Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-06

fourth officer Of the Walla Walla,
VINO was one Of the six picked up by
the Nome city, gives graphic ao-
count of their experience, He said.
I'VE certainly had an experience that
none of US VIII ever forget The raft
on which we were drifting when the
Nome CITY picked us up was only an
Urinary ships raft sixteen feet square.
II afforded us absolutely no protection
from the cold night wind nor from the
waves, which frequently swept over
u.s. The greatest part Of the time some
portion Of the raft was under water.
our clothes were drenched and yester-
day morning they were almost frozen
stiff.
When the vessels colllded the pas
sengers almost without exception we're
asleep in their berths In some In
stances we were compelled to use force
% pull them ont. AS the Walla Walla
was going down a young woman, whose
name don't know, came TO me and
asked for help. | seized her In my
orns and jumped overheard. / swan
for a considerable time looking for a
roft or boat on which to put her. At
last | found raft, but II was crowded
and could only find room for the
young woman | put her aboard and
then swan off TO look for another raft
or boat. | don't know whether she
was rescued or not
ANOTHER RAFT.
II found another raft, but should
judge that there were already over
thirty people clinglng 10 II. / managed
TO catch hold, and very soon afterward
another raft with but q few people
aboard came floating by. Part of the
people from the raft TO which / was
ollnging went aboard this second raft.
A little while after we came In contact
with a third raft, and again we put
some OF the people from our raft
aboard.
This left but the six men who were
rescued by the Nome City and young
Erickson aboard the raft on which |
was riding During the remainder Of
the morning we endeaVored TO row to-
ward the shore, but the raft proved
rather an unwledy affair. The waves
and wind We're against us, and we were
unable to make any Roadway.
COULD NOT SEE SIGNALS.
when the morning cleared we we're
still near the scene of the wreck We
could see the steamer Dispatch about
a mile away We tied two Of the oars
together and tried to signal the boat.
but we failed. We also saw several
other rats with people aboard float
ing about, but we We're not within
halllng distance of them Several times
we attempted to propel our raft toward
the shore, but our efforts failed. Rats
under ordinary conditions are not made
10 be roWed, and we were badly ex-
hausted from being exposed TO the
frosty morning air after our plunge into
the Icy waters, We finally gave up try.
Ing to row and allowed ourselves 10
drift in the hope Of being picked up by
a passing boat. We saw a number of
vessels passing during the thirty-six
hours mat we were adrift, but none
unfortunately happened to see us
Il cannot describe how we suffered
from cold hunger and thirst It is bad
enough TO be exposed In an open boat,
but on a raft one has no protection
whatever. We were drenched again
and again by the waves that washed
over us, With all our hardshlps, how
ever, / do not think any OF us gave IN
hope ! know l would not have ceased
to hope for relief until death itself
came"
THE PANIC.
Describing the scenes as the Walla
Walla was going down. officer Brown
said. II never saw such a panic Men
and women were running about the
decks wild with fright, and II was i'm
possible to get them to obey directions
The wife Of Erickson was running about
screaming for her husband. | was d.
recting the loading and lowering OF
some Of the boats, and told her to get
into one of them, hwill not go without
my husband she Cried tried TO per-
suade her. but II was useless. So, after
few moments delay told her alb
ruptly that there were other people
waiting for places in the boats, and
that she could go and look for her hus-
band.
There were other passengers who
were just as hard to handle, | have
been In several shipwrecks, but | never
saw people before who were so opposed
TO being saved, They wanted to stay
with the ship to the last minute, and