Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-07-13
aEPOaT ON OLIMAO DISASTER
United States inspectors Exon
crate the Officers.
The ship Was scaworthy and tho Disci'
piine Good aud the Loss Of tho
Vessel an Unavoidable Ac.
cidcut.

Washington, July BE. It. Talbot
and w. A. Phillips, United States locel
inspectors at San Francisco, Cal, have
sent to General Dumont, supervising
inspector general OF steam vessels, theif
official report OF the Colima disaster.
1t reads: I'VE have to report that the
Pacific Mail Steamship company steam
ship Colima, j. +. Taylor, commander
hence May Is last for Panama and way
ports in Mexico and Central America,
with forty-one cabin and eighty-twc
| Storage passengers, a crew OF eighty
persons all told, and 1850 tons of cargo
~foundered In a violent gale of wind at
about 10:45 O'Clock a. m. May u about
! forty miles south from ManZanilla
taking down with her all who were or
board, excepting, so far as known
twenty-seven passengers and twelve OF
the crew who were fortunate enough &c
hav been able to struggle and SAVE
themselves by swimming and clingina
to floating wreckage. We hav investi
gated the matter of this most deplora.
BILE disaster, taking the testimony of o
number of the surviving passengers
and crew, including that OF Third Off.
Ger Hansen, who is the only officer
saved, and also Of others who were com.
petent TO speak of the vessel herself
We find from the testimony hat moth.
Ing unusual occurred on the voyage
from San Francisco to the wayports Of
MaZatlan, Sanblaza and Manzanilla
In Mexico and that she gave no evil
dence nor any indication whatever OF
going cranky and tender from the time
she left San Francisco and crossed the
bar. which was rough until the morn
Ing she was lost. The Colima left Man
camilla at 4 o'clock on May rs. A strong
breeze sprang up at 8 O'Clock a. m.
from a by southeast with southeast
swell, and continued throughout the
night till the morning of May q, when
1t blew a gale, which at about 1890
o'clock the same morning suddenly
increased to What Is described as a
hurricane and in which the steamer
was knocked down on her beam end
and filled and sank.
From the evidence there appears to
have been no danger anticipated until
five or ten minutes before the ship
went down. 1t appears that there was
good discipline maintained on the deck
and I'm the engine departments, all
orders having been obeyed, and we
therefore can attach no blame to Third
officer Hansen.
Captain Taylor was I'm charge OF the
bridge OF his steamer all the morning of
May q until she foundered; and II may
have been that he was attempting to
keep her off before the sea, or to wear
her around on the other tack when she
was caught in the trough OF the sea
and thrown on her beam ends. But
without his testimony or hat Of his
first officer and the chief engineer OF
the steamer 1T is impossible to decide
the true cause Of the disaster.
with regard to the steamer Colima,
there can be no DOUBT that she was a
staunch and seaworthy vessel. She was
inspected March Is. 1895, and her hull.
boilers and equipments found to be In
good order"
The report concludes by stating that
the number Of lives lost so far as known
with any degree OF certainty is eighty
five passengers and sixty-eight crew.