The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-26
STEAMERS Collide
100 LIVES LOST

4 0u1O Ou Ine Mendoclno coast, one
hundred passengers lost their lives Sat-
urdsy night.
The Columbia was sunk and lies sub
merged in the deep waters of Shelter
Cove.
Captain Dorsn, master of the Column
bia, stayed with his vessel and is
among those lost.
hi collision occurred at midnight
when all on board save the lookout and
officers on the bridge were asleep in
their berths.
The Columbia was steaming north
at an easy rate, having left here at
noon Saturday.
Suddenly out of the fog doomed the
dark hulk of the schooner San Pedro,
south bound, which was evidently out
of her course.
Whistles were blown and frantic
efforts made by the helmsmen of each
vessel to avert the collision, but they
were OF no avail
The San Pedro struck the steamer on
the port bow tearing an immense hole
in her side, Through which the water
rushed in great volume.
Alarms were sounded throughout the
passenger ship and the terrified passen-
gers scrambled from their staterooms
In an effort to escape from the doomed
vessel, but the time was too short to
aid the ~life-savers.
The vessel sank within FIVE minutes
of the time of the collision.
A life raft was launched with a num-
Der of passengers on board, but only a
few of the number aboard were saved.
One hunderd lives were lost.
The steamer Roanoke, carrying a
number of the dead and some of the
rescued, reached here at 6:15 Monday
morning, bringing the tisrt news of the
disaster.
The dead were conveyed to the NOR
que.
Shelter Cove, where the collision oc-
CURED, is 179 miles up the coast.
A life raft bearing a number of the
survivors is being towed to this port
by the Daisy Mitchell.
The San Pedro is beinging towed to
Eureka by the steamer George w.
Elder.
The Columbia was a steel vessel of
1746 tons and was 800 feet long, IS
feet beam and IA 5 in depth. She car
ried a crew of "a men under Captain
p. A. Doran, who had been master OF
the vessel for the past five years.
The ship was built at Chester. Ps.
in 1880 and was owned by the SaI
Francisco and Portland Steamship
company.
During the earthquake and fire the
Columbia was lying at the drydock o.
the Union ironwOrks and the shocE
loosened some of her blocks with th'
result that the vessel captsized.
But she was entirely refitted anC
when she left here Saturday she car
ried a full list of passengers--abou
800.
The San Pedro was commanded by
Captain Hansen and is a wooden vesse
of 318 tone. She is 1866 feet long, 81
feet beam and IL feet deep.
A later report from Portland esti.
mates that between 20 and 80 persons
lost their lives in the steamer wreck
That there was a blunder in navigation
is the opinion of some of the survivors
The boiler of the Columbia blew vi
as she was sinking. She lies in deeI
water and is a total loss. The neares
place of any size is Eureka, Cal.
The list of dead and unsccounted fol
is sent from that place. There IL
known to be a number ~unaccounted fol-
who are possibly at Shelter Cove, hav'
ing reached there in RATS and boats,
Reports say there were 249 persons OF
the Columbia.
The place of the disaster was off the
Humboldt endocinO county line.
The vessel which sank off Shelter
Cove on the California coast was rated
a summer home by many P~ortlsnders,
who annually made trips to San Fran
cisco in this palatial floating hotel.
The list of passengers on the sunker
vessel is almost half comprised of Port
land people or persons coming here tC
join relatives, which makes the blow
all the harderOn this city.
AS near as can be learned some "a
persons lost their lives in the wreck.
The captain of the Columbia otter
made the statement that in the event
of a serious disaster ovetaking a vesse.
in his charge he would never be seer
alive again unless every soul on board
was saved, which would indicate thai
the heroic seaman went down with his
vessel.
The steamship Columbia has been OF
the run between Portland and SaI
Francisco for ~ years. having left thu
Bay city on the first voyage to Port
land on July % 1880. This is the fin
mishap she has ever experienced whill
en- route between the two ports
o. Swanson, a sailor of the San Pc
dro, was at the wheel Saturday nigh
when the fatal collision occurred. II
his report to Sailors Agent John Err
ickson, the blame is laid upon tbs
shoulders of the Columbia's officers