The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-22
FACING DEATH IN
MANIFOLD SHAPES
Passengers of Burned Steamer
st. Croix Suffer From Flames,
Hunger and Exposure.
REACH LOS ANGELES
AFTER MUCH SUFFERING
Captain Tells of Instances of
Hcroism on Part of Passen-
gers and Grew.

LOS ANGELES, Cal, Nov. 2l.-Fam.
lshed, nearly exhausted and carbed
mostly IN borrowed clothes tho 10j men.
women and children who were passcn-
gers on the steamer St. Croix, which
burned and sank last night off Point
Duma, eighteen miles mp the coast from
Santa Monica. arrived here today. With
them came the sevcnty-cight officers
and members Of the crew. likewise ex.
haustcd and destitute.
All were brought here from Santa
Monica by trolley after the police de-
partment and sympathetic residents of
that city had furnished food which
broke fast that for some had stretched
through thirtysiX hours. The survivors
had walked, ridden and made their way
to Santa Monica as best they could from
the isolated landing place.
Woman Badly Injured.
Mrs. l.. A. Wallace of Berkeley re
mains at the beach city in a hospital
with her siX-months. old baby. Mrs.
Wallace was severely injured about the
lower limbs when an cye-belt securing
dayit rope broke and the boat she was
IN plunged bow-frst into the sea. She
and the baby, with the fourteen other
occupants of the boats, wero thrown in
TO the water, but were rescued by her
husband and two other men who dIycd
from tho upper works of the burning
vessel
tcrbeTt. the SIx-ycaT old son of Chas.
Neilbaum of San Francisco. was saved
at the same time by Edward Morris, n
shp' 5 quartermastcr, aided by Mrs
Grace Thomas, wife of "A racing man
of Victoria, B. c., who proved herself
= heroine.
=, Captain Frederick Warner came into
Santa Monica among tho last of thc
shlpwrcckcd ihroDg Some of these had
toIled afoot over The fourteen miles of
rough mountain trails. 0tbers.-ali wo-
men, who had been frightened into
belplessncsS, wero brought on stretchers.
borne by tootsorc men. Captain Warn
er graphically described the burning of
his ship and the rescue of several of
the passengers.
Ship Burns Quickly.
When the first alarm was given Warn.
or ordered full speed astern 10 prevent
the ships forward movement tanning
The tlames, which he SAID were bursting
from the ports.
time until the ship had been deserted,
several who had fallen into the water
in the hasty scramble for the life-b boats
had been picked up and tho sailors had
begun four hours pull for The shore
Story OF Captain,
Captain Warner said tonight:
- was in my cabin when some one
ran to my door and shouted, cap
tain the ship is afirc below the second
cabin
II shouted 10 the first officer. Mr..
Miller. in the next cabin, to take charge
of the watch below and went ON the
bridge and ordered full speed astern
so as TO stop the ships hcadway in
order not 10 fan tho flames, which |
saw bursting ont of the after ports
t'An alarm was sounded. Each man
of the crew promptly wcnt To his sta
tion. Mr.. Miller soon had five lines of
hose riggcd
"Thc ship had come 10 full stop
and the passengers were being placed
in the boats when the first officer re-
ported that The ammonia pines of the
plant had burst and that
the pungcnt vapor was overwhelming
his men. The fire was gaining abafi
the second cabin. Apparently it started
somewhere in the second cabin, aud the
draft was drawing il down
through the shaft alley 10 the boiler
room.
Make Hopeless Fight.
rBv this time the fire fighting force
was being overcome man after man and
the hose lines were abandoned. RcaIiZ
ing the fight then was hopeless, |
ordered the men up from below and
he fire room cleared.
"At no time WAS there any serious
confusion. The passengers all provided
themselves with life prcsorvcTs, Mrs.
Wallace arlcrwar1 said that il was q
life prcscrycr that enabled her 10 keep
herself and her baby mp after they
had fallen overheard.
s'Roat No, was the first to bc filled
and / ordered il cast loose. An eve
bolt on the stern post drew out and The
boat upcndcd, throwing some of the
violently and slightly in
Turing a few
Woman and Baby Overheard
..It was then that Mrs. Wallace and
little Viclbaum went overheard. | saw
several men lump over 10 the rescue,
immediately | shouted 10 let the other
dayit rope 20. and the boat rlghted
itself immediately.
..Iu n moment those who had fallen
overheard or jumped into The sea were
hack ON board. the boat was bailcd and
on lis wav outside the line of danger.
few life RATS were manned, but
these were abandoned and those on
them were taken into the boats.