The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-06
ARE LOST
THIS is THE LATEST FROM THE
WALLAWALLA.
THE MAX BADLY DAMAGED.
SAD FATE OF THE REV. ERICKSON
AND FAMILY.

Mother and Two Children Were
swept Awny-Fnther and Elder
Brother Chung Together and Were
Picked Up by Life Raft-The Son.
Exhausted. Died In His Fathers
Arms-The Father "a Physical and
Almost Mental Wreck.
San Francisco. Jan. 5.-The French
bark Max. which collided with the
steamer WallawalIa early Thursday
morning, is being towed to this city
in a badly disabled condition. The
steamer George w Elder from Port
land reports that she passed the Max
this morning in tow of the steamer
Acme and the United States revenue
cutter McCulloch, IS miles northwest
of Point Reyes. The Max's bowsprit
was carried away and her bow was
stove in, both above and below the
water-line. Her water-tight compart-
ments alone were keeping her afioat.
Ninety-two survivors of the Walla-
walla arrived here to-day from Eure-
ka on the steamer Pomona. There is
still some discrepancy in the list of
is due to the fact that several passen-
gers boarded the vessel just as she was
leaving port. Others who were travel
ing second-class gave assumed names
in order to hide their identity. BY
striking out what are possible dupli-
Gates. the number of lost stands at
fortytwo. classed as follows:
Il
Missing, passengers, 49, crew, 20.
One life-raft is unaccounted for. and
it is feared that all the missing are
lost. Rev. Henry Erickson, who was
among the six survivors brought to
this city by the steamer Nome City
last night, is at a hospital a physical
and almost a mental wreck. His wife
and three children are among the dead
and missing. The Erickson family, ex-
cepting the mother, were second class
passengers. When the crash came they
We're awakened and all got on the UP
per-deck together. Mrs. Erickson and
| the two younger children were sepa-
rated from their father, and the elder
brother. What their fate was Is not
known, but it is presumed they were
drowned when the vessel went down.
Erickson and his son chung together
and were pitched into the water clear
of the sinking steamer. They fioated
around for some time and finally were
picked up by the life raft, on which
were number of the officers of the
Wallawalla. Ii was almost daybreak
when they were found and they were
In an exhausted condition. Father and
son were pulled on the light structure.
Dut the boy was too weak to stand the
A 20.
IN his fathers arms and after the
heart-broken man had bowed his head
IN silent prayer the body was con-
signed to the waves. The sea was run
ming high and dashng over the raft.
but all clung to 1t through the long
hours of the day and the night. They
hoped against hope until the Nome
CitX picked them up. Mr.. Erickson was
the first to be lifted aboard II is
thought he will recover from the terri
BILE effects of the exposure.
An Awful Panic Reigned.
Cecil Brown, fourth officer of the
Wallawalla, who was one of the six
picked up by the Nome city, describ-
ing the scenes as the Wallawalla was
going down, said:
Il never saw such a panic. Men
and women were running about the
decks wild with fright, and II was
almost impossible to get them to obey
directions.
Il 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 our efforts In getting
the boats loaded and lowered met with
great deal of difficulty.
My place was in one Of the boats
and but for the stupidity or knavery
of the sailor / would have been there
The boat was lowered and / ordered
the man in the bow not to cast off un-
til / gave the word. While / was busy
helping passengers off, this sailor
pushed off and left me. / saw his boat
after daylight. She had eight people
aboard. The sailor who disobeyed my
orders was directing her movements.
They had rugged up a blanket for a
sail and slid by us with a good wind
at their backs. That sailor would not
take us aboard. although there was
plenty of room for us in the boat. He
sailed past us and left us to our fate
out in the middle of the ocean, We
were on an ordinary ships raft 16
feet square"