The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-22
PROF. FARNAM's ESCAPE.
Thrilling Experiences in the Recens
 Shipwreck.

(New Haven Register. Wednesday.} First details of the thrilling escape of Professor Henry w Farnarn and his family from the steamer Spokane. which was shipwrecked in Puget Sound, were learned here to-day with the return of Professor Farnam to his home. That he and his three
 daughters were obliged to swim for their lives and after being finally picked up and taken to a deserted island were obliged to dry their cloth ing by the heat of log fires over night ! it is now learned.
 We went from here ia the Yellow stone and spent q most interesting week, driving through the park said Professor Farnam. We had first parties to go over the Divide. for the road had just been bToke1
 through the snow, which at places
 came up as high as the hubs Of the
 wa gen wheels. From there we went
 to Seattle and sailed from there on
 June 2S on the steamer Spokane. If
 the Pacific Steamship company, which
 registers about 2,000 tons
 Tt was just 26 hours after we left
 that the ship ran into rne rocky shore near Vancouver island Inc accident happened e. If O'cIov@ at night and we were all in bed. The ship began to fill rapidly and the cap- tain headed her for Plummer Bay about two miles away, where she was beached. It, was a most excif- ing time, and when the steamer fn- ally grounded, the water was reach ed to the deck on the starboard si6F, and on the port side to our state room.
 .'Lifeboats were lowered as soon as the ship hit and there was general cry of 'Women first.r. We put on life preservers for the ship settled so rap idly after she struck that we thought she was going down Immediately.
 "One of my daughters was in the lifeboat and got ashore that way. The rest of us waited until the boat had settled so that we were standing m the water on the deck and then we swam away to escape being draWH down by the suction of the sinking ship, for we did not know how much water there was under her. We all thought she was going down right away Later we Swam back to the ship and were taken off in the boats to the island, which there is no of logging camp over on the other sida We built big fires on the beach and tried to dry our clothing until the morning came and then the work of salvage was begun
 The best rescue work was done by the stewards, but after the shore was reached there was little effort made to save the baggage. Much o3 that which was saved was footed Our party were fortunate enough to save their stateroOm trunks all soaked with water, of course, but we lost all our trunks in the hold. The hand baggage which was brought ashore had been footed, too. and the valu- ables taken. I lost my camera ard my field glasses although the case for oIH cr1a empty.
 ship went down, a Mrs. Strauss, who was being held up in the water by a steard when 1 first saw her, an< Mrs. Williams of Washington, Who was thrown overheard backward by the sudden listing of the boat. With 2 the rail of the boat under water. crawled out along it and got hold cf Mrs Strauss but when they got her aboard she was head. whether from drowning or heart failure no one knows.
 We were picked up the next morning by the steamer Admiral Sampson, and brought back to Seat tie. The company treated es pTet- ty shabbiily, and for some time re- fused to refund us even our passage money for the trip, unless We s1sned a general release. We passengers had to hold several meetings to settle things.
 we returned east over the Cana dian Pacific, stopping for visits ip ths Cana dian Rockies at Glacier, Lake Louise and Raniff. We came down from Canada to St. Paul, thence fo Chicago and then east.
 We are very glad to see New Hs- ven again, as you may ina agfne. Whils YOU were having the hot weather here we were in the Rockies and 90 es- capped most of it."
 Professor Farnam was accompany jed on the trip by Mrs. Farnam and their three children.