The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1902-01-09
The Steamer Walla Walla Struck
by an Unknown Sailing
Vessel and Sunk.
SIZE WENT DOWN IN IS MINUTES.
She Carried 36 First Class Passengers.
20 Second Class and a Crew Of 80
Men. 20 OF Whom Perished.
The Lost Vessel Belonged to the Pa.
eihe Coast Steamship Co. and Was
Valued at About 25o.ooo-in-
suranee, 100000.


NJ sea early Thursday morning be
tween the steamship wara waila ana
an unknown sailing vessel resulted iu
the sinking Dt the steamer and the
probable loss Of az least 90 lives. The
Waila Walla. owned hy the Pacific
Coast Steamship Co. sailed from San
Francisco January I FOR Puget Sound
ports. She carried 80 hrst-ciass pas
eengers. IS second-class and a crew
OF 50 men when of Cape Mcndonico
on the California coast at i.l0 Thurs.
day morning an iron bark. believed Co
be French. ioomed up in the haze and
crashed into the Waila Wallas how
Then the sailing vessel slii on into
the darkness and was seen no more
All the passengers and crew OF the
Weilt Walla. except the fcw on watch.
we're asleep. but were aroused by the
collision Steerage quarters were DO
the bow and it is believed that some
STORAGE passengers aui crew were
crushed 90 death a biz hole was
made IN the steamers bow. Shc sank
In IS minutes. Tho officers and crow
maintained strict discipline and boats
and hfo RATS were lowered An who
were not killed ia tho collision got oE
except Capt Hall. who went down
with his ship. Tie was picked un later
by ono OF the boats. unIuiurcl with
the exception OF "a fcw bruises.
There was chopuy Sea running and
the small boats could not mako a lanf.
ing on tho shore. a few miles distant
They drlfted about an day aud finally
6 people were picked up by tho steam
e. Dispatch. which took them to Tr-
reisa. Another boat under command
OF Engineer Brown and containing 70
persons attempted 90 land at Trinidad
ant was swampcd John wilkinson.
Qusrtormaster; William Nartel nro-
man; J.. Drube. passenger. aud three
unknown men were drowned. Those
In the boat who were saved were En-
gineer Brown. Fireman John NcClei.
Ian. Coal Passer VIM sh.un. Sailor
OLear. Chief Cook Marshall ANA pas
senEers Wm. b. Smith and William
Moorehouse
When the Dispatch reached Eurc-
IA Friday morning with the survivors
tugs we're Immediately sont out Tor
missing boats The mr Ranger pick.
Cd up one contaluing II passengers and
three OF the crew
The Walla Wala was valued az
about s25o.oo0 She was FORMERLY
used as a collier. and about ten years
Rgo was converted into a passenger
vessel az q cost of S176O0l The ves.
fel was Insured for about 100000
San Francisco. Jan. Sit was as-
certainod to-day that tho vessel that
came in collision with the steamship
Walla Walla was tho French bari, Max.
San Francisco Jan. 6.-The French
bark Max. which corided with The
steamship Waiia Waua early Thurs
day morning, was towod 90 this city
IN badly disabled condition. The
Max's howsprit was carried away and
her bow was stove i'm both above and
below the water line. Her water-tight
compartments alone were Keeping her
aroat Ninety two survivors of the
Walla Walla arrived here Sunday from
Eureka on the steamer Pomona There
Is stil some discrepancy ia the list OF
dead and missing The number ranges
from 81 70 A.. This discrepancy is
due TO the fact that several passengers
boarded the vessel Just as she was
leaving port Others who were trav-
cling second-class gave assumed
names In order 10 hide their identity
BY striking out what reports duplicate
the number OF lost stands at ~. class
ed as follows: Known dead. o: miss
Ing. passengers. IS; crew. 20. One life
raft Is unaccounted for and it is fear
ed ali the missing are lost.