The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-07
COLLISION AT SEA SINKS STEAM.
Err WALLA WALLA.
PASSENGERS WERE ASLEEP
Some Were Crushed to Death When
Vessels Struck, Others Drowned
AT Least 20 Lives Lost.

tween the steamship Walla Walla and
an unknown sailing vessel resulted in
the sinking Of the steamship and the
loss Of at least 20 lives.
The Walla Walla, owned by the
Pacific Coast Steamship company,
sailed from San Francisco January 1
for Puget Sound ports. She carried
SO first class passengers, % second
class and a crew of 80 men. When
off Cape Mendoceno, on the California
coast, Thursday morning, an iron bark,
believed to be French, doomed up il
the haze and crashed into the Walla
Walla's bow. Then the sailing vessel
slid off into the darkness and was
seen no more. All the passengers and
crew Of the Walla Walla, except the
few on watch, were asleep, but we're
aroused by the crash. The steerage
quarters were in the bow and it is
believed that some Of the steerage
passengers and crew were crushed to
death.
A large hole was made in the
steamers bow and she sank in IS
minutes. The officers and crew main
tanned strict discipline and boats and
life RATS were lowered. All who
were not killed in the collision got
off except Captain Hall who went
down with his ship. He was picked
up later by n of the boats, uninjur-
ed with the exception Of a few bruises.
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 ~fineally 65 people were picked up
by the steamer Dispatch, which took
them to Eureka. A boat under COM
mand of Engineer Brown and contain
ing 10 persons, attempted to land at
Trinidad and was swamped. John
Wilkinson, quartermaster; William
Martell, fireman; Ii. Drube, passenger
and three unknown men were drown
ed.
Those in the boats who were saved
were Engineer Brown, Fireman John
Mcclellan, Coal Passer William Shinn,
Sailor O'Leary, Chief Cook Marshall
and Passengers William B.. Smith and
William Moorehouse. M
When the Dispatch reached Eureka
this morning with the survivors tugs
: were Immediately sent out for the
missing boats. The tug Ranger pick
ed up one containing II passengers
and three of the crew.
The Walla Walla was valued at
$250,000. She was formerly used as
a collier and about ten years ago
was converted into a passenger YES
sci at a cost of $175, 900. The vessel
was insured for about 5000, 900.
At 10 o'clock tonight it is impossi-
BILE, owing to the confusing lists of
survivors received from Eureka, to
determine the names of the lost and
missing. Twenty-seven people have
been accounted for and more are sup
posed to be adrift at sea in three
boats and two RATS.
News of their being picked up by
passing vessels at any time is expect
ed.
San Francisco, Jan. 4.-As far as
can be determined, by diligent in
quiry and careful checking and COM
parison of lists, the dead and missing
from the wreck of the steamship
Walla Walla now number So persons.
The known dead number eight; pas
sengers missing 20; crew missing rs.
The Known Dead.
MRS. HERMAN KOTSCHMAR, pas
senger.
JOHN WILSON, quartermaster.
WILLIAM BARTEN, fireman.
DROLLY Tor Lhdruby), passenger.
-Four unknown men.
The list of saved includes 81 pas
sengers and 55 of the crew.
Advices received at the offices of
the Pacific Coast Steamship COM
pany say that two of the missing life
boats arrived last night at Trinidad
and II people were landed from them.
This leaves one life boat and two
RATS yet to be accounted for. The
RATS are in charge of first and second
officers of the Walla Walla. The COM
pany's agents have confidence that all
missing craft will turn up before many
hours have passed.
Six More Rescued.