The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-06-02

City Of Mexico, June John NJ.
Thornton, the railroad contractor, one
of the survivors of the Colima wreck,
gives the following account of the dis
aster and the rescue.
After leaving the harbor Of Man
Zanillo on Sunday afternoon. we en-
countered a heavy sea and head winds,
which continued all night. The pas
sengers, of whom there were ffty-six.
including children and servants, first
glass, and about 50 second class, were
kept inside.
Ran Mountains High.
During the night the steamer con-
tinued on her course with only speed
enough to give her steerage way.
Shortly after daylight, on the morn
ing Of the 9th, I was on deck and
the mountains at the entrance of Man
zanillo bay were still in sight.
About 10 o'clock the next morning,
the storm reached its height The
wind was blowing a gale, and the
waves running mountains high. About
this time the ship seemed to be in the
trough Of the sea, the waves one after
another striking her on the port side
and Z kaTling her over to starboard.
Eyea ne she She, listed i she seemed to
room on the deck well aft, and on
the port side, opening On the deck,
and my sister-in-law had the second
one forward, opening into an interior
passageway. The room between con-
nected with Mrs. ThoTston's and also
opened on the deck, and was occupied
by Mrs. Thornton's maid.
"At about II o'clock the storm SEEM
ed at its worst. The ship was lying
over to starboard, and 1 left the deck
and stood in the passageway talking
70 Mrs. Thornton. The deck seemed to
have an inclination of about 45 de-
grees, and every wave washed over
the deck. flooding the staterooms to a
depth Of two or three inches.
Mere PIaythfngs.
"A heavy sea broke over the ships
bow. crashing through the main sa-
loon Esnd starboard cabin, and wreck
tng|them as though they were made of
cigar box boards. I then, with some
difficulty, opened the door above me-
for the ship was now lying nearly on
her side, and climbed out on deck. AS
soon as I was outside, I forced open
the window of my sister-in-law's room
and found her and her maid together
with life preservers on.
Il told her to give me her hands
anu 1 NOulu Htip HSI out, DUL before
I could Touch her a great wave struck
the ship. A huge wave washed over
me and [ noticed four or five men on
the upper deck above me, but when I
could agzin look about, perhaps ten
seconds later, not a. soul was in sight
end then everything under me ap-
reared to melt away, and I suppose
that was when the ship went down.
what I remember next was that
7 RI 7
thought I would never stop going
down. When I came to the surface
Through the Wreckage and lumber I
fouS&ks myself within fifteen or twenty
feetY5f a life raft with two men on
Ct. I got close enough to reach Il rope
they threw me and they pulled me
aboard Then we helped aboard and
Spaniard and a woman and within a
minute more there were seven or the !
raft Within fifty or sixty feet of US,
was another little raft with eight peo- !
pie. among them Isaac Chilberg, and /
close TO US a lifeboat full Of water |
and without oars, with two men and !
two women clinging to il. There was
another boat full up, with men cling |
ing t. Il.
Turned over Four Times.
Our raft turned over four times. |
sThe first time the woman was lest, |
but generally the men managed to get !
on it again. The fourth time the raft |
turned over I was thrown thirty or |
forty feet away and could not get 1t |
again. but could see that there were |
three or four men on II. l then got |
hold of q couple of pieces of sc9nt- |
ling. and hoated with one under each !
arm until about 4 o'clock, when L |
found three heavier pieces of timber, |
which I dashed together with strips |
Tzrn
had found floating.
ION this I managed to set astrlde
By this time the lifeboats had drifted |
out of sight of where was, but could
500 A. number of men floating on |
x,sckage; and besides them, at dis
/. nee of about four hundred feet away,
large piece Of deck, about 10x40 !
p. with five men on it. After Two
SufsS' hard work l succeeded in
eaching it, but the men would not al
low me to get aboard, saying they had
1a,.oaIgf passengers for the size of
their craft. I had in the meantime
come across a sailor on a small piece
of deck, who, like myself, was intent
on passing the night on a larger raft;
and. as he could not do this, ne pro-
oosed that we should lash his raft to
2 mother Of equal size, which was float
ing near by. This sailor was named
Ross and appeared to be a man of
good sense and lots of grit. He was
badly hurt IL the head from having
been struck with wreckage, and was
afraid that with the sun of the follow
ing day he might go crazy. He crit
5cised the manner in which the cargo
of the Colinla was stored and the fact
that the lifeboats and RATS had not
been gotten ready about dark.
Lost His Breakfast.
AR a,cl7 II a., r,-eross <f rrhict 7