in different way. in regard to detail,
by each OF the hundred or more who
passed through it The facts, as near as
they can be arrived at from talks with
over fifty of the passengers and the inves-
LEGATIONS Of . Posr.INrxLLIGxNcE1 staff
correspondent dispatched to the scene
Saturday night, are as follows:
The Willamette left Seattle at 10 o'clock
with 400 tons of coal for San Francisco.
Meeting with thick fog she felt her way
down Sound slowly and reached Bush
point about 2 o'clock, when, after having
gotten an echo from . high bluff which
told him where he was as plainly as
though he could see the shore, Captain
Hanson shaped his course down the
Sound blowing his whistle regularly.
The Premier had left Whatcom . little
late in the morning and had been delayed
by the fog, so she was about three hours
late when she reached Marrowstone point
at about 2:15 O'Clock, when the Willamette
had about rounded Bush point, few
miles up Sound. Capt. Gilboy got his
echo and headed straight for the other
point. 1t is quite natural, therefore, that
the two steamers should be in the same
roadstead. their masters having shaped
their courses with such accuracy to cut
from point to point. going in opposite di-
rections. Capt. Gilboy kept his whistle
blowing at short intervals and kept good
lookout. As soon as the Willamette's
whistle was heard on his port bow he
slowed his engines to have his vessel in q
manageable condition, as the law provides.
The Willamette was also going slow and
cautiously.
Thus the steamers approached each
other. Every precaution appears to have
been used up to a certain point; then some
one blundered. Who it was will have to
be decided by the duly constituted author
tiles. The vessels knew they were near
ing each other, but neither appears to have
known the course of the other until their
black forms loorned up from the fog before
the startled eyes of the two masters.
Here the details are in controversy. Here
the blunder was made, if there was
blunder. The PosT-INrKLLIGENcER repre-
sentative who was sent to the scene of the
collision yesterday morning last night tel
egraphed from Port Townsend ON this
point:
How did It happen that the vessels collidsdf
The masters of the two vessels were doubly
alert, each having another officer with him.
Each knew OF the other presence, and, In fact,
they were signaling together through the me-
dunn OF the whistles. What did they say to one
another By these signals3 And II one said turn
to tho right and the other said turn TO the left,
which should have deferred to the Others judg-
ment? Answers to these questions will give
the cause Of the accident and place the respon-
sibility where It belongs
The mastera Of the two vessels give difEerent
versions Of the cause OF the accident
Captain Bernard Gilboy said:
Twas on deck with the pilot at the time and
We were trying to locate the other vessel. For
this purpose We were standing anidships on the
center line so that we could not be 30 easily de-
ceiycd as II We were forward and on one side
There was dense fog and was blowing my
whistle three times minute heard another
vessel whistle blowing every once in while.
but not 30 often as nina. kept pretty well 90
starboard and had turned her ono and half
points in that direction, thinking, Of course tho
other vessel would do the same Only fvo
minutes before the collision We had psssed tho
Kingston In thatway All At once the VILLA
mette blew two whistles and another short one,
and almost Immediately the crash came. We
had slowed down to about eight or nine knots,
and when the WIlamctte's three whistles
sounded reversed at once. None Of my crew
lost their presence OF mind. ard as they came to
report for duty directed some to get the boats
ready and some to rescue the wounded and
dead. We got tho latter out OF the wreckaga
within twenty minutes. Those able 70 take care
of themselves stepped on board Of the Villa
mette
Capt Giiboy was calm and collected, and be-
trayed no excitement or worry a. to the cause
of accident, and gave his versisn Of the affair In
q frank and open manner.
Capt g. X. Hansen, OF the Willamette, was
also very frank in his statement and willing to
answer any question about the accident.
although he was evidently under great mental
strain. His pale, haggard face showed that he
had taken no rest, and his manner was extreme
ly nervous, but by no means irritable. He
paced backward and forward while conversng.
and three times during his narration said. sIts
terrible thing on Q mans brains" His yer-
sion OF the affair is a. follows:
We left Seattle between 10 and II O'Clock In
thick fog, which continued until shortly before
reaching Point No Point, when IL lifted . little
little further on We ran into it again. and
sounded my whistle about once q minute as q
warning. had a double lookout and also an
other ofiicer on the bridge with me, and wu
heard another whistle sounding We were on tho
alert all the time. heard whistle on the star
board side and signaied two whistles, which
meant that both vessels should go TO port, but
the Premier only answered with one whistle.
which she was sounding al the time, and
which. In fog, in no signal at all, but merely
warning. All ut once saw . vessel loom up
scross the wiilamette's bow. Ny ship was i'm
mediately reversed. or, soon o vessel OF
5000 tons can he reversed while under headway,
but il was too late. had slowed down fifteen
minutes before we struck, SO We wero not going
fast. IL we had we should have gone clear
through the Premier. For the last five or SIX
days have felt that something was going To
happen. live in seattle. and the other day my
wife said to me: "Whats the matter with your
You srs 30 nervous you can't keep stiii q min.
ute"
The tempersments OF the two masters are also
in contrast. Gilboy being phlegmatio and Ham
sen nervous
Capt. 4. Biondi. tho well-known marine
surveyor, OF Port Townsend, an ex-
perienced mariner himself. was aboard the
Premier. Last night he said:
The question OF responsibility for the disaster
will be decided by the United States inspectors
after rigid investigation where all witnesses
viii be examined. In my opinion. and from
seamans standpoint. / consider It one OF those
unavoidable disasters Capts. Giiboy and Hanson
% well as the pilots Of both vessels are expsYi.
enced and careful men. Passenger steamers