Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-06-08
LOSS oE IhE coLlMA.
Survivors of the Wreck Tell OF Their
Awful Experience.


SAN Francisco, June "A special
telegram from Maztlan says:
1.-THE steamer San Juan has arrived here
with the twenty-one passengers picked
up Tuesday from the wreck OF the c.
lima. All the rescued people are
badly bruised. They we're picked up from
pieces OF wreckage and RATS. They
are not in condition to tell connected story
of the wreck and the experiences of their
escape, but many interesting particulars have
been obtained
"rhe steamer was heavily laden and had q
large deck load OF lumber When the storm
struck her she made bad weather of 1t, tho cap
tain having great difficulty in keeping her head
to the sea. The wind increased In fury untl
1t is said to have been the 6ercest storm
known along this coast in twenty years.
Waves washed the vessel and started
the deck load. The gale tore part
OF the deck load of lumber from its
fastenings and whirled the heavy planks about
with appalling violence. Many people were
struck and MANNED. AS least one passenger
was killed by having his head crushed by one
OF the flying tlmbers.
in their terror the passengers made few
mental notes of their surroundings at this
juncture. The survivors say, however, that
the officers of the steamer were brave
and active Capt Taylor stood upon
the bridge, his first officer, D. L. Grif-
f1ths, with him AT an order Griflths
lifeboat No. s. Second Ofncer Langhorn
at lifeboat No g. and succeeded In getting II
launched and filled with passengers. Then
do vn went the ship and Langhorn's boat waa
capsized. All in the boats we're supposed to
have been drowned
Capt Taylor went down with the
ship. AS the ship pitched downward he
blew three blasts of the whistle, sup
posedly as signal of good-by Then
he disappeared beneath the waves. The
,syfpa ND ara, ,s,,oH Nl,atr
Freight Clerk Berry was in his room at the
time of the final plunge Third officer
Hanson was saved. As the steamer
sunk he cut some of the lashings OF
the deck lnmber. Then he jumped or
was thrown overheard on the weather
side of the vessel and reached the top Of the
deck house This had been torn of and washed
away. There Hanson clung for twenty-one
hours He saw men and women sink about him
but was powerless to aid them Hanson says
that as the steamer foundered the boilers
burst The deck blew out under his feet as he
left the ship Ten other men were thrown into
the sea with him. The bursting of her boilers
tore of the deck and threw part of 1t over at
least dozen men who were struggling in the
wuter, killing them ALL
1.-Two life RATS were seen to be afoat On
one were eight men and on another six, includ-
| ing j. A. Childburg Of Seattle, Wash, who
| seemed TO have been a leader in the
| work OF launching the RATS. There
| was no hope for women or children and
small chance for men in such u storm Many
| of the women and children must have re-
! mained in their cabins The completely nude
bodies of the stewardess and two other women
came floating by the deckhouse some time
| after the steamer sunk
prof. Harold Whiting of the California uni
| versity made heroic but futile effort to save
| his wife and four children and the nurse. He
| got into boat in which were A. J. Sutherland
and others. The boat was soon swamped.
Then 1t was righted, but again went over.
Five times she was righted after being over
turned. The women and Prof. Whiting were
soon drowned despite all efforts 10 save them.
| Sutherland foated with the bottom of the
boat serving him as protecting shield.
1.-The survivors drifted about for twenty-four
hours in what Capt. Pitts OF the San Juan
says was the hardest storm experienced on the
coast in twenty years. OF course, none but
the stoutest could survive. Many OF those
saved were badly hurt by the wreckage and
lumber. Among those most severely injured
is C. S. Gushing, Jr., of Oakland His brother
was drowned
1.-The Colima is in 600 fathoms OF water. The
location where she went down is given us is de-
grees SO minutes latitude longitude 1o4 degrees
IA minutes west Though the direct cause of the
disaster was bhe tremendous sea and the fear
ful southeast gale, 1t is generally believed that
the Colima was badly overloaded All the pas.
sengers praise the captain for his GOODNESS ant
heroism. The last they saw of him he stood
ut his post"