The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1907-08-01
WRECK HORRORS
As Described by Two People Who
Were on the Columbia.
DROWNED like RATS.

SIrs. Leidel Who Was On Ill Fated
Columbia Relates of Drownings
and Perils of the Night on Raft
Graphic Description of the Sinking
Told by Chief Engineer Jackson
Screams of Doomed Were Awful.
The Pacific Coast Steamship COM
pany's passenger steamer Pomona ar
rived in San Francisco from Eureka
at 10:30 Thursday, bringing from the
latter place one of the surviving pas
sengers Of the wrecked steamer Col
umbi and the thirty two members of
the Columbia's crew, who were saved
out of her total complement of SO
The passenger is Mrs. o. Leidell, of
San Francisco.
The crowd was made to stand back
and keep a lane open while the Pom
on'a passengers came ashore. Each
was stopped at the foot of the gang
plank and asked excitedly "were you
passenger upon the Columbian"
With one exception the answer was
mo"
The exception was Mrs. LeiGell.
Clothed from head to foot in dark
brown ulster and her features hidden
by brown veil tied over her hat and
under her chin, she came falteringly
down. the gang plank and made her
way uncertain through the crowd.
She held her handkerchief to her face
as she walked and when asked by
newspaper men for recital Of her
experience, she broke into tears and
turned, shaking her head.
II don't want to say anything, I
don't want to talk" she murmured.
Later Mrs. Leidell consented to
talk and in describing her experience
said:
"When the crash came got out
of MY stateroom. Every one was ex-
citetl-every one except the captain.
He stood on the bridge; his arms ex-
tended, begging the passengers to be
cool. The crew stood at the boats,
cutting away at the lines that held
them. There was no chance to lower
them. All who could piled into the
boats. Lots of people jumped over
the side, trying to climb onto bits of
wood which were floating in the wa
ter. I did not have time to think,
ram to the side. There under the
side was a raft. There was nobody
on it. I jumped and struck on the
raft. Other women got on 1t also.
One crawled from the water, others
jumped from the boat.
"Then the Columbia went down,
bow first. The raft drifted around
and water washed over us. Two Wo-
men and a little child were washed
off and I never saw them again. One
woman was left. Her hold was weak.
She begged me to help her. I tried
to hold her on, but I was too weak.
She died before my eyes. Oh! can't
forget that. I'll never forget that.
She drowned and I could not help
her. Who she was I don't know.
Now and then I got glimpse OF an
other raft or boat. We got some
pieces of wood after awhile and used
them for oars, and finally-it musC
have been hours afterWard-We
climbed on the San Pedro. 1t was a
terrible climb up her side.
"Men helped, but I felt so odd and
weak I never thought I would get
over it. The waves kept striking eV-
er us. We were dripping wet, and 1t
was so cold. On the San Pedro We
were sitting on two little narrow
pieces of lumber. Suddenly a wave
carried away the lumber we were Sill
ting on.
1--WE managed to stay on the ship,
however, but there were some VINO
got that far, who got no further, for
without any warning, the rear mast
of the San Pedro gave away and
swept several into the sea. One or
two were brought back alive, but OF
the others we saw nothing. And the
darkness hanging over everything
made it terrible. We did not know II
the San Pedro would hold together,
although the officers and crew dao
their best to cheer us up. The day
broke. The fog still hung low, and
the light only appeared gradually,
but then we could see who was saved,
and who was not. That slght 1
can't tell you about it. Everything
about it was so desolate and dismal.
And then the Elder came up. They
got us aboad, cared for us, and at
Eureka l secured the only remaining
berth on the Pomona to come Dack
here"
Chief Engineer J. V. Jackson gave
the following account Of the wrecked
steamer Columbia in an interview to
the Evening Post.
az was in my stateroom when the
crash occurred, and l scrambled l1leo
some clothes and came up on deck.
All was confusion and turmoil. Inc
oar Of the water as it poured into the
hole in the Columbia's side was dea1-
ening. Then desperately swimming
away 1 caught rope thrown rom
the San Pedro. From there looked
mack at the Columbia just IN time
to see her plunge beneath the waves.
AS she sunk I could dimly see many
men dash across the deck toward the
San Pedro; the next moment the los
had hidden the dreadful scenes.
81 am sure that many steerage
passengers did not leave their state
rooms as the interval was so snort
between the time she was struck ana
the time she sank that the men nad
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