Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-09-29
EIGHTY LOSE. LIVES
STEAMER LEGGETT GOES DOWN
OFF OREGON COAST IN A
FIERCE GALE.
ONLY TWO MEN ARE SAVED
Survivor Picked Up by Another
Vessel Relates Thrilling Tale of
Rescue From the Waters of the Pa
cific Ocean.

Portland, Ore, Sept. 22.-Between
seventy and eighty men, women and
children, coastwise passengers and
crew, on the three-Inasted steam
schooner Francis H. Leggett were
drowned when the Leggett was
pounded to pieces in a gale go miles
south of the mouth of the Columbia
river Saturday.
Alexander Farrell, the only survivor
to reach land thus far, recounted
how, in the height of the storm, Cap
Tain !. Jensen, of San Francisco. a
passenger, who lost his own ship six
months ago, and for four months sue
ceeding was marooned on an unhab
tied island came to the aid of Captain
Moro of the Leggett, took command
Of the passengers and controlled them
until she sank. taking him with ner,
The other rescued passenger, George
II. Pullman of Winnipeg, Canada. is
on board the Buck, which is now lying
off the Columbia bar awaiting calmer
wealth before crossing in.
Farrell, who had recovered consid-
erably from his exhaustion, said the
Leggett carried full list of passen-
gers, between forty and fifty, while the
crew numbered about twenty-five.
The craft carried full load of
lumber" said Farrell Almost i'm
mediateIy after leaving Gray's Harbor,
Wash. we ran into heavy weather
which iunroacad ~ 1,ioIonoa until
morning, when it was blowing a ter
rife gale.
Shortly after noon the crew began
to jettison the deckload, and most of
the passengers were driven below to
keep them out of harms way. Sud
denly terrific sea tore open a hatch,
the water pouring in in torrents and
the vessel lurched to one side and
capsized. All this occurred within a
few minutes, but in the meantime the
crew launched two boats one contain
ing two women and four men and the
other with four women and heir bus
bands on board
1T was at that moment that the
only excitement occurred AS the sec
ond boat was being prepared some
men rushed for it, but Captain Jensen
made them stand back, saying he
would shoot the first man who stepped
aboard until all the women were cared
for. The effort was useless, however,
for as soon as the small boats struck
the water they capsized. and all in
them were lost.
Il was standing near the bridge
when the steamer went over. | went
down with the suction, how far can
not say but it was long way. For
tunately was able to grab floating
tie. Probably thirty people were in
sight when 1 first come to the sur
face, banging to pieces of wreckage,
but they succumbed one by one until
there were only five OF US left.
Zone of these was the wireless op-
orator and the other three besides N.Y.
self were women. The latter kept afoat
until nearly dark, when they too dis
appeared. 1t must have been about
$40 in the afternoon when the Leg
gett turned turtle, ana it was one
o'clock in the morning before l was
picked up
Farrell said the wireless operator
chung to railway tie until a woman
was tossed against him by the waves.
He helped her grasp hold of the tie,
but it was not large enough to hold
them both above the surface. Real
izing the situation, the man let go and
sank.