Evening star., 1895-05-30
Saved From the Colima Said to Be
Only Twenty-Five.
STORY OF ONE OF TEE SURVIVORS
All the Lifeboats but One Were
Swamped.
SCENES OF EXCITEMENT

CITY OF MEXICO. May so.-onIy
meager telegram has been received here
from the Colima wreck. At 10 o'clock last
night a correspondent received message
from the Pacific Nail agent at Manzanillo
saying that the number of lost is 100, and
the saved are only twenty-five. The tele-
gram says that it is impossible for the
agency to get list of either the saved or
lost.
An Official Report.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 3O.-The Exam
iner this morning prints the following:
COLlMA, Mexico, May 30.-A special mes
senger arrived from Manzanillo this morn
Ing at l O'Clock with official information
for the governor of Colima regarding the
steamer Colima disaster off Manzanillo.
The report is very obscure, and laments
the loss of the 100 people more than it
goes into the causes and the details of the
wreck
Seventy-five miles below San Bias a hur-
rfcane was encountered, and it was doubted
as to whether or not the ship should at
tempt to gain partial shelter in the shall
low ana treacherous Banderas bay, which
has rocks near its entrance, or whether
1t were better to put her out to sea-
One local Mexican passenger, Don
Matias Moreno who was on deck testifies
that while cautiously steering for what to
all appearances was the Usual entrance a
slight tremble was felt to go through the
ship. 1t was SO faint that it was hardly
pilots and captains.
The captain ordered slight change In
the course and gave other directions which
were obeyed by the officers and crew In q
very few minutes after the keel ground
on rock lightly and there was at once
great excitement among the officers and
crew, and fear on the part Of the few
passengers on deck Following the danger
signal, in less than ten seconds the great
ship crunched on an unknown reef and a
shudder ran through the hull from bow to
stern.
Scenes of Excitement,
The passengers sprang from their berths
In terror and ran out onto the decks,
screaming and praying in a paroxysm of
Tear as the awful truth began to burst
upon them. The wind howled and a dense
pail OF fog hung over the ship as she was
tossed by the surges and began to pound
herself to pieces on the rocks. She rose
and fell three times, and then a crash was
heard. This was followed by silence for
the space OF quarter of q minute during
which time only low sobbing was heard
and muffied prayers.
Man the boats" trumpeted tba c,n,s,r
after short interval, in which another
crash was heard from beneath the water
Ine poats had previously been made ready.
Win all the life savers placed at convenient
nervous passengers. Within three minutes
OF the nrst crash in the hull the ship be-
gan to reel from its upright balance, to set
tie ana to sink in its free hinderpart
The scenes about the lifeboats were inde.
seribaoie: According to all the testimony
ootainable. the panic-stricken passengers
ana the ships crew struggled for first
place, although to the credit of the crew
be 1t said that few of the sailors or ship's
people lost their presence of mind. but gave
their main attentions to saving the pas-
sengers.
There were a number of children on the
passenger list and one of these was pitch
ed overheard into the frothing sea by a
frenzied father, who aimed for one of the
ifeboats while still upon the davits
Brave Woman.
A woman of evident wealth and refine
ment among the passengers, whose name
is thought to be Broslyn, or Croslyn, dis
played remarkable presence of mind, and
In the most trying moments passed among
the frenzied throng exhorting the people
to Keep quiet; and taking particular care
of the women and children.
Some of the passengers not willing 10
wait the chance of a place in the boats
seized the life belts and boldly cast them
selves into the sea, to their almost uni
Versai fate. as they were tossed lifeless
upon the waves or dashed against the
rocks. which were easily observed from
the fast sinking ship.
The fist boat to be lowered with its
heavy burden of humanity succeeded in
clearing the ships Sides but was swept
away by the mighty force and swallowed
by the night OF fog. OF this load, only one
of the sailors is known to have escaped
the engulfing flood which swept over the
boat within five minutes after it was
launched.
A similar fate befell all the other boats
with one exception.