The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-01-09
CRASH AT SEA
in THE NIGHT
Twenty or More Lives Lost In a
Terrible Disaster.
SOME OF CREW CRUSHED TO DEATH
Steamer WaIIa WsIla, From San Francisco
for Puget Sound, colIldes With a Sailing
Ship on the Pacific OF the California
coast-wIth a Big Hole Ia Her Side the
Steamer Sinks In Half an Hour.

San Francisco (SpeciaD "A collision
at sea between the steamship Wala
Walla and an unknown sailing vessel re-
suited in the sinking OF the steamship
Twenty-seven persons are missing. Ow-
ing TO confusion of the lists, tdcir names
cannot be determined accurately.
The Walla Walla, owned by the Pa
cifc Coast Steamship Company, sailed
from San Francisco New Years day for
Puget sound ports She carried 80 first
class passengers, 2S second-cless and a
crew of 30 men, When off Cape Mendo-
cino on the California coast, at 40
o'clock the next morning an iron bark
believed to be French, loomed UP II the
haze and crashed into the Walla Wala's
bow Then the sailing vessel slid off
into the darkness and was seen no more
All the passengers aud crew of the
Walla Walla, except the few on watch,
were asleep, but were aroused by the
crash. The steerage quarters were in
the bow, and it 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
IS minutes.
The officers and crew maintained strict
discipline Boats and life RATS were
promptly lowered All who were not
Capt. L. A. Hall, vino went down with
his ship He was picked up later by one
of the boats uninjured, except for few
bruises.
A choppy sea was running and the
la 10,
the shore, a few miles distant. They
persons were picked up by the steamer
Dispatch which took them TO Eureka.
Another boat, under command of Fn-
gneer Brown, and containing IS per-
sons, attempted to land at Trinidad and
was swamped John Wilson, quarter
master; William Barton, fireman; l..
Brule, passenger, and four unknown
men were drowned from this boat but
the others were saved.
When the Dispatch reached Eureka
with the survivors tugs were sent out
for the missing boats The tug Ranger
picked TIP one boat containing II pas
sengers and 3 of the Walla Walla' S
crew.
Captain Hall, of the wrecked ship,
gives d BIdDlllC dSCOullt VI tllc ulSAStcI. .
He says: "Thc weather thckened as
Wednesday night advanced, and Thurs
day morning heavy fog accompanied
by light rain, set in. About 4.Io A. M.
was suddenly awakened by an awful
crash on the port side, we'll forward.
Second Officer Luke was on watch at the
time The ships housing, especially in
the vicinity of my cabin, was badly shat
tered, the main force of the collision
striking just forward of my stateroom.
My bunk was struck and thrown across
the room on my table.
After the crash the strange vessel,
which think was French bark judg-
ing from the language used by her sail
ors, rebounded and groped alongside.
called to her to stand by. She drifted
away and was lost to view. | could
not tell how badly she was injured, but
do not imagine she was severely hurt,
as she struck us bow on. Though her
forward rigging might have been bro
ken, it is not likely her hull suffered ma
terially.
"Those of the passengers who had not
been awakened by the crash were aroused
at once The vessel began to fill imme-
diately and sank in IS minutes. There
was no confusion on board. The officers
and crew kept the passengers from be-
coming panic-stricken.'