Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-09
CHARGES OF INCOMPETENCY
Story Told by One of the Survivors of the
lll-Fated Ship.
coLlMA PASSENGERS KEPT PENNEO VI
Wreck of the Steamer Might Have Re
suited Less Disastrously to Life Had
Her Omcers Been More
Capable.

one of the survivors of the Colima, has sent
a communication to the Call, in which he
says: II want to make a statement now If
you will allow me to do so. You can find
out what | say is true if you will see the
other men picked up. Some of them will
not dare to tell the truth, as they have been
promised money to keep still.
THE Colima was lost because she was
badly handled by officers without capacity
and bad men when the gale struck us. When
| saw that the ship going to sink l
went after the life preservers and commenced
to give them out to the passengers. The
| steward told me to let them alone and or
| dered me forward. l was saved because
got life preserver, and If the others had
been allowed to get them, too, many would
| have been saved with me.
"The passengers were kept penned up un-
| til the last moment and then made to go
| down in the ocean like a pack of dogs If
| some of the passengers had killed the stew
| ard, who kept them from getting safety, 1t
! would have been a mercy to the others.
In spite of what he told me kept on giving
| out life preservers, and by this saved some OF
| the people from death"
| Rowan. who was badly injured in the
wreck also, says that he did not receive
proper care on the San Juan and charges
| the surgeon of that ship with gross negli-
| gence.
| AS a result of testimony given at the fed
| eral inquiry into the cause of the Colima
disaster a number of suits for damages will
be brought against the Pacific Mail company.
1t is alleged that the company was criminally
| negligent in the manner in which 1t loaded
the ship.
SUITS FOR DAMAGES.
| The Chronicle this morning says: Among
II Do a. Moh do
fend itself against judgment for damages
is L. r. Brewer, the wealthy planter, whose
| wife and three children went down on the
Colima. His home is destroyed, his happi-
ness gone, and he is inspired by a bitterness
| which words can hardly express. He knows
| much of the methods of the Pacific Mail
| company and told the story of how the
| Colon, only a few months ago. narrowly
| escaped disaster because her decks were
piled with lumber until she became top.
heavy. Even a slight swell threw her from
her position. Brewer was a passenger on
the Colon and gives with great clearness
his description of the inconvenience and
| danger created by the overlooking of the
decks. He is not alone in his charge, every
accusation being corroborated by another
who a passenger on the same ship.
The representatives of the Pacific Mai
know that an attempt will be made to hold
them responsible for the wreck of the Co.
lima. They acted upon that knowledge when
the United States inspectors of boilers and
steamships began and practically finished
their investigation of the disaster Not one
of the surviving passengers was called on as
a witness in that inquiry. The only evidence
asked and the only testimony received was
from employees of the Pacific Mail company
The fate of an estate valued at 100000 is
likely to rest on whether Prof. Harold Whit
ing of the University of California, who was
lost on the Coima, died before or after hi!
wife, who was drowned on the same voyage
Just before Prof. Whiting started on his
fatal voyage he made two wills, which hi
mailed to an old college friend who is nov
an attorney at Cambridge, Mass One wai
to the effect that If he should be drowned
bers of his family. The other was that IL
case he and his wife and all the children
we're drowned the estate should revert to thu
members of his family living in the east
If Prof. Whiting died first his wife AM
children Immediately became his heirs, bu
If Mrs. Whiting died later her heirs woult
inherit a small fortune to the exclusion o
the heirs Of Prof. Whiting in the east.
| Two persons who said they were representa-
tives of attorneys have called on A. j
Sutherland and asked him some signiican
questions. Sutherland was on the same raj
with Whiting and tried to save the pro
fessors life. Sutherland was asked whethe
Whiting or his wife died first. While tn
cool-headed survivor believes that Mrs. Whit
ing met her death some time before her hus
band sank into a watery grave, he could no
I positively answer the question, as he di
I not see Mrs. Whiting during the storm.