Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-01-04
SINKING OF THE Steamer
Details Of the Disastrous Mishap to
( the Steamer Walla Walla off
California Coast.
Collision with a Sailing Vessel Hap
pens While All Passengers on
Board are Asleep.
Dispatch Picks Up Sixty, but Many
Were Drowned. Vessel Sinking
Soon After Accident.

Eureka, CAL, Jan. 4.-The steamer
Walla Walla was sunk early Thursday
morning as the result of collision
with an iron sailing vessel. News Of
the disaster was brought to Trinidad
by boat from the foundered vessel
and later the steamer Dispatch arriv-
ed with 60 of the crew and passengers
Of the wrecked vessel The Walla
Walla left this port on Jan. for
Puget Sound points. 1t is thought here
that 40 lives we're lost in the wreck OF
the Wa!la Walla. The collision oc-
Cured at o'clock in the morning
when all the passengers We're asleep.
Some of the people on the steamer es-
capped in small boats and on rafts-
They were unable to land, owing to the
character Of the coast and drifted
about all day Thursday when they
were picked up by the steamer Dis
patch. One boat with several people
arrived at Trinidad, 20 miles north of
here.
The collision occurred % miles south
of Mendocino buoy. The French bark
struck the Wafla Walla in the bow. At
the time of the collision the second Of
ficer was on the bridge. No further in
| formation can be obtained of the cause
of the accident. George Reise of San
Francisco, a passenger. gave the fol-
| lowing account: ..-.
cit was 4:10 when the French vessel
hit the Walla Walla in the bow. All
were asleep. The weather was clear,
the sea rolling high. All were dumb
founded. The passengers rushed out
of their staterooms and the deck was
crowded. Captain Hall went down into
the steerage and found family Of
seven fastened in a room. Two girls
of II and IA years were fastened be-
tween timbers. The girls were re-
leased and the family assisted out Of
their berths. All prepared to leave the
vessel. The captain said she would
sink Life boats and RATS were low
cred: life preservers were put on and
the passengers lowered to the boats
| The vessel did not sink until 4:45, CIV
| ing the crew and passengers 35 min
utes to leave the steamer. Sixty-three
were lowered to the life saving boats
| then being filled. The excitement
grew intense among the remaining pas
] sengers: 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 the passengers. No
! one knows the cause of the collision,
but the second officer is missing.
| After the French vessel penetrated the
! steamer she drew away lending no as
sistance whatever"
Tugs have been sent from here to
the scene of the wreck.
The steamer Walla Walla was one Of
the best known vessels on the coast.
She was owned by che Pacific coast
steamship company and has been ply
ing between Puget Sound and San
Francisco for years. She was an iron
screw steamer and was built by J.
Roach e Sons in 1881. Her net tom
mage was 2,16S and her rating was No
I. Her length was 10 feet, breadth
40 feet 6 inches and depth % feet.
San Francisco, Jan. 4.-The Pacific
Coast Steamship company has issued
statement showing that the Walla
Walla carried GA first class passengers
and crew of 80 men. The company
has no definite information as to the
number of persons in the second class
but places little credence in the report
selegraphed from Eureka, that the
number of lost will reach As
A later bulletin from Eureka says
that 27 of the passengers and crew of
the Walla Walla are missing. All the
rest e-e accounted for.