The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-06-07
'IHE lOIlNA SURVIVORS.
Seventeen of the Fortunate Ones
Landed at San Francisco.
THE TRUEoAUsE OF THE DISASTER.

All Of the Rescued Passengers Agree That
1t Resulted from the Vessel Being Too
Heavily Loaded on Deck-No Time to
Launch the Lifeboats.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 7.-Seventccn Of
the survivors OF the i'll fated steamer Co
lima arrived in port yesterday on the San
Juan. Hundreds of friends and relatives
OF those who went down on the Colima
were assembled awaiting the landing of
the passengers. nroves of women with
tear stained fnces and knots of anxious
men asked every one on board for tidings
OF the lost, hoping against hope that there
might have been some mistake in the dis
patches and some name omitted among
the saved. How keen was their disap-
pointment in the face Of the inevitable as
Burance that there was no hope was
tvinced in their bitter lamentations. On
the spur deck of the steamer were a few
happy people, whose pleasure contrasted
sharply with the grief of the bereaved.
These were the friends of the survivors,
who were embraced and congratulated at
their miraculous escape.
The Colima survivors who landed at
this poIt. are Passengers-A. j. Suther-
land, C.H. Cushing, ]. NJ. Thornton, p.
ooydi ousbdNO isoWaut Shiai
Jose Antonio Sliz, Jose f. Mariella;
George d. Ross, Louis Sangene, A. ]. oiel,
Juan A, Ramos. Crew-O. A. Hansen.
r. A. Willes. Albert Carpenter, Arthur
Richardson, Tom Fish. The following
were landed at Mazatlan: Thomas Zara.
bos, Domingo Aliaban, Angel Guithez,
Carlos Ruise.
The nineteen mon saved from watery
grave when they had given up hope Of res
cue were sorry looking party when they
arrived at the main docks. Some had
their arms in slings. The heads of others
were swathed in bandsges. They limped
as they walked, and their bruises were
plainly In evidence. All looked thin and
weakly, and showed only too plainly the
effects of the terrible strain during the
fearful hours when they awaited succor.
The stories of the survivors all con-
hrmed the telegraphio accounts Of the dis
aster. They agree that the cause Of the
laundering was the top heavy condition
of the Colima due to her bulky deck load.
From the beginning of tho voyage south,
they say, the vessel acted badly and would
not answer her helm. The storm which
sunk her was encountered about o'clock
Monday night, May land blew furiously
during the next fourteen hours. The ves-
sci lost storage way and swung shore
ward In the teeth of a furious southeast
erly gale, whom she lay helpless, battered
by the mighty tidal waves.
The steamer lay helplessly on her side
for about fifteen minutes, and then tipped
over and sank. The women and children
were grouped In the state rooms, where
they were confined during the gale. Pas
sengers who had been on deck were
thrown into the sea. Many were killed
and horribly mutilated by tho lumber on
the deck being blown by the wind and
hurled on the heads Of the struggling
men in the water. The raft upon which
Gushing, Richardson and two others were
ahoat drifted about twenty-four hours.
They gave up all hope until the San Juan
hove in sight. They attracted her atten-
tion by hoisting piece Of red cloth and
waving their clothes.
On the raft with the passengers were
two sailors One seized a small cask of
claret, of which both drank They became
drunk and quarrelsome To save the lives
of the rest on the raft the passengers say
they were obliged to push one sailor mad
with drink, into the sea, where he
drowned. The passengers say there was
no time to lstnch the boats or put on life
preservers when they realized the serious
plight Of the Colima, and besides, the fury
Of the storm made 1t impossible to launch
or man the boats successfully. Those who
secured life preservers got them in the
water and those in the boat picked up by
the San Juan clambered into her as she
1oated towards them struggling in the sea.