The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-11-23
WATERY GRAVE !
FOR -TWO-SCORE
Horrible Catastrophe Follows Crash
Of Ships on Puget Sound.
FoRTY-TWO LIVES LOST
One Vessel Quickly Went to Bottom
While Other Was Uninjured--Pas-
sengsrS Caught Off Guard.

SSA0@AS SSAS4e VA SHeSA1e
-
\ special from Seattle, Wash. says:
Puget sound, so prolific of marine
disasters. had~another Sunday night
in collision between the Alaska
steamer Jeanne and the seattle-Port
slaEeiy steamer Dix, in which forty,
Two people were drowned. Those
lost We're all passengers of the Dix
and many residents of the mill town
of Port Blakely. Thirty-seven were
saved.
Fhe unfortunates were sent to their
awful death with scarcely a mo-
ment's warning. Saddest of all, they
gave their lives through the crimi-
nal recklessness of one Charles Den.
nison, mate of the Dix.
This strong statement is practi-
'cally that Of Captain P. Lermond
and Captain Mason, masters, re-
spectively, OF, the Dix and Jeanne.
Both charge Dennison with having
been responsible for the enrolment
of so appalling a death list.
The Dix is a total. wreck. The Jea-
ME was not injured .in9.tfle least, and
no member of her crew was lost. The
master of the Dix was saved. The col
lision occurred 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 quar-
!, ter Of an, hour.
Tie Jeanierwa backing, in an at
tempt 10 avoid the Dix when the col
lision occurred. The impact was very
slight The Dix was struck abaft Of
amidships ON the starboard side. She
listed heavily TO port for a brief Pc
riod, righted herself, them sank stern
.f1rst3 r. ~
There was hardly time to launch
life RATS or boats before she was
almost entirely submerged.
Passengers jumped from the decks
into the water; women screamed and
officers and men. called orders that
could hardly be heard above the
din.
Thesbassengers from the Dix who
could swim made their way to the
sides Of the JEANNE and were drag.
ged aboard. The Jeanne was not
moved until after all who had reach
eded her bad been hauled aboard.
Then she Bruised about picking UP
several who had managed to stay
above water. The collision occurred
at 7 o'clock, and it was after 10
O'Clock before the Jeanne left the
scene of the. catastrophe ana Steam
ed to the Virginia street dock, Sc
attic, with her thirty-seven surviv-
mrs a."
The jeanne of the Alaska Coast
company had finished unloading at
the Great Northern docks at Smiths
Cove and had started for Tacoma
shortly before o'clock just about
the same time the Dix left the Flyer
dock for Port Blakeley
There were no passengers on the
Teanie. The Dix, was making the last
trip of the night and was well filed
with passengers.
When within about tow miles north
of Alki Point, the two steamers were
within short, distance Of each other
steaming along on converging lines.
The captain of the Jeanne says he
signalled to the Dix TO pass him and
his whistle was answered.
The Dix was then within speaking
distance of the jeanne and to the port
of her. Suddenly Mate Dennison, who
was at the wheel of the Dix put her
hard over starboard as If to cross in
front 81 the other vessel Captain
Mason of the jeanne. who was on the
bridge. saw that en- accident was I'M
minent and called out 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.