The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-12-05
DUE TO A DENSE FOG.
FerrybOats Crash Together in San
Francisco Bay.

lOg Ine Terry steamer san hatael was
rammed and sunk by the steamer
Sausalito, of the same line, at $3.50
o'clock Saturday night between this
city and Alcatraz island. The San
Rafael sank within 20 minutes after
being struck 1t is believed that at
least so persons were drowned, mostly
women and children. In the midst Of
the confusion, however, the Sausalito
steamed slowly alongside the sinking
San Rafael and with difficulty succeed
ed in getting couple of lines aboard
with which the boats were moored to-
gether. Instantly there was frantic
rush over the side of the sinking ship
to the Sausalito and men and women
fought desperately at the bulwarks of
the doomed vessel in their haste to
reach place OF safety, The crew OF
the Sausalito attempted to restore or
der and calm the fears of the San
RafaePs passengers, but were utterly
unable to stem the surgiRg tide of hui
manity. To add to the scene Of horror
many Of the fear-crazed people were
jumping into the bay from the sinking
ship, while the shrieks of the injured
and frightened women and children,
for many had been hurt when the col
lision occurred, added to the confusion.
Suddenly, when most of the San Ra-
faePs passengers had been transferred
to the Sausalito, the former vessel gave
lurch and just as the lines mooring
her to the Sausalito had been cast off
sank beneath the waters of the bay. .
Lowers Boats and Gets Lost.
The officers and crew of the
Sausalito lowered boats and picked up
a number of the San Rafael's passen-
gers, but as the Sausalito herself was
Slightly damaged it was,not considered
safe to remain long after the disap-
pearance of the former vessel, and she
was headed, as her captain thought,
for this city. Instead she steamed out
to the heads in the dense fog and was
picked up two hours later by a pass
ing tug, which conveyed her to her slip.
According to the stories told by sur
vivors the San Rafael was struck al
most amidships, the Sausalito's stem
crashing into the restaurant of the for
mer. Almost everyone in the place was
injured by splinters and pieces of
broken timbers.
Only One Body Recovered.
The number of lives lost is still a
matter of conjecture, and will prob
ably never be accurately determined.
So far as known only three persons
are actually known to be missing.
They are w. G. Crandau. secretary Of
sirup works in this city and resi-
dent of Sausalito; George Tredway, a
waiter on the San Rafael, and the
three-year-oId son of Mrs. Waller, of
Ross Valley. The officers Of the sunken
vessel strongly maintain that nearly
all were saved. About 90 people were
injured. The only body recovered 50
far is one supposed to be that of Gran
dali. It was washed ashore.
If there were more than three per.
sons drowned it will not be known for
several days. No other persons are
reported missing. At least 200 people
were on the San Rafael. After the
boats struck the Sausalito was
brought up alongside the sinking San
| Rafael It was Is minutes at least be-
fore the latter vessel went down. This
gave ample time to transfer the most
Of the passengers.
See Woman Drown.
J. W. CUthbert, who with his brother
George was at the door Of the restau-
rant when the crash came, was
knocked down and pinned to the deck
| by a section Of the raffrail. His broth
err, with the aid Of another passenger,
! succeeded in releasing him from his
| 2arlous position, and after the Sausa-
Ito backed away the brothers rushed
aft to one Of the boats and lowered it
! 10 the water.
Just as they jumped into this they
| were followed by an unknown woman.
| but there being no plug in the bottom
| of the boat it began to fill Immediately
! and George Cuthbert scrambled to the
| San Rafael's side, and after climbing
up lent a helping hand to his wounded
brother. While thus engaged the
| brothers forgot the woman who had
followed them into the boat, but hear
ing a faint scream they looked down
and saw both woman and boat disap-
pear beneath the water.
When they regained the deck the
Cuthberts found men, women and
children fighting for life belts and
rushing frantcally about the. decks,
and as the Sausalito came alongside
they became mixed up in the crowd,
which scrambled to the San Rafaels
side in an effort to get aboard the
vessel which had cut them down.
Weakest TrampIed Down,
Such was the eagerness of the
crowd to leave the sinking ship that
each man, woman and child seemed
only bent upon his or her safety. The
result was that the strongest pre-
vailed and the weaker were trodden
under foot and thrust aside in the
mad rush for safety.
Finding their escape cut off by the
struggling mass of humanity many OF
the terror-stricken women jumped
into the bay, some without even life
belt. Some of these were subsequent
ly picked up more dead than alive by
boats from the Sausalito and tugs
which had been attracted to the scene
by the latter vessels signals of dis
tress, but the ma jority were drowned,
No matter how long you have had the
| cough; II II hasn't already developed Into