The Springfield herald., 1907-07-26
THE SEA HORROR
THE CREW OF suNkeN SHIP GETS
BLAME.
DEATH LIST REACHES 72
Survivors Being Cared for by sympa.
thizins Citizens Of Eureka, Who
Work Hard.

WORK HAro.
Eureka, Cal-Hourly the death list
of the marine horror or Mendocino
county coast shrinks. The best advices
tonight are that lit Of the 249 souls
on board the steamer Columbia es-
capped death when that vessel went to
the bottom near Shelter cove between
midnight and o'clock Sunday morning
One hundred and seven of the Colum-
bias passengers and thirty-seven of
her crew have been brought to this
port 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 Shell
ter cove says that three more lifeboats
have been picked up, one of them con-
tanning eighteen. another fifteen, and
the third was not reported
The survivors brought to this port
are being cared for at hotels and in
private homes. The citizens OF Eu-
reka. moved to unanimous action by
pity and the distress of the victims,
will supply sufficient amount of cloth
Ing and all necessary medical attention
without stint or price A committe
of citizens, under the leadership of
Mayor Kicks. had charged itself with
tHe uutleS Vi lHe HOuT anu is DeIlOTH-
ing them with energy and all possible
speed.
A segregation of the Columbia's pas
senger list shows that in her cabins
she carried seventy-eight men and
ninety women and girls: in her steer
age twnty men and one woman. total
of 1S9.
Discrepancies, however, between the
full list furnished by the purser onsail-
ing and some of the names given by
survivors who have reached here, -indi-
cate that the total passengers may
have been greater in numbers. Six
teen of the names given here are not
found on the steamship company's GER
titled list. Adding to the 1S9 accredited
passengers the fifty-nIne of the sixty
members of the Columbia's crew. gives
total of 2iS lives peopardized in the
midnight collision.
The engine room crew of those
saved and the stewards department
left on the steamer Pomona this after
noon for San Francisco. All those
wanting to go to Portland left this
evening at six o'clock on the steamer
George w. Elder.
Among the survivors rescued and
carried north to this port by the
George w. Elder are men and women
from score of states, not few from
the Atlantic sea board and the middle
West. Among these are a number of
school teachers who were varying with
a sea voyage on their home trip from
the annual convention of the National
Educational Association at Los An
geles.
Eight minutes from the time the
San Pedro struck the Columbia the lat
ter vessel had filed full of water and
sunk. The night saloon watchman
notified all the passengers to go to the
upper deck. Without clothing they
climbed out of their berths and rushed
out. 1t was only two or three minutes
before the decks were awash. Six
boats and three life crafts were cut
loose and as many passengers as pos
sible were crowded into them. There
was scarcely any evidence of a panic.
the women acting with heroism. The
crew of the San Pedro Immediately
lowered boat and picked up large
number of survivors. while the boats
from the Columbia lay to by the San
Pedro.
When the Columbia sank she carried
down with her about seventy-four pas
sengers. This estimate is not accu-
rate and the number cannot be deter
mined definitely until full particulars
are received from Shelter cove where
four boats are said to have landed.
Captain Doran and First Officer
Whitney were on the 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 100 passen-
gers on board-1GS first-class. twenty
two steerage and sixty crew.
1t is know that 107 passengers have
been saved and thirty-seven of the
crew. The exact number at Shelter
cove is yet to be determined. Just as
the Columbia was sinking her boilers
exploded. This counteracted the sue
ton and saved many lives. Husbands
and wives were separated and fathers