The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-01-04


Nelson, sailors; NJ Hurley, w Gudsmlth.
Peter Noouan and W. Kclegher. bremen:
G.. Gurd, stOrekeeper
At 10 o'clock tonight It Is impossible.
owing TO the confusing lists Of survivors
received from Eureka, to determine the
names Of the lost and missing.
According 10 the compilations OF the
steamship company, all but twenty-seven
nave been accounted for
~ the time Of the collision. the second
officer was on the bridge. George ReIse
of San Francisco. one Of the crew. gave
the following account Of the accident:
1t was 4;10 o'clock when the French YES.
sci hit The walla walia in the bow. All
were asleep The weather was clear ana
the Sea was rolling high The passengers
all rushed out of their staterooms. Can.
tain Hail went down into the steerage and
found family Of seven fastened in a
room, Two girls OF II aud "a years were
fastened between timbers. The girls were
released aud the family assisted out OF
their berths. All prepared to leave the
vessel. The captain said she would sink
Ine life boats aud RATS were lowered.
The vessel did not sink until 4;45 o'clock,
giving the crew and passengers thirty-hve
minutes to leave the steamer. Slxty-nve
were dwered, the life boats then being
filed The excitement grew Intense Among
the remaining passengers, men and boys
hurrledly jumped of the steamer. Several
did not leave until she started to sink.
1The officers were doing everything possible
TO save the passengers. No one knows the
cause Of the collision, but the second officer
and he is missing. AS soon as the large
French vessel penetrated the steamers
bows she withdrew. leaving the passengers
at the mercy of the high sea and lending
assistance whatever"
Captain A. l.. Han, master OF the
wrecked steamship, gives graphic account
Of the disaster. He says I'VE left san
Francisco Wednesday. bound for Victoria
aud Puget Sound The weather thick
ened as che night advanced and Thursday
heavy fog, accompanied by a light rain.
set in. About $40 a. m. ! was suddenly
awakened by an awful crash on the port
side. well forward. Second Officer Luke
was on watch at the time. The housing,
especially in the vicinity Of my cabiu, was
badly shattered, the main force Of the
collision striking her just forward of my
stateroom. My bunk was struck and
thrown across the room on TO my table.
After the crash, the vessel. which / think
was n French bark, judging from the
language used by her sailors, rebouuded
and CROPPED alongside. / called to her TO
stand by, but she drlfted away and was
lost 70 view. Those OF the passengers who
had not been awakened by the crash were
aroused at once
The vessel began to oil Immediately and
she sank In thirty-hve minutes. The Off
GERS aud crew kept the passengers from be
coming psnic-stricken. The crew was i'm.
mediately ordered to man the life boats
and rnfts and ! gave orders TO have the
port boilers blown out. It being necessary
TO give the vessel a list to keep the gaping
hole in her side out of the water In
few minutes all the life boats and RATS
were out with the exception Of two, which
were smashed. One OF those boats con
tanned nine or ten passengers. All were
thrown Into the water. hat managed to
boaYd a life raft. The second boat was
smashed by striking heavy object In
the wnter, but all the passengers were
rescued by another life raft. We had about
slxty-Gve first and second-class passengers
on board, and 160 souls all told. ] re-
NAMED on board assisting them in every
way possible and went down with the
ship. After l had been down. do not
know how long. the social hall broke off
ana ] loated 10 the surface with it. Sight
ing q life raft I commenced swimming
and succeeded in reaching II after a hard
struggle. and wns pulled on board by the
three occupants. We 1oated all day and
early in the evening were picked up by the
steamer Dispatch. When the Walls Wnlla
went down | was struck by n heavy spar
and badly bruised. ! think the death list
rlll not be less than twenty and possibly
may reach forty or fifty. Many were In.
jured."
Advices from Eureka at midnight say that
the list of dead and missing in the found,
cring Of the steamer WallawalIa has
reached forty one or these eight are known
10 have died. The others are probably
adrlft on the ocean In two lifeboats and
taft.
Portland, Ore, January S.-~Shipping men
here believe that the vessel which was in
collision with the Walla Walla is the four
mastcd French bark Europe. The Europe
left here December II for Queenstown with
cargo of wheat. Under ordinary weather
conditions the Europe would have been
further on her journey.