The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1914-09-20
STEAMER POUNDED TO PIECES
IN A GALE OF THE COLUMBIA
RIVER FRIDAY.
ONLY TWO SURVIVORS
Efforts to Launch Lifeboats Futile
and Vessel Sinks With All But Two
of the Passengers and Crew.

Astoria, Ore, Sept. 19.-Between
seventy and eighty men, women and
children, coastwise passengers and
crew, were drowned late yesterday
when the three-masted schooner
Francis ii. Leggett was pounded to
pieces in gale sixty miles from the
mouth of the Columbia river.
Two men rescued by passing ships
and carried to Astoria and Portland
told how the sea tore the vessel to
pieces, and how the passengers were
drowned, boat load at a time, as
the lifeboats put off or met their fate
a little later when the vessel over
turned.
Alexander Farrell, a survivor, said
that at the height of the storm Cap
tain j. Jensen of San Francisco, IA
passenger who lost his own ship six
months ago, and for four months sue
ceeding was marooned on an uninhab
tied island, welt to the aid of Cap
tain Moro of the Leggett, took com
mand of the passengers and con
trolled them until he sank with the
schooner.
The schooner's wireless raised
only the japanese cruiser Idzumo,
and sank hours before any craft had
reached her position. The steamer
Beaver. which caught the ldzumo's
report of the Leggett's disaster, said
the Idzumo gave no position for the
distressed vessel.
Plunging on her course for the Co
mmbia river, the Eeaver ran upon
the oil tanker Buck standing by a
swirl of wreckage and timber that
indicated where the Leggett had
sunk They transferred Farrell to
the Beaver for treatment. They re-
sumed for some time searching for
bodies afloat, or for some other MAJ
who, like Farrell, was fortunate
enough to seize a bit of lumber and
strong enough to cling TO it for many
hours in icy water.
The other rescued passenger, Geo.
II. Pullman of Winnipeg, Canada, is
on board the Buck, which is lying off
the Columbia bar awaiting calmer
weather before crossing.
1t is believed that Captain Moro Of
the Lc2gett was washed overheard
shortly before the ship sank, for it
was Captain Jensen, Farrell said, who
was in charge Of futile attempt to
launch two lifeboats which foundered
as soon as they struck tn water.
Farrell, who had recovered consid-
erably tonight from his exhaustion,
said the Leggett carried a full list of
assengers, between 40 and so, while
the crew numbered about %. Among
the passengers we're six women, a
girl and a boy, including the captains
wife, mates wife, and the wife Of
Captain Anderson of the schooner
Carrie Dove.
1--WE left Gray's Harbor Wedaes-
day morning" said Farrell. Later
the sea became rough. The Leggett
, began TO pound heavily and the cap
tain gave orders to iettison the deck
load Then the seas swept off the
matches and the hold began to fill.
Captain Jensen ordered the passen-
/ gers into their cabins and many were
IA there when the boat went down.
JWhen ii was seen that there was
no hope for the vessel, Captain Jen-
sen ordered the lifeboats launched.
In the first boat were 30 persons, two
of them women. Thers were olly six
women on board and the other four
were not at that end of the ship when
the boat was launched
"As soon as the boat struck the