River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-11-22
FORTY PERISH
WHEN ship SINKS
STEAMER DIX GOES DOWN IN
PUGET SOUND AFTER COL
LlSloN WITH JEANNE.
LITTLE TIME FOR
VICTIMS TO ESCAPE
Many Passengers Leap Into Water in
Panic-Thrty-Nine Persons Saved
- Disaster Occurs on Smooth
Sea.

Seattle, Wash, Nov. 20.-Forty-one
passengers and members of the crew
of the steamer Dix, Capt p. Lennon,
bound from Seattle to Port Blakeley,
were drowned when that vessel sank
two miles north of Alki Point, short
ly after seven p m Sunday, after hav-
ing collided with the steamship
jeanne, Capt. p. H. Mason, of the
Alaska Coast company. Thirty-nine
persons were saved.
Alice Simpson, aged Is, was the
only one of the female passengers on
the Dix saved.
The Dix is a total wreck. The
Jeanne was not injured in the least,
and no member of its crew was lost.
The master of the Dix was saved
The collision occurred while the sound
was almost as smooth as a millpond
and after the boats had been steaming
within sight of each other for quar-
ter of an hour.
Impact Is Slight.
The jeanne was backing when it col
lided with the Dix, and the impact
was very slight The Dix was struck
abaft of midships on the starboard
side. tt listed heavily to port for a
brief period, righted itself, then sank
stern first There was hardly time to
launch life RATS or boats before the
vessel 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.
The passengers from the Dix who
could swim made their way to the
sides of the Jeanie and were dragged
aboard. The Jeanne was not moved
until after. all who had reached it
had been hauled aboard.
Then the jeanne cruised about, pick
ing up several who had managed to
keep their heads above the surface of
the water. 1t was after ten o'clock
before the Jeanne left the scene of the
catastrophe and steamed to the Vir-
ginia street dock, Seattle, with the 80
survivors.
Vessel Carried No Passengers.
There were no passengers on the
Jeanne. The Dix was making the last
trip of the night and was well filled
with passengers.
When within about two miles of
Alki Point the two steamers were
within a short distance of each other,
steaming along converging lines. The
captain of the Jeanne says he signaled
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 of the latter
ship.
Suddenly Mate Dennison, who was
at the wheel of the Dix, put his helm
hard over to starboard as if to cross
in front of the other vessel Capt.
Mason of the Jeanne, who was on the
bridge, saw that an accident was i'm
minent, and called out warning to
the man at the wheel of the Dix
Captain Reverses His Engines.
Capt. Mason gave the signal to re-
verse his engines, and his vessel was
slowly backing away when the two
came together. There was only a
slight crash due to 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
wild panic followed. The Dix began
to sink, stern first, within minute,
and passengers and members of the
crek, crazed with fear, leaped into
the sound. Some of the passengers
huddled together in groups on the
deck while others knelt in prayer
Women Go Down with Ship.
The women, who had little chance
for their lives, stayed with the sink
ing steamer and were drowned as in
trap.
Capt. p. Lennon, master of the
steamer Dix, told a graphic story of
the collision after arriving at Seattle
He was shaking with the cold, his
eyes still dilated with the horror Of
his experience.
81 don't know how it happened" he
said. Charles Dennison, mate of the
boat, was at the wheel. We were rum
ming at the usual speed. had seen
the lights of a steamer ON our star
board quarter some time before, but
had paid no attention to it. I went
below to collect the fares. The boat
was crowded. There were 70 passen-
gers and crew on board, and it was
quite a task to get all the fares I
had been on the run for the last 13
years, and knew almost everybody
aboard. When / was in the women's
cabin / heard the bell signal to stop.
In moment thought that something
must be wrong and rushed forward
to see what was up. Just as got on
deck on the starboard side / saw the
bow of the vessel loom up. Almost
instantly it struck u.s."
Four Ship Disasters.
Quebec, Nov. 20-The steamer Can
ada was wrecked on Isle Verte and
the crew of four drowned Captain
Couillard has been lost, with his
schooner, at Rivere Blanche. The
Norwegian ship Oybvag is a total loss
at Escoumains, and The schooner Ma
rie Louise is a wreck on Trois Pist0les
reef Their crews were saved
"a Feather in Ones Cap"