The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-10
TIE CAPTAINS SPEAK.
Prem onitions OF Danger Bothered One
of Them for n Week,

Premonitions OF Danger Bothered One
of Them for q Week.
PORT TOWNSEND, Oct. 9.-The masters
OF the two vessels give different versions as
to the cause Of the collision.
Captain Bernard Gilboy said 81 was on
deck with the pilot at the time and we were
trying to locate the other vessel. There
was dense fog and | was blowing my
whistle three times minute.
Il heaid another vessels whistle blowing
every once in while, but not SO often as
mine.
II kept the Premier well to the right and
had turned her one and half points in that
direction. thinking, of course the other yes
sci would do the same. Only five minutes
before the collision we had passed the City
OF Kingston in that way.
'All at once the Willamette 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 Willamette's thIa6 whistles
sounded reversed at once.
None or my crew lost their presence of
mind, and, as they came to report for duty,
l directed some TO get the boats ready and
some 10 rescue the wounded and dead. We
got the latter out Of the wreckage within
twenty minutes. Those we'll enough 10 take
care OF themselves stepped on board the
willamette"
Captain Glboy was perfectly calm and
collected and betrayed no excitement or
worry as TO the cause of the accident and
gave his version Of the affair in frank.
open manner.
Captain c. K. Hansen of the Willamette
was also very frank IN his statement and
Wiling 10 answer any questions 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 extremely nervous, but by no
means irritable. He paced backward and
forward. eonversed with nobody, and three
times during bis narrative said, Its ter
ribie ih' IA mans BRAIN"
His version of the affair is as follows:
We laIt Seattle between 10 and IL O'Clock
short before s reaehne Pa,n Ps1ntinSed Me- PINT, gnt
wheDI it lifted little. A short distance
farthkr we ran Into it again and / sounded
my whistle about once minute as warn
ing. had double lookout and also an
other officer on the bridge with me, and as
we heard another whistle sounding we
were on the alert all the time. / heard an
other whistle on the starboard side (righO
and signaled two whistles, which meant
, that both vessels should go to port side
QefD. but the Premier only answered with
one whistle. which she was sounding all the
time and which in fog is no signal at all,
but merely warning.
"All at once | saw the vessel loom up
across Inc WlliametteS bow. My ship was
Immediately, or as s0on as a vessel Of 5000
tons can be, reversed at full speed, but it
was too late. | had slowed down fifteen
minutes before we struck, so we were not
going fast. If we had we should have gone
clear through the Premier. For the last
i've or six days have felt that something
was going TO happen. / live in Seattle and
the other day my wife said to me, What's
the matter with you? You are so nervous
You can't keep st i'll q minute
The temperaments of the two masters are
also IN contrast Gibb0n being phlegmatic
ana Hanson nervous.
A prlful thing happened in connection
with the death OF Richardson. Shortly after
MS body had been found, a telegram came
mere addressed 10 Robert Leighton from his
VIE, lnquIing whether he had departed on
tne ill-fated steamer. Ii was not known
mat he had left on the Premier until shortly
after friends came from the wreck and sent
telegram to his partner in Tacoma. After
that came word that his brother was anx-
lously waiting in the telegraph Office In Ia
coma Tor an answer to his wife's telegram.
BeieVers IN presentments will point out
that in this case he was the only victim who
was not even known TO be aboard, and yet
ne was the only one on the Inflated vessel
a0ont whom earnest inquiry was made to
allay anxious f0reb0dings.
Ihe steamer Wildwood left here at noon
Ior the scene OF the wreck, taking about 100
excurslonists.