The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-03
CoRPSES FROM THE coLIMA.
THE WAVES sTREwN WITH THEM
As THE VESSEL WENT DOWN.

The Terrific storm Made the Death
of Those In the Water n ForeEone
ConcIusIon-Many of the Bodies
stripped Made by the Fury of the
Wind and MRtcr-PIanks From
the Deck Load Hurled with Ter
ribie Fury on the Persons strus-
CLING In the Water.
San Francisco. June 2.-Capt. II. I. Read,
the well known marine surveyor OF this
city in a dispatch from Mazstlan gives
some additional particulars Of the CoIlma
wreck obtained from Third oincer Han
sen, who escaped on the deck house. and
a. J. Sutherland. who chung to the seats
OF an overturned llfeboat.
The heaviest squall OF all those experts
enced came after the steamer had foun-
dered and while passengers and crew we're
struggling In the water The force Of the
gale at this time was dreadful Many
were washed from the wreckage TO which
they chung. Some were killed or rem
dercd unconscious by being struck by tim
bers, which were dashed about with re-
sistless fury. Rats ana boats were over
turned. Had It not been for this squalI
many more undoubtedly would have been
saved
The gale drove the RATS and wreckaga
before 1t with great rapidity. Mr. Ham
sen saw raft pass at $50 y. m. Of the
day of the disaster. on Il were three
men. They drlfted fast and were soon
lost to view. lie also saw a raft on which
were Mr.. Chiiberg and six others. These
men had two oars, and seemed to be-
making for shore. Mr.. Hansen also saw
boat in which was First officer GrInaths
and four or five men. When last seen
this boat was trying TO pick up the pur-
ser, but It was not seen again. and Is
supposed to have been swamped in the
heavy sea.
Every one OF the survivors except
MIR. Sutherland Is badly bruised by being
struck by the wreckage. He was protected
by being under the lifeboat after II had
overturned five times with him. lie says he
saw two ladies alive and then saw them
drown without being able to render them
any aid. Mr.. Sutherland and MIR. Hansen
say the wind would catch up planks and
lumber from the deck load hurl them In tho
air with furious force and dash them down
upon those In the water.
1t Is reported that just as the steamer
went down Capt. Taylor was washed from
the bridge into the sea. and that there he
was struck by a piece of wreckage and
killed or 80 stunned that he was unable to
make further effort to save himself. He
had attempted to heave to under the slow
bell. but could not get the vessels head up
to tho sea. Then he tried going ahead at
full speed two or three times. but the wind
threw her on and she fell into the trough
OF the sea. Some OF the survivors say the
engines could not drive the steamer into
the teeth of the gale, or else they were
disabled. Messrs. Sutherland and Hansen
both tell narrowing stories OF the misery
they Witnessed while keeping themselves
ahoat Many Of the bodies which foated
past them were entirely nude.
Either the clothing had been torn off
by the fury of the wind and waves, or th0
victims had been too i'll or too terrified
to leave their beds until the last, and
had then rushed upon deck clad only in
their chamber robes. Apparently tha
children were all drowned in the cabins.
IT was the l29th trip of the Colima. Sha
had on board $160,O00 Of treasure shipped
to Mazatlan from the house of Melehers.
Echegueven Co. 1t is insured in
London and Germany.
Until the depth of water I'm which ths
steamer went down was positively known
two diving plants and two steamers be-
longing to Hdalgo Co. and the Cor-
nego Company of La Paz were kept
waiting to attempt the recovery OF this
treasure. / myself have been held here
waiting for full particulars before acting
further.
According to the passenger list when
the steamer left Mazatlan there were thir-
ty-seven cabin and eighty-four steeraga
passengers from San Francisco, five from
Mazatlan and a crew of eighty, making a.
total of 2Os souls on board. Other passen-
NJ.
and Manzanillo and some may have left
the steamer, so the exact number on tha
ship when she foundered is not known
here.