The Daily Missoulian., 1913-01-10
RESCUED MEN TELL
THEIR STORIES
DESCRIBE HOW THEY cLUNG TO
RIGGING OF THE STRICKEN
RoSECRANS.

Astoria, Ore, Jan. 9.-With their
bodies bruised and their nerves hardly
less unstrung than when they We're
taken from the mast of the wrecked
tank steamer Rosecrans. Monday aft
ernoon, Eric Lindmark, ships car
penter, and Joseph Slenning, quarter
master, were brought in today from
the Columbia river lightship, whence
they had been taken by the Point
Adams lifesaving crew.
The tug Oneonta put out to the
lightship early today, the heavy
Weather having abated, and took the
lifesavers and the wreck victims
aboard. The lifeboat, it was learned,
had broken away in an attempt to lift
it aboard the lightship Tuesday night
Slenning was asleep when the Rose
Grams struck and was awakened by
the vessels humping on the bottom.
He dressed and went on deck, but, be-
lieving that it was safer, returned be-
low. Several of the others, he said,
stayed on deck to be washed over
board b. the combers which were
continually swirling over the doomed
craft.
About o'clock, three hours after
she struck, she. broke in two and COM
PEELED those below to go on deck.
after reaching the deck made for
the mizzenmast," said Slenning, "but
how I reached it don't know. I was
thrown down and the sea washed over
me, but I did not go overheard. At
last / got into the rigging. l had been
there but short time, when Lindmark
and 'Dago joe the oiler, climbed up.
II could see the crew clnging to the
house, the davits and to other objects
on the deck. The gale was fierce, and
we could not speak to each other for
the roar of the seas. did not see
Captain Johnson after came on deck.
For a long time First Officer Mullins
was hanging to one of the davits, but
after one of the waves broke over the
vessel he disappeared.
Il guess it was about o'clock when
the pilot house was swept off, and with
it went the rest of the crew except me
and the other two in the rigging. The
wireless operator was one of the last:
to go over.
1t was a long weary wait in the
rigging, clinging for dear life to the
mast. We We're not lashed to the
mast, and were wet and chilled to the
bone. 1t was the most awful expe-
rience that ! ever had. An hour ar
two later while We We're in the rigging
we caught sight of tug on the inside
and / knew that they We're trying to
save u.s. 4
when I saw the lifeboats getting
near I felt that we We're going to be
saved. AS the boat came near the
men yelled for us to- jump. but I was
afraid we would never reach them in
the raging sea. Lindmark was the
first to try it. He climbed down and
stood on the rail- and the next wave
carried him away from the ship. fol-
lowed shortly after. When l struck
the water it was like jumping into a
warm current so thick was the oil on
1t.
Dago joe jumped soon after, but
was injured in jumping to the deck
He was dead when they picked him
up
Lindmark was also in his bunk when
the boat struck, and Slenning remained
below until the flooding of his cabin
drove him to the deck
when came up on deck was Just
in time to see huge sea sweep 10 or
IL of my shipmates overheard
clung to the companion ladder until
the water receded, then / climbed up
abaft the stack. Then | saw Captain
Johnson The first mate and the boat
swain were carrying him up on the
fidley, where they placed him Oh a
blanket.
The last l saw of the captain was
about o'clock, comber carried away
the captains room under the bridge
and threw the whole house forward
/ had Just left the wheelhouse in an
attempt to make the mizzenmast rig
ging. The wave that carried away the