The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-01
FERRY BOATS COLLIDE
TWENTY LIVES LOST IN SAN ~ FRANCISCO HARBoR-
The sausulito Crashed Into the San RaGael, and the Latter Went
 Down in Ten or Fifteen Minutes. -gS

San Francisco, Nov. 30-The ferryboats
 Sausalito and San Rafael colllded tonight
 in dense fog and the San Rafael sank
 in between ten and fifteen minutes. It is thought that not more than twen- | ty persons were drowned, although the Sen Rafael carried between 160 and 2Oc | passengers The Sausalito was not seri- | ously injured and after rescuing all the | passengers on the San Rafael that she | could, she proceeded to San Francisco under her own steam. The boats belongfi- ! ed to San Francisco and Northern Pacil fc Railway. They piled between San | Francisco and Sc usalito, suburb across the bay in Marin county.
 The San Rafael left San Francisco at There had been a dense fog on the bay all day long and towards the evening it seemed to thicken. Captain Mckenzie of | the San Rafael, gent his ship along under | a slow bell. He was somewhere near AL catraz Island when the Sausalito coming to San Francisco, crashed into her. There
 were but few passengers on the Sausa-
 Tito but they were badly scared and for
 A few moments it looked like both ships
 were going down. When it was seen that the Sausalito was not badly injured she stood by the San Rafael and officers, crew and passengers engaged in the res cue of the unfortunate passengers of the
 sinking vessel. The news of the disaster did not reach the city until nearly o'clock and the news spread with great rapidity. There was great excitement at the Opera House
 where an immense crowd was listening to Calve in Carmen" Many people left
 the house and rushed to the newspaper
 offices to obtain information about
 friends and relatives who might have
 been on board one of the vessels.
 Never has the fog been thicker in San
 Francisco and on the bay than tonight.
 1t was A day and night of anxiety. Many
 a vessel had a narrow escape and the
 fog signals were blowing in all directions. Most of the ferry steamers escaped, but one or two of them got into slight
 trouble.
 The oakland and the San Rafael came very near colliding when they reached this city at o'clock in the evening. Cantain Mckenzie of the San Rafael was the last one to leave the snip. AZ she was going down he seized rope hunp to him from the Sausulito and was nuIIed on board. He thinks that most of his passengers were saved as many of them iumped to the Sausulito and others went on the gangplank run between the two ships to safety. The list of those lost will probably not be obtained to-
 night. -,,-,, The San Raefel was struck amidships, sinking almost immediately. A large
 nnmher of the passengers were rescued by ropes from Alcatra Island.
 James Moore of Ross Valley, an em-
 n,oya of the Nevada Bank, was a pas
 sepper on the San Rafael. To the Asso-
 ctated Press reporter he said:
 "There was the usual Saturday night
 crowd on the San Rafael when she left at 6.I3 There was a dense fog and cantaIn Mckenzie of the San Rafael sent
 the shin along under a slow bell. We urare ahout half way between Lombard S+raet wharf and Alcatrase Island when
 tha SausaIito crashed into us. Some
 of tbe messengers jumped overheard as
 soon as inc steamers collided. There
 was an attempt to lower boat on the
 San Rafael. but I do not believe any
 neonie oot off in 1t. There was too much
 confusion and fog for much to be done.
 ..oS course I cannot pretend to be &C.,
 curate. but I would place the loss of life
 at over twenty