Arizona republican., 1907-07-23

or bar and concluded I would not join i in any panic or. stampede for the
 boats. but would wait until all tho
 women were put off and take my
 chances at getting in one of the boats that might come back after going ashore, or trust to a life preserver.
 Without any waste of time. though not in a real hurry, completed dressing, even to buttoning my vest, tying my cravat and facing one shoe, but I de- cided not to lace the other because
 I might need to remove them in case had to swim. But after adjusting a life preserver I gathered up my grips and two bundles and began to hurry for the stairway near the stern. The halls were apparently empty and I in ferred that all the passengers had gone to the upper deck. I climbed
 the stairway and as the vessel lurched to one side I immediately felt the se- riousness of the situation. I carried all my luggage and showed it under !
 bench.
 'The vessel was tilting more every second as I moved forward along the side. Several men and some women
 were running about asking for life
 preservers and I told them to look in
 their own berths. As I passed I noc-
 iced a boat filled with peoples aud others trying to chamber into it. Those
 inside were pleading that no more get
 in because the boat would surely sink.
 so I left them and climbed over the ships rail just in time to keep from sliding across the steep deck into the
 water on the lower side. Within a
 short time the vessel sank until the
 water touched my ankles, when I
 sprang into the ocean. hoping to
 swim far enough away to escape the
 whirlpool which I thought must fol-
 low the sinking of the ship. l had
 taken twenty-five strokes and began
 to be in dismay when the side of the
 ship toppled toward me. As the vat
 CT covered the boilers great nissing
 was followed by an explosion which
 heaved a large quantity of water and wreckage toward me. l was carried
 farther from where the ship was sink ing but the rushing mass of tangled
 timbers caused me fresh alarm So continued my efforts to swim away
 until I saw the pile spread out nearly flat and that some logs had overtaken me. A few strokes brought me to raft on which I scrambled. As I look ed around no one appeared within
 twenty yards. All I could do was to await results for I had no means of moving the raft. After the noise or the sinking of the vessel had subslded I heard the most heart-rending wall ing. mingled with the piercing screams of those in the last struggles and
 some of these were shrieking the names of friends from whom they had been separated. Words cannot convey any adeuuate idea of the scene nor
 express my feelings of pity and dis may. To be the witness of such dis
 tress is indeed a frightful experience. especially when one cannot possibly render assistance.
 Ten minutes after the collision l am sure there was plenty of time for all to have left the ship with life pre- servers if they had known where they
 were stored and how to put them on That could have easily been learned by all who were willing to take time to
 read the conspicuous sign on the walls of all the staterOoms." The engine | room crew and all those saved. of the stewards department, ie1t on the steamer Pomona this afternoon Tor San Francisco. All those wanting to go to Portland left this evening at | o'clock on the steamer George w. FL der, the local relief committee making
 arrangements for their passage.
 The following members of the crew are unaccounted for: P. A. Doran, | captain: F. Whitney. first officer; D. $. McAlpin. watchman; Paul Rinner, ! quartermaster; Charles Peterson, sea
 man: an unknown seaman; M. C. Bur ! pee and Max Klaus. assistant engi- neers: Dave Keston, James MacLison, and an unknown man, a fireman; AL ! bert Anderson. and Geo. Alexander water tenders; an unknown oiler: an
 unknown second cook: Rutherford, a
 mess boy: Louis Blocker, waiter and an unknown baker.