Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-08-01
SURVIVORS PAINT A GRAPHIC
PICTURE OF SEA CATASTROPHE
Woman Who Escaped on a Raft and Was
Later Rescued by Steamship, Tells
of the Midnight Fate that Over
took the Columbia in Pacific.

San Francisco, Cal, July 25.-Mrs.
Liedell, one of the survivors of the
wrecked steamship Columbia describ-
ing her experience said:
when the crash occurred got out
of my state room. Every one was ex-
cited-every one except the captain.
He stood on the bridge, his arms ex-
tended, begging the passengers to be
cool. The crew stood at the boats, cut
ting away at the lines that held them.
There was no chance to lower them.
All who could piled into the boats. Lots
of people jumped over the side, trying
to climb onto bits of wood which were
floating in the water.
81 did not have time to think. | ran
to the side. There under the side was
raft There was nobody on it.
jumped and struck on the raft. Other
women got onto it, others crawled from
the waters, others jumped from the
boat.
Then the Columbia went down, bow
first. The raft drifted around and wa
ter washed over us. Two women and
little child were washed off, and l
never saw them again. One woman
was left. Her hold was weak. She
begged me to help her. tried to hold
her on, but l was too weak. She died
before my eyes. Oh, can't forget
that, I'll never forget that. She
drowned and / could not help her. Who
she was don't know.
Nov and then l got a glimpse of
another raft or boat. We got some
pieces of wood after while and used
them for oars, and, finally-it must
have been hours after-we climbed on
the San Pedro. 1t was a terrible climb
up her side.
''Men helped, but I felt so old and
weak l never thought l would get over
it. The waves kept striking over US,
We were dripping wet, and it was so
cold. On the San Pedro we were sit
ting on two little narrow pieces of lum-
Der. Suddenly a wave carried away
the lumber we were sitting on.
eve managed to stay on the ship,
however, but there were some who got
that far, who got no further, for with
out any warning, the rear mast of the
San Pedro gave way, and swept several
into the sea. One or two were brought
back alive, but of the others we saw
nothing. And the darkness hanging
over everything made it terrible.
eve did not know if the San Pedro
would hold together, although the Off
GERS and crew did their best to cheer us
up. The day broke. The fog still hung
low, and the light only appeared grad
ually, but then we could see who were
saved and who were not. That sight
Il can't tell you about it. Everything
about it was so desolate and dismal.
And then the Elder came up. They
got US aboard, cared for US, and at
Eureka, secured the only remaining
berth on the Pomona to come back to
San Francisco.
CHIEF ENGINEERS STORY.
Chief Engineer J. Y. Jackson gave
the following account of the wrecked
steamer Columbia:
81 was in my state room when the
crash occurred, and l scrambled into
some clothes and came up on deck. All
was confusion and turmoil. The roar
of the water, as it poured into the hole
in the Columbia's side, was deafening.
Then desperately swimming away,
caught a rope thrown from the deck Of
the San Pedro.
From there 1 looked back at the
Columbia just in time to see her plunge
beneath the waves. AS she sank
could dimly see many men dash across
the deck towards the San PEDRO; the
next moment the fog had hidden the
dreadful scene.