The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-26
SURVIVORS ON
CITY OF Topeka
Some of the Passengers of the
Inflated Columbia Arrive
in San Francisco.
GREAT CROWD AT THE DOCK
INQUIRY INTO CAUSE OF plsAs.
TER BEGUN.

San Francisco. July 25.-The steam
re City of Topeka arrived here TO-DAY
with the following survivors of the CO.
| lumbia wreck:
w. II. Smith of san Francisco.
Miss Alma Osterberg of Cleveland.
Ohio.
| c. c. Roland of Spokane.
| Phil Ashford of Livermore, cal.
j. F. kananaugh of Oakland.
! II. s. Keeyer of Denver. Colo.
Mr.. end Mrs. H. II. Decker of Teslin,
| Cal
Mrs. H. c. Shaw os Stockton.
| A Winklebeck of Poplar Bluff Mo.
Miss Lulu Hansen of Minneapolis.
| Members of the Columbia's crew
who arrived on the same vessel were
| w. I. Lawrence, J. J. Fogarty. A st.
claire {. e. Nolan. r. Engman and
Purser J. E. Byrnee.
| This leaves only a few in Eureka
and those in the hospital. The Topeka
| left Eureka yesterday afternoon at 1
o'clock, docking at Broadway wharf
No. l this morning. A large crowd of
| relatives and friends of the survivors
were at the wharf and carried them
away in automobiles and carriages to
/ be fitted ont with clothes and cared
| for
| The survivors on the Topeka could
not say enough to express their ap-
| probation of the kindness shown by
the people of Eureka When the
steamer George w. Elder arrived at
the dock there were doctors. nurses.
medicine, food, clothing, carriages
and ambulances waiting to aid the
rescued passengers. Nothing was too
much trouble for the humane citizens
Of Eureka to do.
San Pedro Crew indicated.
While there was very severe criti-
cism of some of the crew of the Co
| lumbia, the survivors vindicate the
sailors and Captain Hansen of the San
Pedro. They explain that Captain
| Hansen took aboard all the wrecked
passengers he could safely land on the
San Pedro. He and his wife stood on
| the bow of the schooner all night, cut
| off by washing lumber from their
cabin, and directed the aid that was
extended to those on RATS and cling
| ing to drifting timbers.
The San Pedro was not able to take
aboard many on account of the loose
lumber awssh on the deck. All the
| decklOad was free, with the lashings
| broken, and with the San Pedro roll
| ing in the chOppy sea encum bered the
whole deck and surrounded the vessel
with washing. grinding timbers. MAKE
ing 1t almost impossible TO pick up
| boats or RATS. The crew, however.
was able to take some aboard by taxi
ing chances with their own lives
After daybreak they were able to do
more by cutting the deckload loose,
but before long the Elder arrived.
Purser's Account.
Purser Byrnes of the Columbia had
the following to say:
''Of the circumstances surrounding
4 t1r Tr.raa 7
was asleep III my berth at the time
L jumped out of bed and at the i'm
pact rushed on deck. BY that time
the steamer had a big list to port /
did not have a chance to get nv pa
pers, and as there was nothing else
for me to do I jumped into a lifeboat
that was at hand. We pulled away
from the steamer so as not to be
caught by the suction when she went
down. Her lights were still burning.
as | remember It, When we were
about fifty yards from her side her
bow sank and her stern rose and she
disappeared under the water. We
cruised around during the night, pick
ing up those whom we could. We did
not put them on the san Pedro, at the
request of her captain. The whole
deckload of the steam schooner was
aflOat, and he was afraid if any one
crushed by the timbers."
Charges Against Hawse.
The Bulletin says that Third Of
ficer Hawse of the wrecked steamer
Columbia. whose sworn report of the
disaster filed with the federal inspect
ors charged Captain Hansen of the
San Pedro with refusing to aid in the
rescue of the stricken passengers, is
now charged by survivors who oecu-
pied the same boat with him with
conduct more cruel than that speci-
fed by him in his formal report. Here,
in brief, are the charges made against
Hawse:
First-Refusing to give his coat to an
unconscious woman rescued from the wa
ter in a Nfreezing condition, his remark
being, My coat is my own.
Second-Ordering a sailor to strike a
crippled man whom he believed occupied
too much space in the lifebOat
Third-Sitting calmly In the stern sheets
of the boat and refusing to assist i'm drag
ging men and women from the water
These charges are made separately BY
members of the party of survivors who
reached here this morning on the steamer
City of Topeka from Eureka. Miss Lulu
Hansen of Minneapolis being most en-
phatic in her statements. The passengers
arriving here further declare that the at
! tack made upon Captain Hansen by
Hawse was entirely unjust.
Mr.. and Mrs II. II. Decker OF Tesla.
Cal, were among the survivors of the
| Columbia who returned on the City of
| Topeka Mr.. Decker had this to say:
I'VE are a reunited couple. When the
| Columbia went down | just had time TO
| kiss nv wife goodbye when she was
| washed off the deck and 1 followed her
! Hours later when / was aboard the Elder
| a doctor called out my name. / followed
/ him to the cabin and there was my wife.
| her right eye blackened and she was
rolled up in a blanket"
INQUIRY BEGUN.