Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-19
Three Chinese.
Five Japanese.
Story of the Wreck.


Captain P. Lennon, master OF the
| steamer. Dix, told of the story of the
collision after arriving at Seattle. He
| was shaking with cold, and his eyes
were still dilated with the horror of his
| experience. II don't know how it hap
| pened,' he said, Mate Dennison, was
miles due north Of AllSi Point and run
| ming at the usual speed. There was
| nothing to hinder us. It was fine,
clear night and the water was like a
millpond. I had seen the lights of
steamer on our starboard side some
time before, but had not paid any at
tention to them. / went below to col
lect fares. The boat was crowded.
There were seventy-nine passengers on
board. It was quite task to get all
the fares. / have been on the run for
the past thirteen years and know al
most everybody aboard. When was in
the ladies' cabin heard the bell signal
to stop. In moment l thought that
something must fbe wrong and rushed
forward to see what was UP. Just as
got on the deck saw the bow Of the
Jeanne, but it was to late to avoid
the impact"
"The jibboom crashed thru us just
aft amidships and keeled the Dix over
like a top. She careened like flash
on her port bow and lay there for a
minute or two with water rushing in
and all over I was thrown against
the deck-house and for an instant the
wind was knocked out of men and 1
was almost paralyzed. The steamer
lay for almost two minutes on her port
beam. In a moment recovered my
breath and sprang up on the house.
Just then the steamer heeled back
to starboard. There was another rush
Of water, cries and screams Of men,
women and children, and from below
came sounds such as human ears had
seldom heard.> Many passengers were
penned below and could not possibly
escape. Then the steamer turned her
bow up. She filed and her stern went
slowly down, until her bow was stand
ing straight half out of the water. For
an instant clung to the railing The
sight fascinated me with horror. Lights
were still burning. could see people
inside the cabin. The expressions on
their faces were of indescribafble de-
spair.
people on the deck slid off into the
water, and went down despera1liv
clutching at the water or at the
Jeanie which still loomed only few
yards away. Within the sinking
steamer pandemonium reigned. There
were cries, and prayers from men and
women. The wall of a child mingled
with the shouts Of those who were
fighting desperately to gain the deck
What took place in that cabin will
never be known, as no people were
saved from there. The boat heeled
back and went down by the stern. The
other boat was only short distance
away from US all this time. Some of
the passengers who had been on the
deck jumped for her martingale, Qines
beneath ibowsprit), and in this way
clanbored up to safety. BY that time
the Dix was standing on end, with her
bow way up in the air, and then she
started to go down. 1 leaped into the
water and managed to keep myself
afloat
were floating near me. Every once in
while one who had been swimming
until his strength gave out, would
throw up his hands, and with last de-
spairing cry sink. This happened time
after time All around were floating
heads which called for helpI and all
watched the Jeanie as she slowly came
toward us and dropped boats, which
moved here and there, picking up men
in every direction. Finally the boat
came to me, but by that time was in
different ana did not care whether I
was saved or not. 1t must have been
at least twenty y-'five minutes from the
time the Jeanie struck us that boats
We're gotten out and I guess I was in
the water another ten minutes. There
were thirty-six of our seventy-nine
drowned. AS to the cause of the acci-
dent cannot say. 1 was not on deck
and don't know how 1t happened"