The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-25
THE SURVIVORS
REACH PORTLAND
George ". Elder Arrives at North.
ern Port With the Rescued
Passengers.
GIVEN SPONTANEOUS WELCOME
Survivors Not Inclined to Lay Blame
On Anyone and Praise
PedrO's Grew.
GIVEN SPONTANEOUS WELCOME
(By the Associated Press. }

PORTLAND, July 24.-Bearing
survivors of the wrecked Columbia,
the steamer George w. Elder made
fast to her dock in this city at 6
o'clock this evening. Hours before
the big steamer touched at her dock
the friends and relatives of those
on board had gathered to welcome
them. And there were those there
who were impelled by final hope
that by some miracle a father, wife,
son or brother might have been
| overlooked in the preparation of the
roster of the saved.
When the big boat made fast a
great cheer arose and by what SEEM
ed mutual consent, the crowds di-
vided, forming line on either side
of narrow lane, through which the
| survivors walked as they left the ves-
sci. They were seized as fast as
they were recognized and smothered
with hugs and kisses and not few
tears found refuge on the shoulders
and breasts as loved ones were re-
united.
There was no organized celebra-
tion, just spontaneous welcoming
of the shipwrecked people.
There is praise for all the Column
bias officers save one, who is stamped
by several men passengers on the
Elder as craven. The man was
subordinate officer. While in charge
of his life boat he was competent, yet
that appeared to be the limit of his
responsibility. He crawled to the
bottom of the boat while it was lay
| ing to for daylight, near the San Pc
dro and hid himself beneath piece
of canvas. Later, when on the Ell
der, he attempted to jump overheard
and the passengers say he must have
been either drunk or crazy through
lack of stimulant.
There is no disposition on the part
of the survivors to lay the blame on
anyone Their feelings are of the
kindest toward the crew of the San
Pedro and the heroic action of Cap
tain Doran and his men calls forth
nothing but laudation. The passen-
gers agree, however, that there was
a blunder; that both masters gave
conflicting orders. There would have
been no accident had each boat con-
tinued on it's course instead of at
tempting to turn out.
The women, many of them naked,
were pulled aboard the San Pedro by
ropes and were taken down stairs at
once. The cook of the schooner pre-
pared coffee and all the Columbia's
survivors were given drinks, then
stripped of such clothing as they pos
sessed, and were wrapped in blank
cts and put to bed. All this required
time, and son the discovery was
made that the forward engines of the
San Pedro were sinking. A few min
utes later the rear mask of the San
Pedro gave way and in going by the
board, swept six Columbia passen-
gers, who had just been rescued,
back into the waters from which they
had been snatehed.
Still further difficulties arose. The
stern of the San Pedro began sinking
rapidly, until the cabin and deck
were flooded. The waves even came
to the top of the cabin house.
AS the San Pedro crew saw this
calamity, they ordered all hands on
deck. The passengers seized the life
preservers and ran on deck, not even
waiting to put the blankets around
them. All could not climb to the top
of the cabin, and two women, either
too exhausted or sound asleep after
their exertiOns, failed to save them
selves and were drowned.
While the majority of the passen-
gers felt the shock of the collision,
there were scores who slept through
it all, until the list of the vessel
aroused them. At first came cry
for all hands to put on life preservers
and then this was countermanded.
The order was so unusual that in
|
dressed, and before they could COM
pIete this task, the cry for the life
preservers again echoed through the
| cabins. Those lulled into security by
the revocation of the first order had
only a few minutes in which to save
themselves.