The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-01-09
WALLA WAL[A SUNK
PACIFIC COAST COMPANY'S BIG
STEAMER
Sent to the Bottom by an Unknown French
Sailing vesseI-Number Who perished
Not Yet Definitely Determined The
Disaster Occurred Not Far From Eureka,
California.

Eureka, CAL, Jan. 3.-The Pacifi,
Coast Steamship Company's steamer
Walla Walla, Captain Hall, which left
San Francisco January l, bound fol
Puget Sound ports, coilided with. an un
known sailing vessel yesterday morning
and sank in 35 minutes. The collision
occurred about 4 a. m, when all of the
passengers were asleep, and it is feared
that 40 lives were lost.
News of the disaster was brought tC
Trinidad, about 80 miles north of this
place, by boat from the unfortunate
steamer, which, when it left the scene
of disaster contained 13 persons, but
when it arrived at Trinidad contained
but seven persons. Later the steamer
Dispatch arrived with 20 of the passen.
gers and crew on board, including Capt.
Hall of the Walla Walla. Some of the
people on the steamer escaped in small
boats and on RATS. They were unable
to land owing to the character of the
coast and drifted about all day yester-
day, when they were picked up by the
steamer Dispatch. One boat with seven
persons in it arrived at Trinidad, 80
miles north of here.
AS soon as the crash occurred the life
RATS were launched. Under direction of
Capt. Hall and his crew most of the
passengers were placed on the RATS and
in the boats, but it is believed that the
loss of life will be considerable.
Tugs have been sent from here to the
scene of the wreck. The Walla Walla
carried 36 frst-class passengers, 2S
second class and crew OF 60 men.
Told by One Passenger.
The collision occurred twenty miles
south of Mendocino buoy. The French
bark struck the Walla Walla in the bow.
At the time of the collision the second
officer was on the bridge. No definite
information can be learned as to the
cause of the accident, as all aboard were
sleeping. George Reise, of San Fran
cisco, passenger, gave the following
account:
"It was 4:1O when the French vessel
hit the Walla Walla in the bow. All
were asleep. The weather was clear,
but the sea was rolling high. The pas
sengers rushed out of their stateroOms
and the deck was crowded. The captain
went down into the steerage and found
family of seven fastened in a room,
two girls were released and the family
assisted out of their berths.
"An prepared to leave the vessel. The
captain said she would sink. Life boats
and RATS were lowered life preservers
were put on and the passengers lowered
to the boats. The vessel did not sink
until IA, giving the crew and passen-
gers thirty-five minutes to leave the
steamer.
"Sixty-three were lowered, the life
saving boats then being filled. The ex-
citement grew intense among the re-
naming passengers, women screamed
and men and boys hurriedly jumped off
the steamer. Several did not leave until
she started to sink.
'The officers were cool and collected,
doing everything possible to save their
passengers. No one knows the cause of
the collision but the second officer. and
he is missing. The French vessel did
not stop, but left the passengers at the
mercy of the high sea, lending no assist
ance whatever.
Up to 7 80 p. M, SO passengers out of
list of $50 are accounted for. 1t is be-
lieved that fully so or 60 lives wece lost
as result of the collision.
The committee organized by Eureka
citizens are alert, detailing every availa-
ble tug in search of Walla Walla passen-
gers. There are still unaccOunted for
two boats and one raft.
Cabin passengers missing, 13 second
class passengers missing, %; crew miss
ing, 40. Total missing, 73.
Cabin passengers saved. 81 steerage
passengers saved, II; crew saved, 80.
Total saved, 81.