Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-23

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could not find them Just before one OF he
big boats. which commanded pushed OF
! I saw Captain Ward going forward, and
then we started for the shore.
| I'VE could see many persons in the water
and others crying for help, and assisted
some to get on the life RATS. The boat
was in saved thirteen OF the people on
board and. after being picked up by
gasoline launch. we were towed to shore,
! There we're three life RATS and there were
a number OF people on them
In the boat with Coghlan were Captain
Hecht of the German navy, Mrs. Ripley,
Mrs. West and Miss X. Leharen. MIR.
! Coghlan is the son OF Captain J. b. Cogh,
Ian OF the United States navy.
| William Caspar OF Toledo, o., was
among the survivors, who while ioundering
in the water encountered the raft on
! which were r. VI. Long and number of
! Chinese. Caspar was out OF his bunk and
on deck when the first alarm was given.
He agrees with Long that most OF the
steamers passengers were on deck when
the vessel struck
II scrambled to the hurricane deck"
said Caspar, while telling OF his expert
ences at the barge office. but | had been
| there only a second when a heavy sea
washed me Off I went down, I don't
know how far. and I thought IL was all UP
with me. The water was full OF wreck
age, which knocked me about when
reached the surface. started to swim
for the shore, but on the way met the
raft and was pulled on board" Caspar
was formerly attached to the transport
| Lawton.
One of the life saving boats picked UP G.
Helms. a passenger. about. half an hour
after the ship went down. He was greatly
exhausted and Ia now very Ill., He was
twice drawn under the water by the suction
and as he came up the second time his head
struck floating spar with considerable
| force. Half stunned. he grasped the spar
and clung to II until rescue came. He says
that several other people were saved by
clinging to the spar which came so near
stunning him, and actually was his means
OF salvation.
| Fishermen First 10 Aid.
At the instant the Rio went on the rocks
not a great distance away in a small smack
Near to him was c. Albert, another Italian
| fisherman. Both men saw the Rio Janeiro
In the gloom and marvelled that 1t could
| be so close to the shore.
| The next moment they knew something
was wrong and each headed for the ship,
| proceeding carefully in the fear they might
| be entangled In the wreck. They came near
enough before the ship went down to hear
the voice of some person through a mega
| phone. The man who yelled at them told
| them that the ship was sinking and lost
and to stand by with help sending word
to San Francisco as soon thereafter as they
| could.
When the ship disappeared the Italians
| hurried to the Scene. Ademi picked up
| thrpa Nho atriiyQIinU N the
water, then his small craft could hold no
more Then he set out for shore. bent upon
summoning other aid. Albert. however, had
more room In his steam launch and he picked
up a number OF Chinese-he says he does
not remember Just how many. These boats
proceeded to Meiggs wharf. where the res
cued people were put ashore. Both the
Italians then put back after giving the
alarm to the scene Of the disaster. but found
no more people in the water They soon
afterward came ashore Ademi says that
whoever the officer was who shouted to him
through megaphone. he was man Of sur
passing GOODNESS. He stood with the mega
phone to his mouth still shouting instruc-
tions when the ship sank and the Italians
saw him go beneath the surface even as he
spoke, 4 - I,
The italian fishermen brought to the
Merchants Exchange station az Meiggs
wharf twelve bags Of mail, which they
picked up at the scene of the wreck
Mail Bags Looted.
These include two pouches from the
United States military station in China
Also two bags OF registered mail. When
the registered bags were delivered 1t was
found that they had been ripped open with
a knife and all their contents stolen. When
this crime was committed Is question
The men who brought them in are not sus-
pected and II is impossible to determine
who the robbers are.
The Rio carried in all 200 bags of mail
Five bags Of newspapers are among the
rescued sacks. There is one sack of mail
from Toxic for Germany and one sack from
Toxic for London, all In a horrible con-
dition. The mail from the United States
military station was not tampered with.
J. Wade, a Japanese passenger had $1,000
in his trunk, which was lost.
Rounseville Wildman. who Is presumed
to be lost, was well known in this city,
where he resided for a number of years.
lie first came into prominence locally when
he purchased the Overland. which he owned
and edited for some years prior to enter
ing the consular service at Hong Kong He
resigned recently the post of consul gen.
eral at Hong Kong and was on his way
nome WITH MS Nl1e ana FAMILY. Mr. Wlld-
man married Miss Lettie Aldrich. daughter
OF Mrs Louis Adrich, a sister of United
States Senator Stewards wife. Mrs. AL
drich is now in this city where she has
been awaiting the home coming OF her
daughter.
Information About Passengers.
Concerning the missing cabin passengers,
the following has been learned: Mrs. and
Miss Wakefield boarded the ship at Homo
lulu. Mr.. and Mrs. Woodworth of Denver,
man and wife. were evidently quite wealthy.
The gentleman was consumptve and had
gone to China for his health.
Mr.. Mattheson, statistician OF Shang-
hal, was on his way TO London.
Two Japanese gentlemen. with their
wives names unknown, were cabin passen
gers. AS far as known they have not been
seen since they retired last night
J. f. Seymour, editor of the American.
at Manila. was well known newspaper
man and he intended to spend hard
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