East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-01-10
KNEW NO FEAR
SAILORS SING AS ROSECRANS
POUNDS AGAINST BAR
All the Crew Meet Death I'm Unflinch-
ing Manner-JOke Each Other
While Waiting for the End TO
COme-Captain Does all He Can TO
Save His Crew and Vessel

Astoria, Ore, Jan. 10.-That the
seamen who composed the crew of
the wrecked steamer Rosecrans met
manner is the statement made by
Fred Peters, the sailor at st. Mary's
hospital here, who miraculously es-
capped a watery grave by drifting to
the shore near Tioga Tuesday after
noon.
"Of course there was a great deal
of excitement when she struck, but
was a goner, they calmly accepted
the inevitable, and although some
had hopes of being rescued, many
had made up their minds to die said
Peters, as he turned on his cot to rest
his injured shoulder.
"My God We're on the Bar"
81 think it was about o'clock
when she bumped. / was on the
bridge with Second Officer Palmer,
who Immediately gave orders to re-
verse the engines. A big comber inn
mediately came over the vessel and
Captain Johnson at that moment
rushed on the bridge, exclaimed:
Great guns! That sea sprung vi
quick Just then the boat hit bot
tom again, and 1 can hear him yet as
he yelled above the roar of the seas;
! MY God! We're on the bar
THE captain then ordered the
pumps at work pumping out the OF
! in order to tighten the vessel Cap
tain Johnson did everything he coulG
| for the boat and the men. 1t wasn't
long before the seas had flooded the
engine rooms and put out the fires
Sing and Joke With End Near.
''By this time the seas were break
ing over so badly that the captain or
dered us below. While we were hud-
died together expecting any moment
! to be our last some of the boys sang
! and joked each other but all realized
the seriousness of our situation.
She started to break up as soon as
she struck and at o'clock broke ir
two. 1t wasn't long after this that
the tanks burst out and we were
soaked with oil from head to foot.
AT 8 o'clock we were ordered or
| hNCh dS NIt VESSEL W DIS lllllUR UP SN
rapidly that we could not longer stay
below
81 was the last to go on deck. The
other fellows were clinging to the
mast and some were trying to get in
to the whel house. AS l came OF
deck l bumped against Captain John
son, who was clinging to the wheel
house. l caught hold of him to keel
from being swept off the deck by {
big comber.
MY God he yelled, Don't toucl
my leg. It's broken think it wa
injured by being thrown against th'
wheelhouse or the rail- l saw tina
the wheelhouse was already full o
boys and / started across the decl
to the main rigging. l stumbled ant
fell. Before l could get on my fee
a big sea swept the decks and carried
me overheard"
Tug Reaches Lightship.
The tug Oneonta, which went ou
over the bar, took the Point Adam
life saving crew and the two ship
wrecked sailors of the Rosecrans, of
the lightship yesterday morning. !
wireless from the Oneonta at II
o'clock said all were safe on board tn
tug. The lifeboat which was asterl
of the ightship is reported to hav,
broken loose and it is presumed tha
it and the body of the dead seaman
are gone. At - o'clock the wireless
operator here picked up messag
between the Oneonta and steame
Oleum which is outside. At that tim
the Oneonta had not started in, ow
ing to the heavy seas on the bar Th
local operator is unable to get il
touch with the tug. 1t is though
that the Oneonta is waiting for floo
tide at 1880 to cross in to the har
Dor.
Four bodies were brough over fror
North Beach by Coroner Gilbaugf
They are those of Captain johnson