The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-11-19
FORTY. .ONE PERISH
IN A COLLISION

Continued from Page One)
The women who had little chance for
tl,eir lives. stayed with the sinking steam
er and were drowned as in a trap
CAPT MASON'S STATEMENT
81 got away from Smiths Cove "A little
before Z o'clock, and laid a course for
| Tacoma" said Capt Mason. II had no
passengers aboard. i saw the Dix headed
/ for Port Blakeley and signalled 20 her.
| The mate was at the wheel Suddenly the
| Dix came up astern of me TO port AS
| soon as / saw the Dix was so close I call
ed TO the man in her pilot house to know
what he was doing. He put his wheel
over to starboard and she started direct
| ly across my bows
II signalled to the engine room OF my
vessel To back at full speed, but we could
not get out OF the way In time. The
Jennie was backing little when we
| struck. I guess IL was pretty well abaf.
of amidshps and the shock was not
enough TO have injured an ordinary
launch. The Dix listed heavily 10 star
board. righted herself and then sank
stern first"
CAPT LANNON'S STORY.
Capt. +. Lennon. master OF the steamer
Dix, told the story Of the collision after
| arriving at Seattle. He was shaking with
| the cold his eyes still diated with the
horror of his experience.
II don't know how IL happened" he
said. Charles Dennison. mate of the
boat, was at the wheel We were just
about two miles due north OF Alki Point
and running a the usual speed. There
was nothing to hinder us. II was a fine
clear night and the water was like a
mill pond. | had seen the lights OF a
steamer on our starboard quarter some
time before. but had not paid any atten-
tion TO them. I went below to collect the
fares. The boat was crowded. There
| N Ga
quite a task to get all the fares. j have
been on the run for the past IL years and
knew almost everybody aboard.
when I was I'm the ladies' cabin I
heard the bell signal 10 stop. In mo-
ment | thought that something must he
wrong and rushed forward TO see whas
was up. Just as ] got on deck on the
starboard side saw the bow Of a vessel
loom up Almost instantly the struck
us.
THE jibboom crashed through us
just aft of amidships and heeled the
Dix over like a top. She careened like
a flash on her port side and lay there
for "a minute or two with the water
rushing in and all was over l was
thrown against the deckhouse. For an
instant the wind was knocked out of
me and I was almost paralyZed The
steamer lay for almost two minutes
on her port beam. This was exactly
then. In a moment | recovered my
breath and sprang up on the house.
Just then the steamer heeled back to
starhoard.
CRIES AND SCREAMS
There was another rush OF water.
cries and screams Of men, women and
children From below came sounds
such as human ears have seldom
heard Many of the passengers were
penned below and could not possibly
escape. Then the steamer turned her
bow up She filled and her stern
slowly went down until the bow was
standing straight half out Of tho
wster. For an instant | clung TO the
railing. The sight fascinated me with
horror. Lights were still burning and
| could see people inside Of the cabin.
The expressions on their faces were OF
indescribable despair.
people on deck slid off into the
water. went down shrieking and des-
perately clutchng at the water or
at the Jeanie, which still loomed only
few yards away. Within the sink
ing steamer pendemonium reigned.
There were cries. prayers from men,
and women. The wall OF childrel,
mingled with the shouts Of those who
were lighting desperately TO gain the
deck.
What took place I'm that cabin will
saved from there. The boat heelei
back and went down by the stern.
| The other boat was only n short dis
tance away from us all the time. Some
OF the passengers who had been on
deck jumped for her martingale tthe
| lines beneath the bowsprit, and IN
this way clambered up TO safety. BY
this time the Dix was standing on end
with her bow way up in the air and
then she started 20 go down.
II leaped into the water and managed
to keep myself afloat Others from the
sinking steamer were floating near me.
Every once I'm while one who had been
swimming until his strength gave out
would throw up his hands and with a last
despalring cry. sink This happened time
after time.
HELP ARRIVES.
"Au around were floating heads which
called for help and watched the Jeanie az
she slowly came toward up and dropped
boats which moved here and there pick
ing up men In every direction. Finally n
boat came 90 me by that time | was In
different and did not care whether | was
saved or not II must have been at least
3 minutes from the time the Jcanie
struck us There were 36 81 our ~ people
on the steamship The rest wree drowned
There was no sign of my little steamer
She was gone completely aud before We
left there was not even a ripple on the
surface to mark the spot where the terri
ble tragedy had occurred.
81 don't think the vessel was very badly
damaged by the collision. IL was the
heeling over on her port beam that caused
her loss She flled with water as soon as
she went over and this took her down.
AS 10 the cause ~ tho accident ! can
/ not SAY I was not on deck and don't
know how a. happened ] heard my mate
I signal either one or two whistles. / am
| not gura which 1 also heard him ring a