Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-19

Sle p"Buh mihinS wafer rhpidly COM
nenced to settle aft Less than 1--WE
minutes aiter .he crash the Dix sank,
stern first, into the waters OF the sound
| the passengers being busted OF nor
decks l.. tpe rush OF the vessel onto,
the water. like chaff before d wind.
PASSENGERS PENNED IN.
or the 70 or so persons aboard the
DIX, more than half were on the lower
decA when the collision occurred. They
were renned, like rats In a trap. ana
Lad absolutely no chance for their lives.
! One i5-year-old girl OF an the survivors
| Is known 20 have made her way from
| the lower deck and 20 have escaped
| with her life. All the members of the
| crew, save Capt. bermont, who hap
pened TO be above In his fare collecting
round, and a deckhand, went down
with their steamer
SAW COLLISION INEVITABLE.
When Capt. Mason from the Jennie
I realized collision was inevitable he
signaled his engineer to reverse his en-
| CINE, capt Lenont says he heard n
similar signal from the DiN's temporary
commander and the impact OF the two
vessels was comparatively gentle.
The bowsprit Of the Jennie hit the up-
| per works OF the Dix and pushed her
over to port with mildly insstent
| force that was not sharp enough to
crush the wood work OF the cabins. But
| the top-heavy Sound steamer could not
| raIly from the shock and went down.
There was no time to launch boats
| from the DIX or even to throw over
! board life belts or RATS. Bits OF wreck
age strewed the water and toward these
| the frenzied passengers on deck leaped.
| A half dozen jumped for the Jeanie's
| chains and hung there until pulled
ABOARD the steamer The rest We're
| either imprisoned below or were swept
from the deck when the boat settled
| u rev minutes later.
MEN AND WOMEN STUNNED.
From stories told by the survivors
men ana women seemed to have been
stunned Dy the first shock, then to have
| iougnt ike maniacs for a chance ia
escape A few caught I'm the upper
| cabin, smashed window lights and
erawied out To fighting chance in the
ICY waters OF the sound. Below the
man deck frantic rush for the COM
paflloh way resulted in Jam and the
death OF those imprisoned below.
Almost Immediately after the colli-
SION the jeanne was stopped and two
Lteboats were swung into the water.
me Jeanne stood by for three hours,
Wnile life savers answered cries for
| neip. A few We're drawn aboard the
Jeanne py lines that had been thrown
| overheard but most OF the survivors
were picked up by the two lifeboats.
Passengers on the Dix and the Off
| cons OF the Jeanne agree that IT was
iignt when the collision occurred and
the Jeanne when darkness gathered
turned her searchlight upon the sur
rounding waters. So far as is known
practically every one who managed to
get free from the wreck was saved
NEWS IN SEATTLE.
Immediately after the Jeanne brought
the story of the collision to Seattle. the
tugs Bahada and Tyec, the passenger
steamer Florence X and the Jeanne
were ordered out to cruise about the
sound for floating bodies. One by one
the boats have put back this morning
without having found any one. The
tide was ebbing when the collision oc-
CURED and II there were any bodies at
the surface they have probably been
swept afar down sound The others
are likely buried with the Dix, 100
fathoms below the surface.
Mrs. I. G. Ford, wife OF the supern-
tendent of the Port Blakely mill. is the
mother OF the boy who was caught a
few days ago In a burning launch and
who was compelled to cling for hours
to the side of the boat until help ar
rived Her son Is among the saved,
Leonard Masters lost a brother,
mother and stepfather. His own
father, two years ago, was lost off
boat loading at the coal bunkers here
and his body remained seven weeks in
the water before Il was recovered.
SAVED BY HER SKIRTS.
Alice Simpson, the only female pas
senger out OF four who was rescued.
never swan a stroke In her life. She
was thrown off the deck of the Dix
when the boat settled into the water
and was kept afloat by her clothing,
Today she is at Provident hospital
under the influence OF opiates to quiet
her nerves.
Capt. William Tobin, master of the
lnvincible loading at Port Blakely
with lumber, is said 10 have saved two
lives beside his own Tobin vouches
for the story that the passengers OF
the Dix, who were saved bitterly arr
raignede Capt Lermond aud threatened
his life.
All but one OF the filters In the big
Port Blakely mill were drowned In the
Dix accident and the lumber plant VIII
have to be idle until more help Is Sc
cured. Almost the entire force of lum-
Der surveyors was aboard the boat re-
turning to Port Blakely and half OF
them were drowned.
Port Blakey contributed almost tie
entire roll OF the dead. Port Blakely
Is town supported entirely by the
lumber plant of the Blakely MIL COM
pany and the town today Is almost
helpless in It's grief. Not wheel IL
turning and the entire population IL
trying to aid IN some way the eforts
to recover bodies. Memorial services
for the dead will probably be held with
IN a day OF two.
THE DIX A TOTAL WRECK.
The Dix IL a total wreck
The jeanne was not injured in
the least and no member or
her crew was lost. The master OF the
Dix was saved. The Sound was almost
as smooth as mill pond when the coll
lsion occurred and when the boats had
been steaming within sight Of each
other for quarter OF an hour.
THE COLLISION.
The Jeanne was backing when she coll
lided with the Dix and the impact was
very slight. The Dix was struck abaft
of amidships on the starboard side She
listed to port for brief period, righted
herself. then sank stern first. 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 be- heard above the
din. The passengers OF the Dix who
could swim made their way 20 the sides
of the Jeanic and Were dragged aboard.
Then she cruised about. picking w sew
eral who had managed to stay above
water. II was after 10 O'Clock before
the Jeanne left the scene of tho catas-
tfophe and steamed to the Virginia