Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-07-27
STEAMERS COLLIDE
100 LIVES LOST

llslon 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 We're 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 life-savers.
The vessel sank within five minutes
of the time Of the collision.
A life raft was launched with num-
Der Of passengers on board, but only q
few of the number aboard were saved.
One hunderd lives were lost.
The steamer Roanoke, carrying q
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 &C.
CURED, is 179 miles up the coast.
A life raft bearing number of the
survivors is being towed to this port
by the Daisy Mitchell.
The San Pedro is belnging towed to
Eureka by the steamer George W..
Elder.
The Columbia was a steel vessel of
1746 tons and was 300 feet long, 80
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 shoot
loosened some of her blocks with tn,
result that the vessel captsized.
But she was entirely reftted ant
when she left here Saturday she car.
ried full list of passengers--about
300
| The San Pedro was commanded by
Captain Hansen and is a wooden vessel
of 318 tone. She is 166 feet long, 81
| feet beam and IL feet deep.
| A later report from Portland esti-
mates that between 70 and so 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 up
as she was sinking. She lies in deep
water and is a total loss. The nearest
place of any size is Eureka, Cal.
| The list of dead and unaccounted for
| is sent from that place. There is
known to be a number uuaccounted for
| who are possibly at Shelter Cove, hav-
| ing reached there in RATS and boats.
Reports say there were 249 persons on
| the Columbia.
! The place of the disaster was off the
| Humbolt- Mendocino county line.
The vessel which sank off Shelter
! Cove on the California coast was rated
summer home by many Portlanders,
who annually made trips to San Fran
cisco in this palatial floating hotel
The list of passengers on the sunken
vessel is almost half comprised of Port
/ land people or persons coming mere 10
ioin relatives, which makes the blow
all the harder on this city.
AS near as can be learned some rs
persons lost their lives in the wreck.
The captain of the Columbia often
made the statement that in the event
of a serious disaster ovetaking a vessel
in his charge he would never be seen
alive again unless every soul on board
was saved, which would indicate that
the heroic seaman went down with his
vessel.
The steamship Columbia has been on
the run between Portland and San
Francisco for 81 years. having left the
Bay city on the first voyage to Port
land on July % 1880. This is the first
mishap she has ever experienced while
en- route between the two ports
o. Swanson, a sailor of the San Pc
dro, was at the wheel Saturday night
,Db.n tho fa tal collision Occurred In