Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-08-22

calling out his orders. As soon as the
ship struck he had blown three sharp
blasts of the whistle and over at the
cannery, not far away men were run.
ming about, preparing to put out with
the gas boats there.
"Then came one of the most harrow.
ing incidents ever told in stories of dis.
aster of the sea. There came another
list to port and forward. Gathered to.
gether ON the bow of the boat were the
passengers from the dining cabin and
those who had come from their berths.
Z" With them were the members of the
crew, engineers and firemen, driven
from their stations below walters,
stewards, deckhands and Officers
Two LifebOats Wrecked.
" Alongside the vessel were three
lifehoats, filled or partly filled with
passengers, each in charge of members
of the crew.
" AS the boat listed, the smokestack
and gaft broke and crashed down on
70 two of the life boats, breaking them
to pieces and throwing into the sea,
the men and Women. who were in them.
The confusion was indescribable.
"The deck on which we stood qniv.
cred and grOaued.
Sea Seemed to Rise Up.
Then the sea seemed to rise up
about us. A great wave came crashing
over the bow and men and women pas.
sengefs, officers and crew were swept
away in sea Of wreckage. | came to
the surface with wreckage and human
beings all about me.
"The vessel was down by the bow
and half way down. She seemed to
break in two at the social cabin.
"Then with plunge, she disappeared
beneath the surface, drawing down with
her many of those who had come to the
surface after going down with the boat.
One LifebOat Useful.
81 managed to keep myself upon
the surface. All about me there wa.
wreckage. Near me the pilot house
came up after the last plunge Of the
ship. The one lifeboat that escaped
tho falling smokestack and mast did
daiy in gathering IN as quickly as pos
sible those who we,e swimming about
Or who had managed to reach pieces of
wreckage.
"Captain Cam went down with the
ship. He came up with portion of
the bridge, and, as he had stood upon
the stricken vessel, giving his orders
before she sank, so he stood upon this
piece of wrec age and continued in
command. ] 90 not know how long it
was before the gas boats came from the
cannery. 1t may have been few min
utes. II may have been an hour.
Saw Them Drown.
''I do know, however that many Of
those who came to the surface after
the giant wave had washed them from
the bow were gone before the reseung
hands arrived. saw them drown not
many feet from me, before ], or Other
members of the vessels crew could
reach them. ! saw the agony written
plainly upon their faces, aud heard tho
agonizng cries as the sea reached VI
and gathered them to its depths
wireless Operator Is Hero
I'm the three minutes given him OF
life between the time the state OF can
Iforpia was fatally stricken and hel
final plunge, Daniel c. Perkins, of OAK
land. cal, wireless operator, added an
other name to the list of the heroe'
who have gone down into the ocean
depths.
No matter that his efforts were il
yaip-that the cry for succor failed t.
reach a passing ship or wireless station
IHe did his duty, and in doing i wen
Ito his death.
Perkins was in his cabin when tn
vessel struck. The resultant shock wa
lbis call to duty. without Whiting t
laress he hurried TO the operating room