Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-06-08
A NIGHT OF TERROR
Survivors Tell How the Steamer
Went Down.
The HEAVIEST GALE IN YEARS
FoEnleTed i'll the Trough Of the sea
With the Officers at Their
GDsts.

San Francisco, June 1.-The Examin
er special from MaZatlan says:
The steamer San Juan has arrived
here with q passengers picked up Oh
Tuesday from the wreck Of the Colilna
AS all were afloat lashed by the fierc
est gale of years, and buffeted by angry
seas about a hours, they are hardly
yet Ia condition to tell 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 III
fury until it Is said to have been the
aeTcest storm known along this coast
III 20 years The sea rose rapidly
Waves washed over the vessel and
started the dtckload. AS the waves
rose and the storm increased, the man
aGelnent Of the steamer became impos-
slble. 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 its fastenings and
Whilled the heavy planks about with
appalling violence. Many were 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-
Tor stood upon the bridge, his first
officer, D, e. Grif1iths, 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 |
1fremen died at their posts. Freight |
Clerk Berry was in his room at the |
time Of the final plunge. Third officer |
Hanson was saved.
BansOn says that as the steamer
f0undered her boilers burst The deck
burst under his feet as he left the ship
Ten other men We're 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 RATS We're seen to be af0at
On one We're three men and on another
six, including j. A. Chilberg of Seattle
who seemed to have been leader in
the work Of launching the raft
SO the fight for life began. There
Was no hope for the women or child
~, ana small thgnces for The mer in
such a storm. Many Of the women and
children must have remained in their
"a bins. Professor Harold Whiting of
California University made an heroic
effort to save his wife and four child
zen and nurse. He got them into a boat
n which were A. J. Sutherland and
others. The boat was soon swamped.
Then 1t was rghted but went over
again.
Five times she was righted after be
ng overturned.
The women were soon drowned, de
pite all efforts TO save them. Some
we're killed or stunned by flying debris
At last only Sutherland was left no
void the sWirling wreclage he climb
d upon the seats while the lifeboat
vas overturned, and 50 tioated, the bot
ON of the boat serving him as pro
Getting shield. Air came to him through
he broken sides of the boat
The survivors drifted about "a hours 1
n what Captain Pitts Of the San Juan
ays was the hardest storm expert
need on the coast in 20 years.