Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-06-12
THE COLIMA'S SURVIVORS.
A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE
WEIGHING OF THE STEAMER.
The Surviving Passengers Landed in San
Francisco-A Fatal Blunder Committed
by the First Officer-The Lost Ones
Whipped to Death by Waves
and Mangled by Float
ing Lumber.

and Mangled by Float
| ing Lumber.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 6.--The
steamer San Juan arrived this after
noon from Panama and way ports with
survivors of the wrecked Pacific mail
steamship Colima. AS soon as the
marine observer reported the ship two
miles out the water front became the
scene of considerable excitement The
Pacific mail dock was besieged by a
curious crowd that blocked the streets.
AS the revenue cutter bearing the
customs officers and newspaper men
neared the ship some of the Colima's
rescued passengers, with bandaged
heads, were seen leaning on the boat
rail.
Just prior to the arrival of the re-
porters, however, the Pacific Mail
Company's tug Millen Griffith came
alongside the San Juan and took off
Third Mate Hansen. of the lost ship,
who more than anyone else could
throw light on the cause of the wreck.
There was general disinclination
among the surviving passengers to
give any information, the only reason
given for their refusal to be inter
viewed being that under the circum-
stances they did not feel disposed to
talk.
George d. Ross, formerly boatswain IS
mate on the cruiser Olympia, who was
on his way to his home in New York,
gave the United Press reporter the
following graphic account of the
wreck:
I'VE left Mazatla Sunday, May 26th,
at o'clock p. III. with fair breeze
blowing. Toward o'clock in the
evening the wind increased little
Next morning at o'clock the wind
moderated considerably until about 8
o'clock, when it again came up and
steadily continued to gain in violence
until it acquired the proportions of a
hurricane The wind blew in great
gusts, causing the ship to list badly to
starboard. The Collma labored heavi-
| Iy and it was evident that we were in
a very precarious predicament. The
greatest excitement prevailed on board
and the faces Of the passengers plainly
showed that they were keenly alive to
their perilous position.
Unfortunately, just at the last mo-
ment fatal blunder was committed
by the third officer, who cut the last
hinges of a deckload consisting of 49,
|
washed into the sea and what remain
ed on deck was driven about, knocking
down and manning those whom it
struck A particularly heavy sea
struck the ship, tumbling the foremost
and smokestack. Shortly before this,
however, a succession of huge waves
| had punched q hole in our starboard
bow, through which the sea poured
Women screamed and rushed up the
companionwly, iinploring the men to
save them. The ship gave couple of
| heavy rolls, an enormous sea elm bed
on us, smashed the hurricane deck,
and with one mighty lurch the ship
went down. AS she was making her
last lurch | Owed into the sea, and
when | came up she was out of sight.
| People were floating around, clinging
to all sorts of wreckage and some sink
| ing under our very eyes. Some who
had managed to grasp hold of boxes or
planks were knocked seDseless and
drowned. The force and effect of this
floating mass of lumber cannot be de-
scribed. 1t caused the death of many
who might otherwise have been saved.
1T is a difficult matter to say to
what cause the wreck of the Colima is
attributable. She must certainly have
|
port showed. | firmly believe that
| but for the shifting of the cargo the
ship would have rode out the gale. |
had been in the water some little time
clinging to one object or another when
| finally | managed to get hold of a
good sized piece of hurricane deck,
! upon which | climbed. | drifted about
for some time, when | observed a
rather effeminate looking fellow ON
another piece OF wreckage close to me.
He seemed about done up, SO | seized
| his raft and hauled him on to mine
We made the rast Of the tip towards
shore together. He turned out to be
Thornton. We were the closest in
shore of any Of the survivors and were
picked up by the first officers boat of
the San Juan after Icing twenty three
hours in the water"
Ross was severely cut about the
/ head by floating wreckage and had
numerous other cuts about the body.
L. J. O'Reil, an electrician on his
way to Mexico. gave about the same
version of the commencement of the
storm. He said the Colima during the
height of the storm listed so badly
after each succeeding rush of waves
that she did not recover. "On the
|
went below to steering quarters and
water was noticed coming into the
starboard. Afterward the quarter
master came down saying the captain
wanted to see the engineer. The lat
ter went on deck, but returned to the
engine room in three or four minutes
looking like dead man. His face was
ashy pale. That was the last seen of
of him."
While O'Reil was telling this part of
the story relative of the engineer,
who had boarded the steamer with the
reporters, broke into tears and shook
convulsively.
by this time" O'Reil went on, 1.-THE
steerage passe ngers had all gone below,
when the seven men ofwar's men from
the American cruisers olympia and
| Philadelphia tried to console those
around them. One of these finally
told US we were doomed. We shook
LANDS. said good bye and he knelt on
u sack of flour and said prayers. |
then started to go on deck, but the
ship listed so badly | could scarcely
make my way Upstairs. At this time
the third officer cut the lashlngs that
bound the lumber deckload. The
smokestaek had toppled over. | made
fDT Il DOdt, lfi SiuluS 10 cuG III loose
from its fastenings, but was unable to
| do SO. The ship was on her beam ends
and the decks bulged out and were
finally rent. [ then jumped into the
| water, seized a box and was washed
about from one float to another like
many others. The heaviest squall
came just following the disappearance
of the ship. While it prevailed many
| of those who were STRUGGLING in tho
waves were mangled and drowned by
floating lumber. Five of US, Tom
Fitch, Jake Carpenter, two Mexicans
and myself, got on a raft and were
picked up by a boat in command of
Captain Log, formerly captain of the
Colima. A mexican named Zerrabia
went crazy from drinking salt water"
G. Il. Gushing, Jr., was in bed dur
ing the first part of the blow, but got
up in time to be hurled into the sea
with cabin roof. He told his story as
follows:
81 found myself iii the water without
L.