The San Francisco call., 1897-03-18
SUNK THE
STEAMER
The Sunol Run Down in
the Bay by the Bark
olympic.
TURNED TURTLE AND
WENT TO THE BOTTOM.
No Lives Sacrificed, but the
Loss Estimated at
100000.
SEVERAL VERY NARROW ES.
CAPES.
Scenes of Excit ment During the Col
lision-$25 900 on Board for
the Navy-Yard.
SEVERAL VERY NARROW ES.
CAPES.
Scenes of Excit ment During the Col
lision-$25,ooo on Board for
the Navy.Yard.

One of the worst disasters that has
taken place on the bay since the collision
between the Oceanic and City of Chester
occurred yesterday. The river steamer
Sunol was run down by the American
four-masted bark Olympic, and while the
loss amounts to nearly 100000, still there
was no loss of life. In the case of the
City of Chester the monetary loss was not
so great, but g number of people went
down with the ship.
The Sunol, owned by the Piper, Alden.
Goodall Company, left for Vallejo at
P. N. She had forty-ive passengers
aboard and a crew of fifteen all told.
Captain Dye was in command and the
mate was Charles Ostro.ky. Conflicting
stories are told, but it appears that the
captain was below having his dinner and
the mate was in charge of the pilot-house
when the accident happened.
When first seen the mate thought the
Olympic was at anchor and attempted to
cross her bow. When he discovered his
mistake he at once ordered the engines
reversed and Captain Dye rushed on deck.
The Sunol gathered way slowly and
before anything could be done the big At
lantic llpperscrushed into and almost cut
her in two. For fifteen minutes they re-
NAMED wedged together and the tug Re-
lance had 10 pull them apart. Then the
Sunol turned turtle and all her deckload
went into the bay.
In the safe there was $25 900 in specie for
the Mare Island Navy-yard. In the big
iron tank on the forward deck in winch
the bullion and crude ore for the Selby
Smelling Company was carried, there was
C.
and the general merchandise would prob
ably amount to $4,000 worth more. The
steamer was valued al $25, 900. So some.
BODY will be "out and injured"
The crew lost everything they had ex-
cept the clothes they stood in, and as all
the passengers had been on a shopping
expedition they lost all their purchases,
and consider they were lucky to escape
with their lives.
There was a wild scram BILE when the big
bark struck the steamer. Joseph Bus b.
ford was asleep on the upper deck and
thinking the vessel was gong down he
jumped overheard. He had an overcoat
on and could not swim. Lucky Jack
Healy and Dick Hughes, two of Henry
Peterson's boatmen. were alongside the
Olympic towing in. and they at once went
TO his assistance and picked him up as he
was going down for the last time and put
him aboard the United States quarantine
steamer George NJ. Sternberg. The pas
sengers and crew clambered over the bow
of the Olympic.
AS eacn male passenger was helped
aboard he was given swift kick by the
crew OF the bark, because they had showed
women and children aside in their hurry
to reach safety. The weaker sex stood
meekly by and only gathered their chill
dren closer to them and awaited their
turn. The last man to leave the Sunol
was Captain Dye. A few minutes later
the tug Reliance took hold of the Olym-
pic, and when she was pulled free of the
Sunol the latter turned turtle. Two horses
on the forward deck went over with the
steamer. One of them was rescued and
the other is still hanging to his hltching-
post in five fathoms of water.
In less than ten minutes after the dis
aster the bay was alive with craft OF all
description. The first on the scene was
the tuy Reliance. She was towing in the
bark Alden Bessie, and Captain Brokaw
at once signalled to cut adIlft. The bark
was in safe anchorage and he wanted to
save life. The Reliance was alongside the
wreck five minutes after the collision and