New-York tribune., 1907-07-23
SCENE AFTER THE WRECK.
Passengers on the Roanoke Sac
Rescued Persons and Bodies.

Oakland Cal. July 22-P. c. Walker. pas
senger on the steamship Roanoke. which arrived
to-day from Portland. told of the scenes wit
messed after the sinking of the Columbia
The Roanoke was bound SOUTH he said. and
at noon on Sunday we reached the scene Of the
collision The sea all around strewn with
the wreckage Of the lost vessel and the deck
houses Of the San Pedro and the deckload Of
the lumber she was carrying the time of the
collision
The steamship George ". Elder and two
steam schOoners whose names failed to hear.
as they were just resuming their course north,
were at the scene Of the wreck. The Elder had
q line fastened TO the San Pedro and her officers
and crew We're endeavOring to get a tow line
aboard the latter in order to tow her 70 port.
The san Pedro's aftermast had been broken off
even with the smokestack. She was badly listed
and waterlogged and so low down at the stern
that the sea swept the after deck.
While drifted across the bows Of the
Elder several members of the Of the San
Pedro and Columbia, who had been rescued by
the Elder, requested TO report to their fam
lies and friends that they safe, but l could
make out only one name, that of Kavanagh,
who. ! think. was officer OF the lost steam
ship, and lived at No. 1929 Broadway, Oakland.
We noticed the shpwrecked passengers of
the Columbia the deck of the Elder clothed
in tableclOths and other temporary covering. and
a large bier on the upper deck, on which the
bodies recovered from the sea were piled and
"As the Roanoke could be Of no service. she
resumed her course southwark This time the
captain Of the Elder responded 10 the parting
signal
After we had proceeded several miles from
the scene OF the wreck sighted two iferafts
and two boats neither had any living thing
aboard. One Of the nferafts was secured. The
water keg had been wrenched from the deck and
the bolts which held the deck 10 the hull had
been drawn and bent, showing that the craft
had been damaged it launched from the
bow Of the doomed steamship.
when the raft being raised to the
Roanoke's deck the body Of foated from
under IL This vas secured and pulled aboard.
A life preserver encircIed the body, and the hor-
rifying expression the face indicated that
death was due to drowning. but 10 fright
He was fully dressed save for the head COW
ering He had evidently dressed himself hur-
riedly, for his vest put inside out He
was a tall slender man and had very dark hair.
They searched the body for something to
identify him and found letter in of his
pockets addressed to -- Butler, Portland The
initials / have forgotten The oars and boat.
hooks of the other raft were picked up, but the
lferaft itself, which in good order. appa-
lently and had on deck keg filled with water
was turned adrift
We noticed afterward that a white hulled
schooner picked up the ifeboat and the raft
The boatswain Of the Roanoke recognized the
RATS as those with which the Columbia had
been equipped at the Fulton Iron Works shops
Everything about the Of the disaster
and the condition Of the San Pedro indicated
that the San Pedro had struck the Columbia
squarely amidships. and the San Pedros stem