The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-07
FOUGHT ON A RAFT.
Survivor Cushing'S Thrilling Ex-
perience With a Maddened
Sailor.

Sailor.
G. II. Cushing Jr., one of the survivors
of the wreck, was seen at his home, SIC
Adeline street, Oakland, last evening
Though cruelty cut and bruised by his ter.
rible struggle in the water dur,
ing the twenty-four hours which in
tervened between the sinking OF
the Colima and the time he was picked up
by the San Juan he seemed to feel well and
said that beyond the bruises and cuts
which he had received while being buffeted
about amid the debris of the wreck he felt
no i'll effects. His graphic story of the
sinking of the Inflated steamer is as fol-
lows:
1--WE left Manzanillo at o'clock on Sun
day night, the 10Th OF May. About 8 O'Clock
that night we began to see that big storm
was coming. 1 was on the upper deck
with Mrs. Whiting, Professor Whiting and
Miss Phelps. The spray began to dash up
to US, and very soon all retired to their
cabins. My brother, George S. Cushing,
and l had a stateroom on the port
side of the vessel. We went to bed and
slept in spite of the rolling of the vessel,
which was very severe all night The next
morning the pitching of the steamer in
creased to an alarming extent, and we did
not go to breakfast. The waves were going
over the vessel and invading our state
room. Our trunks were afioat on the floor,
and things began to be decidedly I'M
comfortable. Some time between 10 and IL
o'clock, about 1890, I think, a terrible
wave struck the vessel and listed her far
over to port. 1 heard grinding, roaring
noise that came from the bowels of the
ship and 1 thought we had struck rock.
l was afterward told that it was the coal
shifting. Previous to this time my brother
and had made preparations, each tying
a life preserver on the other. All the
clothes we had on were our trousers and
undershirts.
"When the noise came said to George,
1t is about time we got out of this and
we made our way through an adjoining
stateroom to the deck. l looked through
the rear of our stateroom as we left and
across the dining-room to the starboard
side. The waves were tearing the state
rooms on that side away and
the vessel was listing more every
minute. 1 saw few people about and
heard nothing said about boats. We had
Just gained the deck and got hold of the
rail when another big wave struck the
ship and tore us away, throwing us upon
the deck. That was the last I saw of nv
brother.
"This seemed to complete the work OF
destruction, for the cabins and upper
works collapsed and the ship began to
sink, starboard side first, and in few Sec
onds she was gone. was drawn down in
the water with m nf oh
and thought 1 should never come to the
surface again. Suddenly, when nv
power of holding my breath was
gone and / began to take in
salt water, / felt tremendous
force from beneath and was shot with
great power toward the surface. I think
it must have been from the bursting of the
boilers or decks, for I was actually thrown
into the air and the wreckage seemed to
part to give me way.
when went down had on my shirt
trousers and the life-preserver; when
came up only the tattered remains of q
shirt remained. I am a fairly good swim.
mer, and in few seconds had hold of a
piece of wreckage with which the sea was
strewn large enough to support my weight
sit was no trouble to find pieces to hold
on to, the great difficulty being to prevent
being crushed by the others which the
mountainous waves were thrashing about
had hardly recovered my breath when a
piece of timber thrown by the wind or waves
struck me on the back of the head, stunninp
me for moment. l let go my hold and
sank, but came to again, and on rising to
the surface seized another piece. This
happened several times and on more than
one occasion the waves overturned nv
frall raft, and was compelled to seek an
other.
II saw number of people struggling fo,
life as was, but all were men. I saw No
women after gained the deck and The
vessel began to sink. I think 1 saw tive
boats, one containing number of people
By this time l was cut and bruised
from head to foot from the blows
received from the debris, and wa,
growing exhausted. About three hours
as near as could judge, after the steame,
sank saw another m an, sailor who haG
been discharged from the Olympia an6
was going to New York via Panama. on :
large piece of the deck, and as had JUS
been thrown off the piece was floating on
swan to his raft and climbed aboard.
''The storm had abated somewhat, tn,
waves were not so high and the water felt
warm. The debris also seemed to be much
more scattered.
"Just after I reached the man-of-wars
mans raft, a small cask came floating by
and he suggested that we get it as it might
contain water. recognized it as cask o.
wine / had seen in one of the staterooms ,ant
told him SO, but he said we had better
secure it anyway, as it would brace US W
during the night. We pulled it on board
and then we saw another man, one of tn,
sailors on the Colima, floating by on some
wreckage. He wanted to come to our raf
and after some parley we allowed him tt
do so.
"This act nearly cost me my life. A.