Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1907-07-27
Steamers COLLIDE
100 LIVES LOST

San Francisco, July 23.-In a ooh
lision between the passenger steamer
Columbia and the steam schooner San
Pedro off the Mendocino coast, one
hundred passengers lost their lives Sat
urday night.
The Columbia was sunk and lies sub
merged in the deep waters Of Shelter
Cove.
Captain Doran, master of the Column
bia, stayed with his vessel and is
among those lost.
The collision occurred at midnight
when all ON board save the lookout and
officers on the bridge were asleep in
their berths.
The Columbia was steaming north
at an easy rate, having left here at
noon Saturday.
Suddenly out of the fog doomed the
dark hulk of the schooner San Pedro,
south bound, which was evidently out
of her course.
Whistles were blown and frantic
efforts made by the helmsmen of each
vessel to avert the collision, but they
were OF no avail
The San Pedro struck the steamer on
the port bow tearing an immense hole |
in her side, through which the water
rushed in great volume.
Alarms were sounded throughout the |
passenger ship and the terrified passen-
gers scrambled from their staterooms
in an effort to escape from the doomed
vessel, but the time was too short to
aid the Efe-savers.
The vessel sank within five minutes
of the time of the collision.
A life raft was launched with a num-
Der of passengers on board, but only a
few of the number aboard were saved.
One hunderd lives were lost.
The steamer Roanoke, carrying a
number of the dead and some of the
rescued, reached here at 6:15 Monday
morning, bringing the fisrt news of the
disaster.
The dead were conveyed to the NOR
que.
Shelter Cove, where the collision oc
CURED, is 179 miles up the coast.
A life raft bearing a number of the
survivors is being towed to this port
by the Daisy Mitchell.
The San Pedro is be1nging towed to
Eureka by the steamer George W.
Elder.
The Columbia was steel vessel of
1746 tons and was 800 feet long, 3S
feet beam and IA. in depth. She car
ried a crew of "a men under Captain
P. A. Doran, who had been master of
the vessel for the past five years.
The ship was built at Chester, Pa,
in 1880 and was owned by the San
Francisco and Portland Steamship
company.
During the earthquake and fire the
Columbia was lying at the drydock of
the Union ironworks and the shock
loosened some of her blocks with the
result that the vessel captsized.
But she was entirely refitted and
when she left here Saturday she car
ried full list of passengers--about
800.
The San Pedro was commanded by
Captain Hansen and is a wooden vessel
of 31S tone. She is SO feet long, 81
feet beam and IL feet deep.
A later report from Portland esti-
mates that between 20 and 80 persons
: lost their lives in the steamer wreck.
That there was blunder in navigation
is the opinion of some of the survivors.
The boiler of the Columbia blew NJ
as she was sinking. She lies in deeI
' water and is a total loss. The nearest
place of any size is Eureka, Cal.
The list of dead and unaccounted fol
is sent from that place. There il
= known to be a number unaccounted fol
who are possibly at Shelter Cove, hav
= ing reached there in RATS and boats
= Reports say there were 249 persons OF
>, the Columbia.
The place of the disaster was off thu
!, Humboldt Mendocino county line.
The vessel which sank off Shelte,
,. Cove on the California coast was rateC
N a summer home by many Portlanders
! who annually made trips to San Fran
cisco in this palatial floating hotel
The list of passengers on the sunkei
vessel is almost half comprised of Port
land people or persons coming here Il
u join relatives, which makes the blow
/ all the harder on this city.
AS near as can be learned some n
o persons lost their lives in the wreck.
The captain of the Columbia oftel
e made the statement that in the even
IL of a serious disaster Ovetaking a vesse
Is in his charge he would never be see
l. alive again unless every soul on boar
e was saved, which would indicate tina
lie the heroic seaman went down with hi
~ vessel.
The steamship Columbia has been o
20 the run between Portland and Sa
al Francisco for 81 years. having left tn
3 Bay city on the first voyage to Port
land on July %, 1880. This is the frs
mishap she has ever experienced Will
en- route between the two ports
is o. Swanson, a sailor of the San Pc
e. dro, was at the wheel Saturday nigh
in when the fatal collision occurred.
IT, his report to Sailors Agent John Fl
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