Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-06
NINETEEN MISSING
| FROM STEAMER CR[X
DoAT WITH THIRTEEN suRviv'
one PICKED uP ~ PASSING .
sTEAMsHtP.
.suRNsNo VESSEL IDENTIFIED
A pRiTIsH SHIP COLUMBIAN
Crow % Frsishtsr cempslisd to Take
20 Small Boats Because Of Fire.
Wirsisss Reports One Boat Load
! Rs,eued-poesned ship Enrouts From
Ansxssp % New York.


Anss.ssp @ New York
On Board Steamer Franconis, via
Sable Island, N. 8, May e.-Thirteen
survivors Of the British steamer CO.
1umbian. bound from Antwerp for
Eew York. which caught Ore at sea
Sunday night, were picked up yester-
day by tho Cunard liner Franconia'
bound from Liverpool to Boston. In
the oo.t with the survivors was the
body of Chief Steward Matthews.
Another boat containing the chief
and second officer and seventeen men
was still adrift. The Franconia cruised
in search.
Those aboard the Franconia are:
James Drohan, wireless operator;
Antoine Flas. carpenter: Ivar 1verson.
boatswair's mate: Unguse Prime.
JenS Jensen, A. A. Belnick, quarter
man; Thomas Conner, Juri Lei and
+
thony Cordones and Bennett Rother.
Aremen: and Franw wedekind, mess
room steward.
The survivors suffered terribly dur
ing forty hours exposure in an open
boat Their exhaustion was so great
that 1t was impossible to obtain q
clear story from them until several
hours after they were picked up.
Explosion and Firs.
The Columbian caught fire Sunday
night when about 300 miles south os
Cape Race. A series Of violent explos-
tions followed almost Immediately.
Captain Mcdonald ordered the wire
less operator, James Droham, to send
out calls for assistance. but one Of the
explosions put the wireless out Of COM
mission, cutting of the Columbian
from ccu1Municatton with nearby
ocean liner which might have gone to
the rescue. y
With the vessel belching flames ana
torn BY the explosions, 1t became evil
dent that the crew could do nothing
to control the fire and the order to
abandon ship was given.
Two 6oatloads.
The men left the Columbian in
two boats. Chief Steward Matthews
VAS In charge Of the first. The boat
put away from the steamer and lay
to for time. but in the dense smoke
which surrounded the burning vessel.
the other boat was not visible and
the stewards boat finally Grifted far
from the scene.
OF their sufferings during the forty
hours in which they were tossed
about, and Of the death Of Chief
Steward Matthews during this time,
the men could say little when they
! were brought on to the decks Of the
Franconia.
Aid Given Aboard cunarder.
Food and sleep were considered first
and altho sympathetic passengers were
ready with offers Of assistance to the
shipwrecked ones, Captain Miller, or
the Franconia saw to it that they were
first given the required rest.
Having learned that another boat
with nineteen men probably including
Captain was still missing and sup
posedly adrift, Captain Miller ordered
the Franconia turned about on a
searching cruise. No trace Of the sec
ond boat had been obtained late last
night.
Franconia Sends Wireless Report.
Boston, Mass, May 6.-The mystery
surrounding the identity Of the ST teamer
which has been on fire in the west
bound transatlantic steamer line.
south Of Sable Island for forty eight
hours was solved last night when wire
less messages from the Cunard liner
FfanconiA told Of the burning of the
freight Columbia and the rescue of
thirteen members Of her crew from a
nn0 80 iaf
Steward Matthews, whose body the
survivors had in charge and the dis
appearance Of a second boat. in which
were nineteen men, including the first
and second officers, were also reported.
Whether the number of missing was
represented by those eaid to be in the
second boat, was still uncertain tonight
Estimates BY officials Of the Leyland
and Phoenix lines placed the number
Of the crew at between forty-five and
fifty. The messages from the Fran
coma told OF only thirty-t three men,
represented by the occupants Of the
two boats It was thought possible
that there was a third boat. COM
manded by Captain Mcdonald of the
Columbian.
The survivors were so exhausted by
their experience that they could tell
little Of what had happened and steam
ship officials expressed the opinion that
the omission In the wireless messages
Of mention Of the captain might be
laid to this faet.
After rescuiig the occupants Of the
first boat, the Franconia searched un-
tn nishtfalI for the rest Of the crew but
without result Captain Miller of the
Cunarder sept word ashore that he had
) given up thu search and would proceed
for 1ostbn With the survivors and his
4 l.733 pas0enOers. He said he expected
to STRIVE at Boston Lightship at mid
night "wednesday.
search for the missing men of the
CeluulbiaN has not been giscn UP how
ever: Before turning for his destfna-
tIon, Captain Miller had notified the
steamers Manhattan and Haverford.
both east. sound OF the missing boats
aaA 49, eest word tl,at they had