The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-27
TOPEKA'S CRUISE
TO WRECK SCENE
Twenty-Three Survivors Picked
Up We're OH Verge of
Insanity.
ENGINEER TELLS STORY
OF AWFUL DISASTER
Had Charge of the Raft on
Which Eighteen Men
Escaped.

SEATTLE, Wash, Jan. 26.-The steam
er City of Topeka. sent to the rescue of
the persons on board the Valencia. which
struck on reef near Cape Beale and
was pounded to pieces-nearly six score
OF lives being lost-arrived In Seattle at
$50 o'clock this morning with twenty
three survivors aboard
Bring No Belongings.
a majority OF these remained on board
the steamer until the offices OF the Pa
CHIC Coast Steamship company were
opened this morning They were then
taken TO hotel and provided for. Not a
man who was saved brought any Of his
personal effects on the wreck with the
exception of the clothing he wore and
what few articles were in his pockets.
Topeka's Cruise of Rescue.
During Wednesday night the City OF
Topeka lay inside the straits and early
THURSDAY morning ran westward along
the Vancouver shore toward the scene o!
the wreck, The weather was clear and
everything could be seen on the Wash
lngton and Vancouver shores When of
Carmanah light fog and rain set I'm
around the ship and the shore line, a
hnlf-mie away. was blotted out
AT about 10 o'clock the tug Lorne was
Sia struck She reported having cruiscd
five miles to the westward and had found
no sign OF the wreck
Hero Shows the Way.
Joe Cigolas, the hero OF the wreck who
tried to swim TO shore with a lifeline
and was all but drowned, volunteered TO
show the Lornes life-saving crew that
was going ashore In n small boat where
the Valencia lay, and he was transferred
from the Topeka to the tug The Lorne
then ran east about two miles, but the
lifeboat could not land near the wreck.
Sa1uor With CuruIroro
The salvor was next sighted by the To-
peka, lying farther up the coast to tho
westward, flying signals. The Topeka ran
alongside. and Capt Troup OF the Salvor
reported that he had on board Bostswain
Tim Mccarthy and the five men who
landed at Cape Beele from the Valencia
and reported the wreck. He also report
sd having seen two men on shore who
had rlgged up a semaphore. Tho Salvor
had not been able TO mako landing
Mistaken for the Wreck
a small tug was sighted in the break
ers where the wreck was reported TO be
The waves appeared 10 be sweeping all
over her, and when the tug was first
sighted 1t was mistaken for the wreck
At IL 80 o'clock this tug came alongside
the Topeka and proved 10 be the Orion,
a whaler of Victoria She reported the
wreck all broken up, nothing standing
but the stump of the mainmast; had seen
no persons on shore and no bodies In the
wreckage. 1t was impossible TO make u
landing
During the afternoon the Topeka made
through the surf The Lorne was to take
them near the shore and cast them
odrift but found 1T impossible to get
close enough to the line OF breakers
Passes Through Wreckage.
Just at sunrise the Topeka started on
her return trip to Seattle, via Port Towns
end. AS tho vessel steamed up the
straits past the place where the Valencia
met her fate. long lines OF broken spars
and other wreckage floated past in the
proceeded slowly through these mute re-
minders of the awful fate that had over
taken hundred lives. and on TO Seattle.
When the Valencia went on the rocks.
K F. Carrack first assistant engineer,
was in the freroom. In describing the
disaster he said;
Engineer Describes 1t.
II felt the ship strike. and then strike
again; then came the order, Reverse,
fun speed ahead We backed for FIVE
whole port side OF the ship by the fire.
room seemed to give way and the water
rolled In. striking US waist high and
throwing us against the boilers.
In Water Waist-High.
'Just as the ship struck, the engines
stopped The water drove us out OF tho
hreroom before we could draw our firess
sprang through q doorway Into the en-
ginc-room and lifted the levers OF the
''We were on slow bell when we struck.
The last sounding that | heard was fifty
70 thoms at 10 o'clock. We struck a few
After doing all 1 could to prevent an
explosion of the boilers 1 went on the
main deck We could see nothing around
us but breakers. and did not know whcth-
Ell We were on ledge or the mainland
Pinned Among the Rocks.
minutes after she struck gave way as II
her back had been broken. and listed
heavily Three waves struck her and
threw her back on level keel and she
rested In that way until the end, seem
ing TO be pinned among the rocks
Il was In charge Of boat No; :. the s. sec.
ond one landed, Besides myself there
were seven men In the boat, fve OF tho
crew and two passengers. The lines were
fouled and some one tried to cut US away,
but only the after line parted and the
boat plunged forward and telcScopcd
alongside the ship.
Crushed Between Boats.
Every one was thrown out and a num-
her were crushed to death between the
boat and the ship. Lines were thrown TO
those I'm the water. but In the dnrknesS
ter about fifteen minutes when | caught
a line and got my leg around the olock
and was hauled aboard.
boat and the men, but did all l could
: cfterward to get the raft safely away
with eighteen men on board.
Got Raft Safely Away.
ST have father sister and two
brothers In San Francisco. and married
sister Mrs. r. D. Rogers. In Seattle. and
viii be glad when they know that l am
safe"
Men Almost Insane.
IF we had been an hour longer on
hat raft / believe every man would
nave gone insane" said Joseph Nc
Carrrey, one of the men on the raft and
Sho came here on the Topeka. one
,ould tell by the looks In the eyes OF his