The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-05-30
WRECK OF THE COLINA.
Fears Regarding the Pacific Mail
Steamer Confirmed. 10
APPALLING LOSS OF LIFE FEARED.
or Over q Hundred and Eighty Souls on
Board Only Nineteen Are Known to Have
Deem Rescued-The Statement Of Third
Onlcer Hansen.

omcer Hansen.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8o.-The steam
ship Colima, with 1872 persons aboard, In
tluding passengers and crew, foundered
of the coast Of Mexico on Monday. Four
teen passengers and five members Of the
crew reached Manzanita, Mexico, and gave
bhe FIRST information Of the vessels fate.
Whether the remainder OF the passengers
and crew escaped in small boats or went
down with the ship is not known. There
was large amount Of bullion on board
the vessel, and this Is undoubtedly total
loss.
Only meager and unsatisfactory advfces
have been received here today regarding
the disaster. The officials of the Pacific
Mail line persist In the statement that
they have received no information Of the
wreck Of the steamer, and they have tried
to discredit entirely the reports Of the dis
aster. Several dispatches have been re-
ceived by the-Merchants' Exchange and by
private shipping firms, however, all con-
flrming the tale of tho ocean tragedy, and
varying only in the minuteness Of the In
formation conveyed.
Captain Pitts, of the steamer San Juan,
telegraphed yesterday that he picked up
boat containing nineteen persons, four
teen of whom were passengers and the
Others members Of the crew Of the Co.
lima. The rescued boat load was taken
to Manzanilla, and then the steamer San
Juan started out again in search of other
boats from the Colima, the presumption
being that the balance OF the passengers
and crew were afoat In the other boats Of
the Colima.
The occupants of the boat picked up
were as follows: Cabin passengers Do
minco, Albano. Cashing, Thornton, Sari-
aba and Rutz. Storage: John Crew, H.
w. Boyd, Antonio Rome, R. Rose, S.
O'Reill, G. Owen, Jose A. Salia, L. L.
Zancre. Crew; o. Hansen, third officer;
carpenter, A. K. Richardson, q store
keeper, Raymond Avils and J. Morel.
The names Sariaba and Ruiz do not up
pear in the steamers list of passengers
sailing from this port, the presumption
being that they Joined the steamer at Ma
zatlan. There were two Cushings on
board, brothers, and a lady and gentleman
each named Thornton. No initials of sur
vivors were given in the brief telegraph
message.
Among the passengers unaccounted for
are Professor Harold Whiting, Mrs Whit
ing and Miss Rose Whiting. Professor
Whiting occupied chair in the state uni
versity. Another lie ]. E. Chilberg, of
Seattle, who was on his way south to In
terest South American planters in a new
steamship line between Central America
and Puget Sound.
The latest intelligence regarding the
disaster received here was a cipher mes
sage to local shipping firm containing
the statement of Third Officer Hansen,
who was in charge Of the boat picked up.
Hansen stated that about IL: rs Monday
night as the Colima was about fifty miles
from Manzanilla, and between that port
and Punta ST. Alamo, an accident &C.
CURED to her machinery. Hansen had no
time to investigate the trouble, but he be-
lieved boiler had burst. The Colima
was put about, but began to sink rapidly.
A scene Of wild confusion followed One
boat was lowered, and most of the others
were swung out, but so far as he knows.
the boat he commanded was the only one
which got clear Of the sinking ship. The
Colima quickly foundered, and to avoid
suction Hansen's boat quickly pulled
clear, and the night being dark, II was i'm
possible to tell whether the other boats
got away from the ship or not. If these
boats only got clear the calmness of the
sea and the low sandy beach twenty miles
distant would enable them to mako q safe
landing in n few hours. As the passen-
gers were all asleep, however, Hansen
fears few escaped.
One hundred and sixty passengers and
crew are still unaccounted for. The fol.
lowing passengers from San Francisco
landed safely at Mazatlan before the Co.
lima proceeded towards Manzanilla: e,
McCutcheon, W. C. McCutcheon, J.w. C.
Maxwell, H. NJ Miller, L. +. Bell, G. v.
Gray and p. f. Crisby.
The offices of the Pacific Mail and Tele-
graph company and the newspapers are
filled with anxious friends of passengers
and crew, making fearful inquiries about
their friends. Many of the scenes were
pitiful in the extreme, and the most
gloomy forebodings prevail, despite the as
surances of the officials that the Colima's
machinery was In excellent condition,
having been inspected just previous to her
leaving; that her commanders and officers
are skilled seamen, and that the chances
are in favor of the safety of their friends.