The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-04
Carried Thirty-six First-CIass Passen-
gers, Twenty-Eight Second Class
and a Crew of Eighty Men.
BIG HOLE CUT IN HER BOW
AND SHE SANK THIRTY-FIvE MIN
UTES AFTER THE CRASH.
Captain Hall Went Down with His
Ship, hut Came Up and Was
Saved-Lists of Names.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3.-The collision
at sea early Thursday morning between the
steamship walla WaIla and an unknown
sailing vessel resulted in the sinking OF the
steamer and the probable loss OF at least
twenty lives The WaIla Walla, owned by
the Pacific Coast Steamship Company,
sailed from San Francisco Jan. l for Puget
sound ports. She carried thirty-six first
class passengers. twenty-eight second-class
and crew of eighty men. When of Cape
Mcndocino, on the California coast. at 4:10
Thursday morning, an iron bark, believed
to be French. loomed up in the haze and
crashed into the Walla WaIla'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 were aroused by the crash.
The steerage quarters were I'm the bow,
and il is believed that some of the steerage
passengers and crew were crushed to death.
A big hole was made in the steamers bow
and she sank in thirty-fve minutes. The
officers ard crew maintained strict dis
cipiine and boats and RATS were lowered.
All who were not killed in the collision
got off. except Captain Hall. who went
later by one of the boats. uninjured, with
the exception of few bruises.
There was a choppy sea running, and the
small boats could not make landing on
the shore few miles distant. They drift
ID about all day. and finally sixty-hve peo-
pie were picked up by the steamer Dispatch,
which took them to Eureka Another boat.
under command of Engineer Brown, and
containing thirteen persons, attempted to
land at Trinidad and was swamped. John
Wilkinson, quartermaster. William Marteli,
fireman L. Drube, passenger and three un-
known men were drowned. Those in the
boat who were saved were Engineer Brown,
Fireman John Mcclellan, COalpasser Viii
liam Shinn. Sailor O'Leary, Chief Cook
Marshall and passengers William B. Smith
and William Moorehouse. When the Dis
patch reached Eureka this morning with
the survivors tugs were Immediately sent
out for missing boats. The tug Ranger
picked up one containing eleven passengers
and three of the crew.
A SAILORS STORY.
George Reiss, OF San Francisco. a MEM
Der of the crew. gave the following account
of the accident: "It was 4:l0 when the
French vessel hit the walla WalIa in the
bow. All were asleep. The weather was
clear. the was rolling high All were
dumfounded. The passengers all rushed
out of their staterooms. and the deck was
crowded. Captain Hall went down into the
steerage and found a family of seven
fastened in a room. Two girls of twelve
and fourteen were fastened between tim
bers- They were released, and the family
assisted out of their berthS. All prepared
TO leave the vessel. The captain said she
would sink. LifebOats and RATS were low
" mt nd hR
passengers lowered to the boats. The YES
sci did not sink until 4:45. giving the crew
and passengers thirty-five minutes to leave
the steamer. Sixty-three were lowered. the
Efe-saving boats then being filled. The ex-
citement grew intense among the remaining
passengers Women screamed, men and
boys hurriedly jumped off the steamer. Sew
eral 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 mate. and he is missing
AS soon as the French vessel penetrated
the steamers bow IL was but a short time
till she withdrew. leaving the passengers
at the mercy of the high sea and lending
no assistance whatever.
I'VE were drifting here and there sixty
three in the lifeboats and RATS. for four
or five hours. The boat was in had twelve
survivors, including two women. A woman
gave a red shirt 10 signal the steamer
Dispatch. We were recognized and
rescued. The officers, learning of the wreck,
searched for others She had aboard sixty
three passengers The Dispatch bound
from San Francisco TO Seattle. but pulled
into this port TO land the rescued passen-
gers. Captain Hall. with the first mate,
was saved, the remaining officers being
lost The Walla Walla was partly sub
merged. both boilers exploding and sending
pieces of the vessel in every direction. The
tugboat Boughner arrived here at 10 a. m.
with fourteen more passengers, picked up
along the coast. Among those saved were
six women. southwestern wind had
drifted them fifty miles up the coast from
where the wreck occurred. The sea be-
arh va a for hos,
10 land compelling them To remain at sea.
Captain Hall is at the Hotel Eureka, Sc
verely injured Two lfe-saving boats and
one raft are vet unaccounted for.
LIST OF SURVIVORS.
The list OF survivors at Eureka includes
the following passengers: First Cabin-A
B Mcclellan San Francisco: Mrs. c. Has
tings. Victoria; Mrs. r. F. Edgar San Jose
Cal; Mr.. and Mrs. Jacob Miller. Seattle
Joseph Roberts. San Francisco; Miss Ger
trude A Cadien. San Francisco; Mrs. ].
l. Timmons. Dawson: Charles r. West
San Francisco: w p. Sanders San Fran
cisco; F. " DAILY Everett. Wash; Theo-
dore Haight. Los Angeles: Dr. F. r Adams
San Francisco. Albert Meydenbauer. Lake
pert. Cal. John Gilbert. San Francisco,
J. A. Sell Tacoma: Mrs. a F. Stream.
Tacoma: T.. Stern and wife. Mrs A Mey-
denbauer Miss Rose Peters. r. l.. NJ. Smith
r. l. Stream and wife Tacoma: j. ".
Brown and wife. Miss Williams. Miss Milli-
gan.
Second Cabin-C. l.. Arson. San Francis
co: G.. HelgesOn. Victoria: r Nevins San
Francisco: w d Miller IL & Wilson Sc
| attic Daniel Bowman. c. II. smith : \
Lepreririe. Nevada. James Carmen. San
Francisco r Demar.
Members OF the crew-A. l.. Hall. cap
tain: y. Hogan. clerk H. Saughwout.
second clerk, j. A. Reed first assistant
engineer; George Shivens. Second steward
y. Herald, water tender; James Nagle.