The Helena independent., 1892-10-10
A BIG CRASH IN THE FOG.
The Steamer Premier and the COL
lier Willamette Collide Near
Port Townsend.
Four People Killed, One Drowned
and Seventeen Others Badly
Injured.
Tho Vessels go Tightly Wedged That
They Had to Bo Reached Together
A Helena Man Hurt.

EKaTrLF, Wash, Oct. 9.-The Canadian
Pacific Navigation oompany's steamer
Premier was strnok by the steam collier
Willamette in a dense fog off Whitby
island about ten miles south of Port Town
send yesterday afternoon. Four were
killed. ono drowned and seventeen badly
wounded. The steam ting Goliah has ar
rived here with three OF the dead. all Of the
wounded and the other passengers, after
having spent several hours in an attempa
to save from the wreck the body of an IN
known passenger wedged in there. The
dead are: Johannas Moe, of Tacoma. age
40, motorman on the electric line; Frank G.
Wynkoop, 13 years old, son OF ID. j. Wyn-
koop, of Tacoma; John Rankin. waiter and
steward, of Seattle; VIM. Richardson, pas
senger. body left in the wreck. An
unknown passenger jumped overheard and
was drowned. The injured are al fol-
lows: Gus Dayis, wasohman of the
steamer Premier, ribs broken, seri-
ously injured internally; Thomas Fo-
ran, of Seattle, left leg broken at the
knee, arm hurt; w. II. Phillips, OF Helena
Mont. both legs slightly crushed. ribs
broken; ID. J. Wynkoop, OF Tacoma. out
above left eye and bruised; Mrs. ID. j. Wyn-
koop. of Tacoma, hip bruised; G. s. Gill
bert, travelling man, of st. Paul, Mimi,
bruised and cut, not serious; Mrs. Wilcox.
of QuiIcine, WASH, wrist and elbow
sprained; L. w. Vest. of ST. Louis. Mo-,
badly bruised on knee and arm; John
Lysle, freight clerk of the premier, nose
cut, not serious; Jack Levy. of the steamer
Premier, badly cut and bruised. not SER
,,rnn ,Ix,,u fypY Il b.
Mrs Ida Sutter, of Sturgis.
OAK, Bruised Mrs. George W. Miller, Of
Tacoma. injured slightly; Z. f. Lee, of
Pontiac, WASH, slightly hurt; A. +. Lund-
berg, injured internally; Alban
Leidholdt. waiter of the Premier. left arm
broken and leg bruised; Francis HuRhert,
of Tacoma, slightly hurt; Jacob
Nelson, of Port Tow nsend, arm, chest and
legs hurt, not serious.
The Premier left Port Townsend about
| 1870 for Seattle in heavy fog. blowing her
| whistle continuously. When off the roins
| another whistle was soundsd cioHs by, and
almost Immediately afterward terrific
| crash was heard. The fore cabin of the
| Premier was smashed to splinters and the
| PROV of the Willamette, bound from Seat
| tie to San Francisco with coal, was found
| jammed right into the bow OF the steamer.
! There were number of men in the Pre-.
mier's cabin, one of whom was killed, to-
gether with a boy. The steward, who was
| in the saloon eating his dinner, was in
| stantly killed. Several other passengers
were jammed in the debris and some of
them seriously injured. and all more or less
bruised.
The stem Of the Willamette was 80
deeply imbedded into the Premier that the
assenoers scrambled over the broken
woodwork into the collier. The ladies
were handed up first, followed by the
wounded as fast as they could be moved.
Men with broken limbs, and both men and
women with bleeding faces and bodies,
were helped up. 1t was soon seen to be i'm
possible to draw off tho Willamette with
| out sinking the Premier, so Capt Anderson
determined to forge ahead. driving before
| him the steamer spiked on HIS bow. de
| forced her back on the beach. and the Will
| lamette was so tightly wedged that he
could not back off without dragging the
Premier with him.
! The tug Goliah, towing out schooner,
was hailed, aud she took off the passengers.
bearing them to Seattle. where they arrived
about midnight. The recedina tide left
| both vessels stranded and still interlocked.
| 1t was feared that the bow of she william
cite was partly stove.
Although the whole affair occurred in a
| few moments and the passengers quickly
recovered from their momentary shook and
fright, there we're some pitiable scenes.
One man whose name Is unknown was
| crazed with fear, and immediately sprang
overheard from the Premier and was
| drowned.
To-day two powerful tugs succeeded in
pulling tho Willamette free from the Pre-
mer. body was recovered from the
wreekage and proved to be that of q pas
senger named William Richardson. The
iemier sank in twenty ty-four feet of water.
1t will cost 800, 900 to aise her.