The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1895-06-06
A NIGHT OF TERROR
Survivors Tell How The Steamer
Went Down.
THE HEAVIEST GALE IN YEARS
r,,rdered in the Trough of the Sea
With the Officers at Their
Posts.

San Francisco, June 1.-The Examin-
or special from Mazatlan says:
The steamer San Juan has arrived
here with 81 passengers picked up on
Tuesday from the wreck of the Colima.
AS all were afioat lashed by the fierc-
est gale of years, and buffeted by angry
seas about "a hours, they are hardly
vet in a condition to tell a connected
story.
The steamer was heavily laden and
had large deckload of lumber When
the storm struck her, she made bad
weather of it. The wind increased in
fury until it is said to have been the
fercest storm known along this coast
in 20 years. The sea rose rapidly.
Waves washed over the vessel and
started the deckload. AS the waves
rose and the storm increased, the man.
agement of the steamer became impos-
sible. At last, about noon, her head
could no longer be kept on, and she
broached to. Once in the trough of the
sea, mighty wave struck her and she
was thrown on her beam ends.
The wave struck with such force that
the steamer trembled as if she had run
upon reef, and most of the passen-
gers thought this was the cause of the
shocks. The gale tore part of the deck
load of lumber from it's fastenings and
whrled the heavy planks about with
appalling violence. Many We're struck
and manned.
In their terror the passengers made
few mental notes of their surround
ings at this juncture. The survivors
say that the officers of the steamer
were brave and active. Captain Tay-
lor stood upon the bridge, his first
officer d. e. Griffiths, with him. At an
order, Griffiths rushed aft to superin-
tend the launching of lifeboat number
five. Second Officer George Langhorne
was at lifeboat number three and sue
ceeded in getting it launched and filled
with passengers.
Then the ship went down, and Lang
horne's boat capsized. All in the boat
are supposed to have been drowned
Captain Taylor went down with the
ship, sticking to his post. AS the ship
pitched forward, he blew three blasts
on the whistle, supposedly as a signal
of goodbye. Then he disappeared be-
meath the waves. The engineers and
fremen died at their posts. Freight
Clerk Berry was in his room at the
time of the final plunge. Third officer
Hanson was saved
| Hanson says that as the steamer
foundered her boilers burst The deck
burst under his feet as he left the ship.
Ten other men were thrown into the
sea with him. The bursting of the
boilers tore off the deck and threw part
of it over at least a dozen men who
were struggling in the water, drown
ing them all.
Two life rafts were seen to be afloat.
On one were three men and on another
six, including ]. A. Chilberg of Seattle,
who seemed to have been a leader in
the work of launching the raft.
So the fight for life began. There
was no hope for the women or child
ri, and small chances for the mer in
such storm. Many of the women and
children must have remained in their
cabins. Professor Harold Whiting of
California University made an heroic
effort to save his wife and four child
ren and nurse. He got them into boat
IN which were A. j. Sutherland and
others The boat was soon swamped.
Then it was righted but went over
again.
Five times she was righted after be-
ing overturned.
The women were soon drowned, de-
spite all efforts to save them. Some
We're killed or stunned by flying debris.
AT last only Sutherland was left To
avoid the swirling wreckage he climb
ed upon the seats while the lifeboat
was overturned, and so fioated, the bot
tom of the boat serving him as pro-
tecting shield. Air came to him through
the broken sides of the boat.
The survivors drifted about "a hours
in what Captain Pitts of the San Juan
says was the hardest storm expert
enced on the coast in 20 years.