The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-06-03
THE COLIMA WRECK
TWenty-one Survivors Of the
lll-Fated Vessel Landed
at Mazatlan.
v. ) SUNK BY SEVERE WINDS
Passengers Panic Stricken
and the Officers Were
POWerleSS.

SAN Francisco, June 3.-An Exam
iner special from Mazatlan says: The
Juan has arrived here with 2l passen-
gers picked up on Tuesday from the
wreck of the Colima. From them your
correspondent has learned some Of the
particulars of the awful disaster, which
they say happened Oh Monday at noon
when the Colima was about % miles
out Of ManZanillo and 10 miles from
shore. The steamer was heavily laden
and had large deckload Of lumber.
When the storm struck her she made
bad weather of it, the captain having
great difficulty in keeping her head to
the sea. The wind increased i'll fury
until it is said to have been the tierc-
est storm known along the coast in 10
years. The sea rose rapidly, the waves
washed over the vessel and started the
deckload. AS the waves and the storm
increased, the managing of the steamer
became impossible. AT last, about
noon, her head could no longer be kept
up and she broached to. Once in the
trough of the sea a mighty wave
struck her and she was
Thrown on Her Beam Ends.
The wave struck her with such force
that the steamer came trembling as if
she had run upon reef and most Of
the passengers thought this the cause
of the shocks. This gave rise to the
first reports that the steamer had
struck on reef. Whether because Of
the heavy deck load, the shifting of the
coal and cargo, or the force Of the
storm, the steamer could not right her.
self. The passengers were pretty badly
stunned by being pitched about, but
rushed on deck in panic. Here they
met another danger. The gale tore
part of the deck load of lumber from
its fastenings and whirled the heavy
planks about with appalling violence.
Many were struck and MANNED. The
survivors say that the officers OF the
steamer were brave and active. Cap
tain Taylor stood upon the bridge, his
first officer, D. E. Griffiths, with him.
At an order, Grifiths rushed aft to
superintend the launching of lifeboat
No. 5. Second Officer Langhorn was
at lifeboat No. 3, and succeeded in get.
ting it launched and filed with pas.
sengers. Then down went the shil
and Langhorn's boat was capsized Ali
in the boats were supposed to have
been drowned. Captain Taylor
Went Down With the Ship.
sticking to his post. AS the ship
pitched downward he blew three blasts
on the whistle, supposedly as signal
of goodbye. Third Officer Henson was
saved AS the steamer sank. he cut
some of the lashings OF the deck lun-
Der. then jumped or was thrown over
board and reached the top Of the deck
house. This had been torn off and
washed away by the great wave which
threw the Colima on her beam. To
this Henson clung, washed and buffeted
for "a hours. He saw helpless women
sink about him, but was powerless to
aid them. Henson says that as the
steamer foundered her boilers burst
under his feet as he left the ship. Ten
other men were thrown into the sea
with him. The bursting of the boilers
tore off the deck and threw part of it
over at least dozen men who We're
struggling in the water, drowning
them all, while others were hit by the
fiyinp debris