The herald., 1893-12-13
DISASTER ON THE SAN JOAQUIN.
Two Large River Steamers in
Collision.
The Leader Runs Into and Is Sunk by
the j. ID. Peters.
Sixty Insane Patients on the wrecke d
Vessel All Safely Rescued-Rare
Presence of Mind of
tho Attendants.

By the Associated Press.
ANTIOCH, CAL, Dec. 12-About 1C
O'Clock Last evening the river steamer
Leader was run into by the steamer J
d, Peters and sunk. The Leader wat
coming down the river with 60 male
insane patients, in charge OF DR.. Har'
shoit, en- route from Stockton to the
asylum at Ukiah, and cargo of freight,
consisting Of II horses, 400 sheep and a
quantity of produces and general mer-
chandiss. When the Leader was
struck the insane were Immediately
released and ell saved themselves by
climbing into the Peters. The horses
were driven overheard and SWAN ashore,
but the sheep went down with the
steamer. The insane were transferred
from the Peters to the steamer Mary
Garrett and taken back to Stockton.
HOW THE DISASTER OCCURRED.
STOCKTON, Dsc. 12.-The collision be-
tween the steamers J. d. Peters and
Leader occurred 100 yards below Pitts
burg landing, and Eve miles from An IT,
och. The Leader was hugging the port
bank and was moving rapidly with the
strong ebb tide, under the captaincy OF
j. +. Petzinger, who was also in the
pilot. Pilot J. M. Andrews of the
Peters blew one whistle and the Leader
answered and gave two for the Peters to
go to the left. Both stsamers were hug
ging the same bank. The Peters then
gave single whistle, and as il was i'm
possible for the Lsader then to take the
other bank her pilot rang the bells to
back her and gave three whistles for the
Peters to stop and back. The Peters
crashed into the Leader on her star
board side, between the bow and the
gangway, and in 10 minutes she sank to
the hurricane deck. The patients were
removed, many without their clothing,
to the hurricane deck and from there to
the Peters. The Peters has two holes
in her bow, one large enough for small
10y to crawl into. Tarpaulins were
nailed over the breaks and the steamer
arrived here at 10 80 with considerable
water in her hold. Four hundred sheep
and lot of rye and potatoes went down
with the Leader.
THE PATIENTS wELL-MANAGED.
The Leader left here yesterday after
noon. The patients were got on board
without difficulty. At the time the start
WAS made the patients were behaving
very we'll, and there was no prospect Of
any difficulty on the way to Tiburon.
which was the Leaders destination.
The Leader was struck amidships by the
Peters, which stove tremendous hole
in her side. The injured steamer began
sinking at once In this terrible situa-
tion the attendants behaved with won.
derful presence OF mind. The patients
were sleeping in the forward cabin,
though MANY OF them, as is the case
with such unfortunatss, we're not able
to sleep and had not made any attempt
to retire. The smalf boats were manned
unnecessarily, as the Peters WAS finally
able to run close enough alongside to-
take off the patients. II ls fortunate that
the attendants were not tallowed to sleep.
They had been ordered to remain on
duty all night and were ready 10 assist
in the dissrn barkation. The patients
gave no tronble, none OF them seemed
to clearly realize the danger o! the stu
alton. None of them made any effort to
resist the attendants. Scarcely five
minutes had passed before every patient,
attendants and all others aboard the
steamer Leader had been saiely put
aboard the Peters. When the Garrett
arrived ehe took the patients on to
Tiburon. Nobody was hurt. The Leader
sank within 10 minutes and now lies at
the bottom of the river.