Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-07
coLIMA,s sURr1roRs 4RRrrE HOME
Heavy Deck Load OF the stssmer Respon-
sib'e for the Accident.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 6.-Seventeen sur
vivors OF the Inflated steamer Colima ar
rived in port today on the san Juan. When
she was docked hundreds OF friends and rela-
tives Of those who went down on the Colima
were assembled awaiting the landing Of the
passengers. Groups Of women with tear
stained faces, and knots Of anxious men i'm
plored everyone on board for tidings of the
lost, all hoping against hope that there might
be some mistake in the dispatches and some
name omitted among the saved How keen
was their disappointment, even in the face
OF the inevitable assurance that there was
no hope, was evidenced in their bitter lamen-
tations. On the upper deck Of the steamer
were a few happy people, whose pleasure
contrasted sharply with the grief OF the be-
reaved. These were the friends OF the sur
vivors, who were embraced and congratulated
at their escape.
The Colima survivors who landed at this
port are Passengers, A. ]. Sutherland, c..
II. Cushing, jr., ]. NJ. Thornton, II. H. Boyd,
Gustav Rowan, Bruno Cad Jose Antonio
Soliz, Jose E. Marriella, George d. Ross,
Louis Sangene, f. j. Oriel, Juan A Ramos.
Crew. o. Hansen r. A. Willes Albert Car
penter, Arthur Richardson, Tom Fish. The
following were landed at MaXatlan: Thomas
Zarab!a, Domingo Allbans, Angel Guithez,
Carlos Ruiz.
The nineteen men saved from a watery
grave when they had all but given up hope Of
rescue were a sorry looking party when they
arrived at the main dock. Some had their
arms in sings. Others had their hands
swathed in bandages. They limped they
walked and their bruises were plainly in
evidence. All looked thin and weakly and
showed only too plainly the effect of the terri
Bile strain during the fearful hours when they
waited for succor.
The stories Of the survivors all confirmed
| the telegraphc accounts of the disaster. They
agree that the cause af the laundering was
| the tOpheavy condition of the Colima due to
her deckload. From the beginning Of the
voyage south, they say, the steamer acted
| badly and would not answer her helm. The
storm which sunk her was encountered about
| 8 o'clock Monday night, May 27, and blew
| furiously during the nsXt twenty-four hours.
| The vessel lost steerage way, swung shore
wards in the teeth Of a gale, when she lay
| helplessly battered by the mighty tidal waves.
| The steamer lay heplessly on her side for
about fifteen minutes and then toppled over
and sunk. The women and children were
drowned in their state rooms, where they
were confined during the gale. Those passen-
gers who had been on deck were thrown into
the sea. Many were killed and horribly mu-
tilated by the lumber on the deck blown by
the wind and hurled on the heads of the
struggling men in the water.
The raft upon which Gushing, Sutherland,
Richardson and two others were aioat drfted
for about twenty four hours. They gave up
all hope until the San Juan hove in sight.
They attracted her attention by hoisting a
piece Of red cloth and waving their clothing.
On the raft with the passengers were two
sailors. One seized a small cask Of caret, Of
which both drank. They became drunk and
quarrelsome, and to save the lives of the rest
on the raft the men say they were obliged to
push one sailor, mad with drink, into the sea,
where he drowned. The passengers say
there was no time to launch the boats or put
| on life preservers when they realized the Sc
riOus Might of the Colima and besides the
fury of the storm made II impossible to
launch or man the boats successfully. Those
who secured life praservers got them in the
water and those in the boat picked up by
the San Juan clambsred into her as she
foated toward them as they were struggling
in the sea.