The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-08
TWENTY PEOPLE PERIsH
By the Collision Of a Sailing Vessel and
= Steamer,

A collision st sea early Thursday
morning between the steamers Wslla-
and sn urklown sailing vessel resulted
in the sinking Of tie steamship and the
probable lo5s Of at least 20 lives. The
Walls Walls, owned by. the Paeifc
fCoast Steamship conpsn7, sailed from
San F::2 CISCO, jan. /, for Pczet Sound
ports. She carried 36 first clsSa pss-
sergers, % ssooDd. olass and crew OF
80 nan. When of Cape Mendccino. on
the Cai;sornia coast at 40 o'clock
Thursday morning an iron bark, be-
lie7sd to be French, loomed nc in the
h:z, and crashed into the Walls. " alias
bow. Then the sailing vessel sid Of
into the darkness and was seen no
more. Ali tie passengers and crew o:
the Wal!s. .Walla, except the few On
Vstch, we're asleep, but we're arouseo
by the crash. The steerags quarters
were in the bow and it is believed that
some Of the steerage passengers and
crew were crushed to death, 4 big
hole was made il the steamers bog and
she sank in 35 minutes. The officers
and cleW maintained strict discipline
and boats spd life rsfss Hers lowered.
All who were not killed in the collision
got of except Capt. Hall, who went
do#n With bis ship. He Tss picked up
.ster by one Of the boats, unirj 1red,
with the exception Of few buru,ses.
Z choppy sea wss running and the
small boats could poS land on the
shore, few miles distant. They drift
about all day, and 6ually IS psople
Wers picked up BY the gseamer Dis
pasch; which took than to Eureka.
Another boat uoder command Of e.
gineer Brown and oontsiuing Is persons
attempted to !and at Tiiaioao and Wss
s1snpsd. JOAN Wilkinson, quarter.
nsstsr; VIM. MsrteI!, 6rena2; L. &.
Drubs, passenger, sad :hrse unkaoSa
mon xese drowned. Those in the boat
xno were saved were Engineer BfoWc,
Fireman MoUl .llsn, Joaipasser VIM
SniDn, Sailor O'Lesry, Chioi Cock Mar
shall aad Passengers VIM. B Smith
AID William Moe7house George Rsise
Of San Ersncisco, .aemoeso Of the crew,
gave the following.
''Is was 10 wnen the French vessel
hit the Walls Waiia in the bow. All
we're asleep. The assthor vas clear,
the sea vas rolling high. All were
panic stricken. The passengeEa al
rushed OUT Of their s.aterooms and the
deck vas crowded. Capt. Hail vent
down into the steersgs aod found
family Of sa7sn fastened into a room
bs the foic, of shook isnming the door.
Two girls Of IL shd l3 years wee
piniopea beuea.h fallen tinbers. The
girls vera released and the family as-
sisted out Of their herths. TIE captain
said the vessel Wou.d sink and eli hur'
rieely prepared to leave. Lie boats
and rafte were lowered, life p7aser7ers
were put oa ana the passengers low
cred to the boats. The COLLISION hap
pensd st 4 10 snd the vessel did nos
sink until 4 45, giving the crew and
passengers 35 minutes to Leave the
steamer. Sixty. three were lowered,
the life saving boats then being filed.
Panic raignsd snorg the remaining
passengers; women screamed and men
and boys hurriedly Jumped overheard. |
Several did not leave until vessel began
to sink. The officers we're cool and
collected, doing everything possible to
save the passengers. No one knows
exactly how AID why the collision oc.
Cured, excepting the second ohoer and
he is missing. lmmsdistely after the
collision the Fcench vessel withdrew
and apparently made no effort to rem |
der assistance.
''We were drifting here and there, 63
in the life boats and RATS for four Or
FIVE hou7s." continued Mr, Rsiss, "the
boat I Vas in had l2 survivors, lnolud-
ing two ladies. 4 lsdy gave me red
SKIRT to signal the steamer Dispatch
We were recogniezsd and sooa rescued.
The chioars, learning Of the wreck,
searched for others. She had aboard
So passengers. The Dispatch was
bound from San Francisco to Seattle,
but pulled into this port to land the
rescued passengers. C,ps. Hail, with
the first mate, was saved, the remaln-
ing officers being lost. The Walls
Wslla was PARTLY submerged, both
boilers exploding and sending pieces OF
the vessel in every dire ction. The tug
boat Bsuhuer arrived here st 10 a. m.
with Il passengers picked up along the
coast. Among those saved were SIX
women. A southeastern wind had
drifted them so miles up the coast from
where the arsck occurred. The sea
becoming rough, it vss dangerous for
Them to land, compelling them 70 re,
main at sea. Capt. Hall is at the Hotel
Eureka seriously injured. Two live
saving boa:s sad one raft are yet IN
accounted for,".