The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-13
WHAT PASSENGERS
TOLD THE PAPE RS

H P. Wood, who has been secretary
of the Chamber of Commerce at San
Diego for the past six years and who
was on his way to Honolulu to enter
upon the position of secretary of the
Hawaii Promotion Committee, was
standing on the forward decks of the
Alameda when the ship struck. Stand
ing by him were his wife and George
w. Fishburn, cashier of the First Ma
tional Bank of San Diego.
TT was very foggy," said Wood. in
telling what he knew of the disaster.
I'VE ran into a thick bank of fog
while proceeding down the bay, and
it was impossible to see anything be-
yond the bow of the vessel. We could
hear fog signals very distinctly, but I
could not say where they were To-
Gated. The first warning I had of the
impending disaster came from a sailor
on the lookout forward. He shouted
and pointed over the port rail. Peer
ing out through the fog / could see
dark object looming I'D ahead, but it
was SO indistinct that I could not tell
whether it was a ship or a rock, or
whatever it might be. In another in
slant we struck. There was a grating
sound and we slid up on the rocks with
scarcely any jar. I remarked to my
wife, with less emotion than thought
myself capable of under the circum-
stances, that we were aground. We
could then see Fort Point quite dis
tinctly, less than a ships length away.
There was absolutely no excitement
on board then or subsequently. Per
feet discipline was preserved. The
boats were lowered instantly, but it
was some time before the passengers
were put off. Everyone took the stu
alton quite calmly, and, might say,
good naturally. I didn't hear harsh
word uttered, and about the only ex-
pressions I heard from the passengers
were words of sympathy for Captain
Dowdell, who had been running on the
Alameda for many years and who was
well known and highly esteemed by
many of the passengers.
''As an evidence of the perfect COM
posure of the passengers most of them
went down into the saloon for lunch
con when the lunch hour arrived. It
was not long after the Alameda struck
Gate was alongside, and the transfer
ring of the passengers, with all their
stateroom baggage, and the mails was
accomplished in orderly manner I
looked at my watch almost the mo-
ment the Alameda struck, and, as
near as I can come to it, the accident
happened at HAT o'clock
Mrs. Wood, in speaking of her ex-
Derience. said she was not all
cited when the ship went on the rocks
or afterward, although she felt quite
nervous while the ship was proceeding
down the bay in the fog.
There have been so many disasters
on account of fog that I had a pre-
sentiment of fear while we were pro-
ceeding out toward the Golden Gate.
Everyone on board seemed to feel such
a sense of security after we struck,
however, that I did not get at all nerv-
Gus. Everybody behaved beautifully.
The hour of the day and the calm
weather, I think, had a great deal to
do with it,
L. B. KERR'S STATEMENT.
ST was in my bed at the time of the
grounding" said L. B. Kerr, one of the
most prominent merchants of Honolulu,
land thought that we were going to
sink I remember that I thought it was