Evening star., 1914-05-06
Captain and Thirteen Members
of Crew of Columbian
Picked Up Today.
STEAMSHIP MANHATTAN
SENDS WORD OF RESCUE
Search Being Made for Only Miss
ing Boat, With Two Officers
and Seventeen Men.

Mcdonald and thirteen members Of the
crew of the British steamer Columbian.
burned at sea, were saved by the steamer
Manhattan. A wireless dispatch to this
effect was received from the Manhat-
tan by the Marconi station here early to-
day.
The Manhattan. bound from New York
for Antwerp, had been near the scene of
the burning OF the Columbian for some
hours and was known to be searching
for boats containing members of the Co
lumbians crew. Her success was an
nounced in the following message:
Manhattan picked up one boat of
Columbian. captain and thirteen others.
One engineer killed in explosion and one
man drowned leaving ship. Manhattan
still searching for other boat
The rescue, it was added. was made
! early this morning in 10 y. lat. and
So W. long.
One Boat Still Missing.
| Yesterday the Cunard liner Franconia
I picked up one of the Columbians boats
containing thirteen men and the body OF
Chief Steward Matthews SO that twenty
seven in all have been rescued alive. The
other missing boat. for which the Man
haitian and other steamers are still
searching. contains the first and second
officers and seventeen men.
The steamer Columbian, bound from
Antwerp for New York. caught fire at
sea Sunday night. According TO the
wireless advices from the Franconia
which rescued the first boat of sur
vivors, the flames spread quickly. and
We're followed by explosions, which ne
cessitated the hasty abandoning of the
steamer by the crew.
Three Boats Left Vessel.
The men got away in three boats, but
in their haste were i'll prepared for a
battle with the seas in open boats. The
first survivors when picked up had been
severely. Capt. McDonald's boat picked
up early today by the Manhattan, was
adrift for more than fifty hours before
help reached them.
Report of Franconia's Captain.
BOSTON, May 6.-The local Office Of
the Cunard line today received a report
from Capt. Miller of the Franconia tell
Ing OF the rescue of a part of the crew
Of the steamer Columbian. which was
burned at sea. The wireless message
dated today, was as follows:
Received wireless from steamer Georg-
ic, 1:ai am May 4: 'Seydlitz passed
in Sl.2' n. o9.U1 W, large steamer
burning all over. Hull high out of water
foremast and funnel gone No people on
, board.
AT the same time a wireless from
Sable Island. requesting me to sndeavor
to identify steamer, was received At
1:15 pm. | received from the Associated
| Press. Boston: Great alarm over Seyd-
litZ report of big ocean liner afire Res
cues by Franconia. Please send dis
patch
"At that time rumor of rescue was not
| true.
/ on receipt of Georgic's message l
| changed nay course to cross given posi-
tlon Of burning steamer, arriving there
at pm Could discern no trace of
v. eek, but decided. owing 10 false re-
port and fearing influence on other
possible rescuine steamers. to encircle
position at SIN miles, and at $50 pm.
| sighted a boat on starboard bow Being
already prepared. the occupants there
of We're taken on board in a few min
utes. The boat contained thirteen men
and corpse lying awash in the bot
| tom of the boat
The survivors had used trousers leg
\ from corpse on end of boathook for
distress signal. Survivors were in a
state of extreme exhaustion and men
tai collapse. Some had been burned by
fre
| They state that they had been adrift
forty hours. Six We're put under doe
tors care III hospital. and others We're
given brandy and soup. bathed in hot
water ami put TO bed. They immediate
;ly fell asleep. Little Information can be
obtained from them.
Blown Overheard by Explosion.
The carpenter says the ship was the
| Columbian, sailing from Antwerp and
about 1900 tons register He was
asleep and heard the alarm Of fre and
was coming along the deck and had
arrived about midships when an ex-
plosion occurred, under his feet, which
blew him overheard He was picked up
by a small boat.
| "A lamp trimmers son states thai
his father was coming forward calling
for him when the deck blew up anC
the lamp trimmer fell into the burning
hold. quartermaster says that Capt
Mcdonald, chief engineer. chief Officer
boat out when u big explosion tool
place. He does not know whether the
captain and his boat were saved The
second officer got away with abou
| twenty-four men. ten minutes before
the boat that was picked up.
Fire Began Midnight Sunday Night
'All agree that the fire started a
midnight Sunday night from d. caus,
unknown. IT was first reported by tn,
outlook man, who saw smoke coming
UP the forehatch Half an hour late
the whole ship forward and amidship
was in flames, with constant yiolen
explosions. The wireless apparatus wa
wrecked.
I've are carrying to Boston the bod.
of the chief steward, who was fright
fully injured by the explosion and wa
delirious soon after the boat got away
He died Tuesday midday Our docto
certified that death was due to shocl
and exposure.
After picking UP the boat We mad
another detour, searching for othe
boats and deeply regret could not lin,
them. but many other steamers hast
en,ng TO scene of disaster and trus
ii not already picked up followin,
steamers will rescue them Have Mar
conied all ships TO look out for tw,
missing boats and received replie
from Manhattan. Haverford and Ma
rengo.
Winn Powers New Mayor of st. Pau
ST. PACL Mimi. May 6.-Winn Pow
ers the peoples candidate. who wa