Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20
FOUR MARRIED COUPLES
ALL DROWNED TOGETHER
Warship Hides Her Name and
Flashes News of the Disaster
by Wireless.
ONE OWES LIFE TO A PLANK
Man Saved From the Francis n.
Leggett Sees Six Women
Perish as Two Life
boats Capsized.

, ASTORIA, Greg, September
Io-Between seventy and eighty
men. women and children, coast
wise passengers and crew, were
drowned late yesterday when the
three rnasted steam schooner
Francis H. Leggett was pounded
to pieces in a gale sixty miles
from the mouth of the Columbia
river.
Two men were rescued by pass
ing steamers and carried to AS
toria and Portland to tell how the
sea tore the vessel to pieces and
how the passengers were drown
ed a boat load at a time, as the
lifeboats put off, or met their fate
a little later when the vessel
turned over.
Alexander Farrell, a survivor,
said that at the height of the
storm Capt. ]. Jensen of San
francisco, a passenger, who lost
his own ship six months ago and
for four months succeeding was
marooned on an uninhabited is
land, went to the aid of Capt.
More of the Leggett, took COM
mand OF the passengers and con-
trolled them until he sank with
the schooner.
Raised japanese Cruiser.
The schooner's wireless, on a route
alive with ships. raised only the Jap
anese cruiser Idzumo, and sank hours
before any craft reached her position.
The steamer Beaver, which caught the
ldzumos report Of the Leggett's dis
tress, said that the Idzumo gaee no
position for the distressed vessel She
asked for more detaIIs, but got no re-
sponse from the warship.
according to the steward of the Bea-
Yer, which arrived here shortly before
1 Pm. the deck load of the Leggett
shifted in a heavy gale and she turned
turtle and sank.
Plunging on her course for the CO.
1umbia river. the Beaver ran upon the
oil tanker Buck standing by swirl Of
wreckage and timber. which indicated
wneGe tne LeSgett had sunk The Buck
transferred Farrell to the Beaver for
treatment She remained for some
time searching for bodies afoat or for
some other man. who. like Farrell, was
fortunate enough to seize bit Of um-
ber and strong enough to cling to it
Tor many hours In the icy water.
he nf h0r ,A1
a Pullman of Winnipeg, Canada, is on
board the Buck, which now is lying OF
the Columbia bar. awaiting calmer
weather before crossing in,
Captain Washed Overheard.
1t is believed that Capt More of the
Lesgett was washed overheard shortly
before the ship sank. for 1t was Capt.
Jensen. Farrell said, who was in charge
of futile attempt to launch two life
boats. which foundered as soon as they
struck the water.
Farrell who had recovered consider
ably tonight from his exhaustion, said
that the Leggett carried full list of
passengers. between forty and nifty.
while the crew numbered about twen-
ty-five. Among the passengers were
six women. girl and a boy. including
the wife Of Capt. Anderson of the
schooner Carrie Dove.
I'VE left Grays Harbor Wednesday
morning." said Farrell. Later the sea
became rough. The Leggett began to
pound heavily and the captain gave
orders to jettison the deck load. Then
the seas swept off the hatches and the
dered the passengers into their cabins
and many were still there when the
boat went down.
Lifeboat Launched.
when 1t was seen that there was no
hope for the vessel. Capt. Jensen ordered
the lifeboat launched. In the first boat
were thirty persons, two Of whom were
women. There were only. six women on
board and the other four were not at
that end Of the ship when the boat was
launched. ----
las soon as the boat. struck the water
1t capsized and all the occupants were
thrown into the sea and drowned
"A few minutes later an attempt was
made to launch the second lifeboat I,
contained four women and their husbands
The boat met the same fate as the Other
boat
Capsized as She Sank.
81 was standing on the bridge when tn.
ship went down. The boat capsized a,
she sank. don't know how long 1 wa,
under water, but when I came to tn,
top l grabbed a railroad tie and hunf
on. The wireless operator also was hang
ing to the tie. I saw men sinking al
around me, but could not hear theil
cries owing to the screeching gale
TT soon became dark, but II wa
o'clock in the morning when th'
Beaver picked me up. The wireless
operator clung to the tie with me To-
several hours and then, benumbed b,