The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-07-23
PROBABLY FIFTY
PASSENGERS LOST
Death List of Columbia Hour
ly Grows Less
Personal Accounts of Catastrophe in
Pacific Ocean Sunday
Morning.
NAMES OF THOSE MISSING.

Eureka. cal, July 2s.--Hourly the
death list of the marine horror off
Mendocine county coast shriuks The
latest advices are that probably 200
OF the 249 persons on board the
steamer Columbia escaped death
when that vessel went to the bottom
near Shelter Cove Sunday morning
One hundred and seventy of the Co
lumbia's passengers and 81 Of the
crew were brought to Eureka by the
steamer George W. Elder, which
towed the colliding schooner San
Pedro from the scene of the disaster
to Eureka. A late message from
Shelter Cove says four life boats
were picked up. containing nearly GO
persons. survivors brought here are
cared for at hotels and houses.
Citizens have supplied sufficient
quantities of clothing and all neces
sary medical attention. A commit
tee of citizens, under the leadership
of Mayor Kicks, has charged itself
with duties Of the hour and is per-
forming them with energy and speed
The segregation of the Columbia's
passenger list shows that in the cabin
it carried 10 men and 80 women, in
ateerage 20 men and one woman, a
total Of 1S9. Discrepancies. how
ever, between the full list furnished
by the purser on sailing and some
Of the names given by survivors who
have reached here, indicate that the
total number of passengers may have
been greater.
Incidents.
A life boat arrived at Shelter Cove
containing 16, three seamen and ! 81
passengers, of which two are dead.
f. o. Louis, of Pasadena, was in
the boat with his wife, who died of
exposure. He lost a son Of nine and
daughter twelve years old Lours
got his wife and children on the up
per deck. A breaker washed off the
cabin and knocked them into the
sea. He then got his family on a
piece of wreckage and floated two
hours before taken into a boat. He
does not know where the children
were lost.
Among the survivors rescued and
carried north to this port by the
George w. Elder. are men and wom-
en- from a score of states, not a few
from the middle west Among these
are a number of school teachers who
were taking. sea voyage on their
home trip from the annual conven-
ton of the national educational asso-
citation at Los Angeles.
Eight minutes after the San Pedro
struck the Columbia the latter vessel
filed and sank. The night salon
Waterman notified the passengers to
go to the upper deck, Without their
clothing they climbed out of their
berths and rushed out. 1t was only
two or three minutes before the
decks we're awash. Six boats and
three life RATS were cut loose and as
many passengers as possible were
crowded into them. There was
scarcely any evidence of panic with
women acting heroically The crew
of the San Pedro Immediately low
cred boats and picked up large
number of survivors, while boats
from the Columbia lay to by by the
San Pedro.
Captain Doren and First Officer
whitney were on deck when the Co
lumbia sank, the captains last words
being: "God bless you"
According to Purser J. e. Byrnes,
Of the Columbia, there were 1919 pas
sengers aboard. 1GS first class, %
steerag and GO crew 1t is known
that 107 passengers have been saved
and 81 Of the crew The exact num-
Der at Shelter Cove is uncertain, but
IS reported TO be about fifty.
Just as the Columbia was sinking
her boilers exploded This counter
acted the suction and saved many
lives.
Families Separated.
Husbands and wives were separat
ed and fathers and mothers and chill
dren became lost to each other il
the excitement when the boats cohid
ed. The only dead person caught b.
The Elder was George r.. Sparks pre-
ident Of the bank at TT. Smith, Ark
He and his daughter were on thei
way home. Sparks when pulled OF
TO the life raft was weak from swal
lowing salt water and shortly afte
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