The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1907-07-23
Terrible Loss Of Life by Sinking
Of the Steamer Columbia
on the Pacific Coast.
NO TIME TO TAKE TO BOATS
Vessel Goes Down Almost In
stant'y and Few Escape.
ACCIDENT OCCURS IN FOG

Collision Tears Immense Hole in the
ilI Fated Ship, Through Which the
Water Rushes in Great Volume.
liferaft Is Launched and Ninety
eight of the Crew and Passengers
Manage to Get Away From the
Doomed Steamer.
San Francisco, July 23.-The latest
reports indicate that 151 persons per-
lshed by the sinking of the steamer
Columbia in the collision with the
steam schooner San Pedro off the
Mendicino coast.< An official of the
San Francisco and Portland Steam
ship company says the unfortunate
vessel carried 1S9 passengers and a
crew of 60, making a total of 249
souls on board OF this number
ninety-eight have been accounted for.
The collision occurred at midnight,
when all on board save the lookout
and officer on the bridge were asleep
In their Lberths. The Columbia was
steaming north at an easy rate. Sud-
denly out of the fog loomed the dark
bulk Of the steam schooner San Pc
dro, southbound, which was evidently
out Of her. course. Whistles we're
blown and frantic efforts made by the
helmsman of each vessel to avoid the
collision, but they were of no avail.
The San Pedro struck the Columbia
on the port bow, tearing an immense
hole in her side, through which the
water rushed in great volume. Alarms
were sounded throughout the passen-
ger ship and the terrified passengers
scrambled from their staterooms in
an effort to escape from the doomed
vessel. But the time was too short to
aid the lifesavers. The vessel sank
within five minutes of the time Of the
collision. A liferaft was launched
with a number of the passengers on
board, but only few of the entire
number aboard were saved.
p. First News of Disaster.
The steamer Roanoke, carrying
number of the dead and some of the
rescued passengers, reached here at
6:15 a. NJ, bringing the first news of
the disaster. The dead were con-
veyed to the morgue.
The steamer Roanoke spoke the
steamer George w. Elder and the lat
ter had on board eighty-eight pas
sengers and the crew of the Colunl-
bia, which were taken off the steamer
San Pedro. The steamer San Pedro
had her stern gone and was damaged
considerably forward. Her mainmast
was gone and foremast sprung, her
cargo was gone and she was In wa
terlogged condition. The Elder was
trying to tow her to Eureka, but was
making slow progress.
Shelter cove, where the collision oc-
CURED, is 179 miles up the coast. A
liferaft bearing number of the sur
vivors Is being towed to this port by
the Daisy MITCHELL. The San Pedro is
being towed to Eureka by the steamer
NCClS w. LluCl. Lie was
q steel vessel of 1,746 tons and was
300 feet in length, 3S5 feet beam and
l4.4 feet in depth. She carried a crew
Of seventy-four men under Captain P.
A. Doran, who had been master of
the vessel for the past five years.
During the earthquake and fire the
Columbia was lying at the drydock of
the Union iron works and the shock
loosened some of her blocks with the
result that the vessel was capsized.
But she was entirely refitted and
when she left here she carried full
list Of passengers, about 200.
The Merchants Exchange Of this
city has been besieged by anxious
relatives and friends of the Colum-
bias passengers since early morning.
One OF the most distressing features
bf the accident is that up to 11:3O
d. m. there is complete ignorance Of
the names of the drowned and the