Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1907-08-01
THE COLUMBIA WRECK.
Story as Told by a Citizen of
Webster who was a Pas
senger on the Boat

| senger on the Boat
Miss Lulu Hansen, who has been g
teacher for the past few years in the
Webster schools, who was among ths
fortunate passengers who were saved
from the Columbia when il was rammed
by the San Pedro in the Pacific ocean,
and whose charges against Third officer
Halves were sent out briefly by the Asso.
ciated Press, has given ont statements
more in detail regarding her experiences
that awful night
HER STORY IN DETAIL.
81 had stateroom fl or the Columbia
she said. II had been very seasick dur.
ing the trip up and was lying awake in
my berth when the shock came There
was a scrapiDg sound as though the
vessel had run aground, and then a
great deal of shouting was very cool
and collected. / dressed fully, hurry.
ing a little. as the lady who occupied
the stateroom with me had run outside
and returned very much excited.
when got out of the stateroom the
deck was in great confusion. Men and
women were running to and fro. made
my way to the hurricane deck. looked
mp and above me saw the captain. He
was the only cool one on the whole ship.
He tried his best to calm people, shout.
ing:
This is the captain speaking Obey
me and we will all be safe
II was thinking how / was to save
myself / looked for lifeboat, but the
only one saw was fastened and no one
was making any effort TO uncover it,
Then the Columbia plunged into the
water
II found myself floating about, buoyed
up by life preserver which / had for
put on before leaving my state
room. don't know how long was in
the water before | was picked up by a
hfaboat, of which Third officer Halves
was in charge. We cruised around in
it until the George w, Elder picked us
up T"
MEN WERE NOT SELFISH.
did you find that the men were sell
fish aft the, wreck % Miss Hansen was
asked She turned on her questioner,
expressed on every feature.
"Selfsh-why no They were just
the opposite"
"Third Officer Halves in whose boat
you were, has made that statement"
she was told.
Coldly calculating every word and
using the most scornful tones which she
could master, Miss Hansen retorted:
"Just what he said about the others
should be said about him. Everyone
else in that iifeboat acted like a man
Halves acted far differently.
HALVES ONLY OFFENDER.
The sailors and others who had man.
aged to escape from the Columbia with
a goodly share of clothes, aud some few
passengers who had managed to save
some of their personal belongings acted
beyond criticism. AS half-drowned
men and women were pulled into the
boat wet and shivering, piece by piece
the men distributed their clothing
among them, favoring the women, and
giving them such protection as they
could. Men were crouching in the bot
tom Of that lifeboat with but one gar
ment on, some pair of trousers, others
with single shirt. And all this time
Third Officer Halves sat in the stern of
the boat fully dressed, with q tarpaulin
over his shoulders / don't think he
had as much as his feet damp, shouting
his orders to everyone on the boat. r
heard one man ask him for his coat to
cover poor, wretched woman who had
just been drawn in. "My clothes are
my own" Halves answered, and that
was all. saw one poor fellow clinging
TO the side Of the boat Although there
was room in it, Halves told him to let
go or he would knock him over the head
with an oar. That is the kind of a man
Halves is. The way he treated Mrs.
Harries, the stewardess. was shameful,
and the woman was in a critical condi-
ton at the time. She is now slowly
recovering in the hospital at Eureka.
II want to say one thing about the
people in Eureka. When the Elder
steamed into the harbor there was a
force of doctors, ambulances, volunteer
and professional nurses, supplies Of
clothing. food, medicines, everything
imaginable awaiting us on the wharf,
and the took the very best care Of MS
all the time we were there. They
deserve much more praise than can be
accorded Them"