The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-31
An Appalling Marine Disaster
North of San Francisco.
ONE HUNDRED LOST.
A Large Passenger Steamer Rammed
by :: Large Lumber HcSSel-Peo-
pie ON Both Vessels Were Asleep
When the Crash Came-Many Wo-
men Perish, But Many of the Men
Escape.

escape.
A dispatch from San Francisco
says in one of the worst marine dis
asters in the history of California be-
tween one hundred and fifty lives
were lost as far as has been learned
by midnight collision between the
steamer Columbia and the steam
lumber schooner San Pedro in Shell
ter Cove, twelve miles south of the
Observation-Disclosures County line, be-
tween II and 1 O'Clock Monday. The
few details known here brought by
the steamer Roanoke and the steam
schooner Daisy Mitchell, which ar
rived in San Francisco Monday fore
noon.
The Columbia, a 300-foot steel YES
sci of the San Francisco and Portland
Steamship company, while bound
from San Francisco for Portland,
Ore. with 1S9 passengers and crew
of sixty, collided with and was ram
med by the San Pedro, a 17O-foot
wooden steamer, south-bound, for
San Francisco. The sea was smooth,
but the weather was foggy. The
San Pedro looming out of mist
few lengths away, bore down on
the Columbia at high-speed, despite
frantic efforts to clear. With grind
ing crash, the San Pedro sank her
stem fully ten feet into the Colum-
bias port bow.
Nearly all of the Columbia,s pas
sengers and many of her crew were
asleep in their cabins and hunks
when the crash came. AS the San
Pedro backed away the sea poured
in through the ragged hole in the
Columbia's bow above and below the
water line, and in five minutes the
Columbia sank to the bottom, the
deep waters of the shelter Cove COW
ering over the tops of the Columblas
masts. The story of that five minu-
tes is yet to be told and as it is told
by some survivors the facts of the
tragedy can be but guessed at.
According to ]. S. Flynn, pas
senger on the Roanoke, Capt. Doran'
of the Columbia, succeeded IN launch
ing four life boats and TWO RATS be
fore the Columbia sank. Flynn is
quoted as saying that eighty-elght
passengers, all men. got away IN tnat
manner, and were saved; that Capt.
Doran acted with great coolness IN
the face of death and went down with
his ship. Flynn is further quoted as
saving that none of the hundred odo
women passengers were caved
Shortly after the collision the
steamers Roanoke and George w.
Elder and the steam schooner Daisy
Mitchell, all south-bound, came on
the scene and stood by. Inc Elder
took the San Pedro in tow and the
latest reports announce their ARRIVAL
in Eureka. The stem OF the San
Pedro was smashed to spllnters, one
of her masts was snapped on at tne
deck and she was settling and hao
a heavy list when taken in tow. Capt.
Hansen remained on board.
The Daisy Mitchell offered assist
ance to the Elder, but this was de-
clined. She picked up life boat
snd a raft of the Columbia and
brought them to San Francisco.
Near the scene Of the wreck the
Roanoke picked up a life raft ana
found underneath it the dead oooy
of passenger, supposed to be Ed
ward Butler, Of Portsmouth, n: n.
The officers of the Mercantile En-
change in San Francisco and Oh the
various newspapers have been pc
seiqed since early morning by reia-
ives and friends of the Columbia
mass myers, but the insistent ano
fearful requests for information OF
the victims and the rescued remain
nnsatisfied. Beyond the reported
Facts that Butler was drowned anu
that Capt. Doran went down with ms
shin no details of casualties nave
As Assistant President Frye, Of the
steamship company, said that the Col-
umbia lies in deep water anu n1Ceen
niles off shore. and that for the pre-
sent at least no attempt Will be naoe
to raise her. ~, tho
Cant Doran was regarded BY tne
officers of the San Franclso ana fol.s
land Steamship company as one oi
the ablest seamen who ever operaleu
a vessel on the coast. His career mao
neen free from accident, and TINS IS
the first disaster that has Delalleh
any vessel over which ne helo 'oin