Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-11-23
TWO SCORE DROWNED
STEAMER DIX SUNK IN A COIII'
SION OFF THE COAST OF
WASHINGTON STATE.

Many Went Down With the Vessel.
Others Jump From the Deck Into
the Water and are Picked Up and
Brought to Seattle.
Seattle, Wash, Nov. 19.-The steam
or Dix, Captain Lormon, bound from
Seattle to Port Blakeley with passen-
gers, sank two miles north of Alki
point after having collided with the
steamship jeanne, Captain P. H. Ma
son, of the Alaska Coast company.
Forty-one passengers and members
Of the crew of the Dix are missing
and thirty-nine were saved. The Dix
is a total wreck. The Jeanne was not
injured in the least and no member of
her crew was lost. The master OF the
Dix was saved. The collision occur
red while the sound was almost as
smooth as a mill pond and after the
boats had been steaming within sight
of each other for a quarter Of an
hour.
The Jeanne was backing when she
collided with the Dix and the impact
was very slight. The Dix was struck
abaft of amidships on the starboard
side. She listed heavily to port for
4 brief period, righted herself, then
sank stern first. There was hardly
time to launch liferafts or boats be-
fore she was almost entirely sub
merged. Passengers jumped from the
decks into the water, women scream
ed and officers and men called orders
that could hardly be heard above the
din. The passengers from the Dix
who could swim made their way to
the sides of the Jeanne and were
dragged aboard. The Jeanie was not
moved until after all who had reach
ed her had been hauled aboard. Then
she cruised about, picking up several
who had managed to stay above wa
ter. It was three hours before the
Jeanne left the scene Of the catas'
trophe and steamed to the Virginia
street dock, Seattle, with the thirty
nine survivors.
Story Of the Collision.
The Jeanne had finished unloading
at the Great Northern docks at Smiths
cove and had started for Tacoma just
about the same time the Dix left the
Flyer dock for Port Blakeley.
There were no passengers on the
Jeanne. The Dix was making the last
trip of the night and was we'll filled
with passengers.
When within about two miles north
of Alki point the two steamers were
within short distance of each other,
steaming along converging lines. The
captain of the Jeanne says he signalled
for the Dix to pass him and his whis-
tie was answered. The Dix was then
within speaking distance of the Jeanne
and to the port. Suddenly Mate Den
nison, who was at the wheel Of the
Dix, put her hard over to starboard as
If to cross in front of the other YES
sci. Captain Mason of the Jeanie
who was on the bridge, saw that an
accident was imminent and called out
a warning to the man at the wheel
Of the Dix.
Captain Mason gave the signal to
reverse his engines and his vessel was
slowly backing away when the two
came together. There was but a
slight crash, the force of the collision
from the Dix coming against the side
Of the larger vessel and not that OF
the heavier craft against the smaller.
For minute all was still, then a
panic followed. When the Dix start
ed to sink, stern first, passengers and
members Of the crew leaped into the
sound. Some Of the passengers hud-
died together in groups on the deck
while others knelt in prayer.
The women, who had little chance
for their lives, stayed with the sink
ing steamer and were drowned as in
trap.
FOR T0SS 0F @e1 k00