Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-01-11
DIE IN OCEAN WRECK
FORTY-ONE DEAD AND LOST IN
CRASH IN FOG.
Iron Bark Hits Steamer on Pacific
Coast--Latter Sinks in 35 Minutes
Former Gets Away Without At
tempting to Aid Disabled Boat.

In thick haze and without seconds
warning an iron bark, believed to be
French struck the passenger steamer
Walla Walla off Cape Mendocino, sinking
her within thirty-fve minutes and causing
loss of life which is believed to amount
to forty-one persons. Despite the dark
ness and choppy sea the officers of the
vessel quelled an incipient panic and
succeeded in getting the passengers and
crew Of the vessel into the small boats in
safety. The sailing vessel, though prob
ably not severely injured, did not stand
by to rescue, but made her escape in the
fog.
The crash was fearful There was
brisk breeze blowing and the bark doomed
out Of the mist with full sail set, going
probably at twelve to fourteen knots. 1t
struck the Walla Walla bow on just
abaft the bow with such force as to COM
p1etely stave in that portion Of the steam
err. The steerage quarters were the most
severely injured by the impact and it is
among these passengers that the loss
of life was the greatest. Captain Hall
showed marked heroism in going down to
that portion Of the steamer which was
most smashed and Eeleasing passengers
from the cabins in which they had been
pinned by broken timbers and buckled
plates.
OF the 142 passengers and crew on the
Walla Walla 100 are accounted for, as
follows: Eighty-fo survivors are at Eu-
| reka, lit at Big Lagoon, near Trinidad /;
seven were drowned before reaching land
and one unknown woman died from the
shock and exposure after reaching shore.
At the time of the collision all the pas
sengers were asleep and the only people
on deck were the members Of the port
watch, In command Of the second officer.
Every person on board the vessel was
aroused by the crash and within two
minutes the decks were filled with ges-
ticulating and panic-stricken passengers,
| who, confused by the darkness and the
hoarse shouting Of orders, could not I'M
derstand that even q few minutes re-
manned in which to make their escape.
The lifeboats were swung out and emer-
gency RATS brought out ready for low
ering.
1t was thought at first by the officers
that the vessel would live for some hours
and an attempt was made to take out the
baggage, but this was shown to be impos-
sible by the suddenness with which the
| vessel took heavy list to port, where
it's plates were crushed in. To avoid this
Captain Hall ordered the port boilers
blown out and the noise Of the escaping
steam added to the confusion and dis
tress among the passengers, many Of
whom were women. Finally seeing that
to remain on the vessel endangered the
lives of the persons on board the captain
ordered the men to take to the boats, and
all who were not killed by the collision
were safely got out, with the exception
Of the captain himself, who went down
with the vessel. He was picked up later
by one Of the boats.
There was a choppy sea running and
the small boats could not make a landing
on the shore, a few miles distant. They
drifted about all day and finally sixty-hve
people were picked up by the steamer
Dispatch, which took them to Eureka.
Another boat under command of En-
gineer Brown and containing nineteen
persons attempted to land at Trinidad
and was swamped, thirteen being drown