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

the null was hlllng up with water, but she
kept afloat though very far down.
Suddenly there was an explosion. The
masts raised back out of the water and the
hull lifted up, and then she tilted and
went down in an instant, stern first I
don't think there can be any question but
that the boilers exploded. l learned that
there were explosives stored far aft, but
the explosion was amidships. 1t tore the
hull to pieces and the Colima sank like
fash.
''There were a number of women and
Chinese down in the steerage who would
not be let up on deck, and they never got
out alive. Every one of them went down
In the explosion with the hull.
"The first one l saw near me was Mrs.
Irving, and then stout lady, who came
up near the lieboat which 1 was lucky
enough to be thrown against. I pulled
Mrs. Irving into the boat and after
her the other lady. They had beer
taken from their stateroom a little while
previously by officers, as the partitions
had been smashed by the waves, leaving
an opening into the dining-room. 1t was
only by that mere accident that they were
not ground to death in the wreckage of
cabins. Twice these ladies were thrown
out of the boat and twice got them back
Then Professor Whiting came alongside
and pulled him into the boat. He acted
as if he was out of his head. We tipped
over repeatedly, Mr.. Whiting and I turn
ing the boat over once in attempting to
drag the stout woman in; but we got in
again, and when we came right Mr.. Peters
was hanging on to the stern. / went to
save Peters, when again the boat turned
over in the awful sea. 1t was then 1 lost
sight of Whiting. The large lady was
struck by wreckage and disappeared. l
never saw either of them again. Mrs. Irv-
ing held on to the boat for half an hour
later with marvellous tenacity. 1t kept
turning over, but every time I came
up l found her hanging on to some
portion of the boat and helped her all I
could. Once l got astride the keel and
held her up by leaning over to one side
and holding her firmly by the hand. But
this could not be sustained long,and as the
boat tipped 1 went over. AS I came up
tried to tip the boat on its keel, and then l
lost Mrs.. Irving. She sank from sheer
exhaustion after noble battle for life.
Peters sank, too, and I never saw him
again, though he was saved.
"When we were in the water the worst
trouble began, for it was only then that
the hurricane struck us with its full force.
The day was blackened and the rain fell in
solid masses. 1t was not cyclone, but a
circular whirlwind that caught us in its
very center and would draw the wreckage
together in circle for great distance.
Yes, bodies, struggling men and women.
life-rafts and battered boats, all went
into the dreadful vortex. Then a
tremendous wave would rise from
underneath, like a mountain bursting
forth, and scatter the wreckage everywhere
around. 1t was in this vortex that those
who escaped from the ship were stunned
or killed outright from being literally
ground to death by driftwood that shot
about like monstrous shells.
"How did l escape? If saw log or
mass of wreckage coming down upon my
head ten feet above me jumped from my
boat and dived. The only thing to do to
avoid being cut or killed was to dive and
then come up again and swim for your raft.
'"The water was extremely buoyant and
I would come up anyhow. though at one
time ] thought it would be better dead. All
night long sat in the submerged boat, and
when L d get cold l would crawl down into
the water between the seats. Fortunately
the water was very warm and comfortable.
I was about twenty-three hours in the
water when picked up by the San Juan.
About an hour or two before sundown the
ocean was calm as an inland lake e,all strewn
with bits of the lost Colima. At one time
/ was close to the shore and could see the
rocks distinctly, but at daylight next
morning found myself drifting far out to
sea with only dim outline of mountains
where the coast was.
81 saw the San Juan at or 8 o'clock
A. NJ, but was not picked up until IL
o'clock. Ny boat was very low in the
water-almost under the surface-and so
it was long after sighted the San Juan
that their lookouts found me.
1.-The captain of the San Juan made a
circuit of thirty miles, and started north
about noon. He might have picked up
more if he had stayed cruising around all
the afternoon. 1 don't think I was two
miles away from the rest of the RATS that
he picked up"