The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-07

Inc steamer San Juan sailed into port
yesterday morning. She had on board
sixteen members of the shipwrecked
Colima. Very quietly and unostenta-
tiously she steamed in, her flag at half
mast out of respect for the death of the
Secretary of State, her white decks gleam-
ing in the sunshine, all spick and spank
and clean and neat to the eye, giving nc
sign of the awful tale of disaster that she
well the news she carried, and as soon as
the Merchants Exchange had been mott
fed of her incoming the intelligence
spread over the City, and hundreds were
gathered at the Pacific Mail dock before
the San Juan rounded the bend in the bay
and made fast to the pier.
Then there was q rush made for the gang
plank eager hands grasping it before it
was firmly on the dock-eager, anxious
souls waiting to go on board to learn the
worst or the best. Ali the faces in the
crowd were hopeful, though mingled was
q look of dread and fear lest the tele-
graphic reports from Mazatlan were cor
rect. or lest there had been a mistake in
the names of some of those reported to
have been saved. There was deal of ap-
prehension in the throng. 1t was not the
happy, smiling crowd that usually vel
comes the incoming steamer from foreign
ports. But what marked it most was the
eagerness to board the San Juan, and this
eagerness must needs wait on officialism
The wait was not long. Captain Rud.
dell was soon on hand, and after the Gov.
ernment representatives reached the top oil
the gangplank the eager throng was per.
mitted to press after him. 1t pressed sc
hotly, though fearfully, that those on board
fore they could disembark. Soon the decks
of the steamer were alive with throng OF
landsmen and newspaper men, all bent on
hearing the awful tidings from the stormy
sea off Mazatlan. where the Colima went
down on the morning of Monday, May 81
And many of those on board were as
eager to tell of their sufferings as were the
landsmen to listen. For not only had they
the tale of their disaster at sea to relate.
which in itself is an experience of a life
time, but they were indignant besides and
had a complaint to make against the own
ers of the San Juan for illtreatment re-
ceived both on board the Colima and the
rescuing vessel.
The story of the wreck they told has al
ready been told in brief over the telegraph
wires; but how different, how much more
vivid, more awful it was when coming
from the lips of those who lived through
the terrors of that fearful scene. The ship
was overloaded, badly loaded, top-heavily
loaded-all agree upon that. When the gale
struck her she weathered it, but badly.
Then she careened. There was a list to
starboard, and she did not right again.
Men called out to the captain to cut away
the deckloading of heavy spars. The cap
tain was obdurate. He knew his business,
or fancied that he did, and would brook no
suggestions from what he called the terri
fed and panic-stricken passengers. And
they probably were all that he called them,
for they could see death staring them in
the face, while the captain remained blind.
The pity of that blindness; it cost more
than 100 lives, that blindness, that obdu.
rateness.
The ship listed more and more. With
apprehension everybody waited, held their
breath, till she should bear up and right
again, but she did not right. She listed
still more. Then she lost her steering
power. The captain rang for more steam
and would not cut loose the deck load.
that might have saved her. Steam could
not save her. The engines were taxed to
their utmost; still the vessel listed. The
panic on board grew worse, the fear of
death more intense. Then the captain gave
orders for the crew to keep the passengers
within bounds. Whether these orders
went so far as to withhold life-preservers
from the passengers and to prevent those
who sought to do so from coming on deck,
where they might have had a chance of
battling with the waves, is not known at