The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-16
All Passengers on Steamer Bear
Accounted For.
Lives Were Lost When Lie.
boats Tipped Over.
DOG WAS CAUSE OF COLLISION
Woman Knocked Oar Loose IN
Grabbing Her Pet.
Panic Stricken Passengers
Were Gained by Crew.

Eureka. Cal. June 16.-AH of the.
21O passengers and crew OF the SteaIn-
err Rear. wrecked on Sugar Loaf reef
near here wednesday night, have
been accounted for, according to
statement made early today by the
purser, c. +. Haywood. he SAID tnat
after checking the passenger list ne
was convinced that the five persons
drowned and whose bodies have been
recovered were the only ones that
persisted. One body. that of young
woman, still was unidentified.
A special train, provided by the San
Francisco & Portland Steamship COM
pany, owners of the Bear, was to
transport the survivors to San Fran
cisco today, stopping en- route to pick
ND victims of the wreck that had been
taken to small towns near Eureka.
Two hundred feet from shore the
steamer lay pounding on the reef, but
still intact. Members of the crew were
endeavoring to take off baggage and
valuables.
Captain Nopander said that at the
time the Bear went ashore he was
taking every possible precaution for
the safe handling of the ship in foggy
Headed or Shore.
There were five of US on watch,
he said, lat the time she struck The
sounding machine was going contin-
uaIly. When the soundings showed
twenty-eight and thirty fathoms we
headed the ship off shore and a few
minutes later the ship struck"
NaVigators here familiar with the
coast said that the 1905 earthquake
had affected the ocean bed in the
vicinity of Cape Mendocino and that
there were numerous sink holes near
Sugar Loaf
From the passengers and crew were
gathered the first clear account of
what happened.
The steamer drove on the reef with
a crash so violent that all on board
were aroused from their sleep. Pas
sengers rushed out on deck in their
night clothes.
Panic reigned until assurances of
Captain Nopander and his officers that
there was no immediate danger calm
ed the excited ones. Order restored,
the skipper directed the passengers to
prepare to leave the ship. There was
no danger and no hurry, they were
told, and while many took advantage
others donned life preservers over
their night clothes and awaited the
next move. The women and children
were then gathered together in the
main cabin
Though the steamers bottom was
Nopander found the inner shell of the
double bottom was intact and for an
hour he made Intellectual efforts to
back the steamer into deep water
Finding her immovable, he sent out
radio calls for assistance and prepared
to launch the lifeboats.
Town Sent Help.
The S. Q. S. call was answered by
the battleship Oregon and the steamer
Grace Dollar and both said they were
proceeding to the scene of the wreck
at all possible speed. The call for
help was also heard at Eureka from
which place the tug Relief and a life
saving crew were dispatched.
The passengers were told of the
help that was on its way and the as
surance of aid near at hand gave them
the confidence which made the oper-
alton of abandoning the ship an or
derby affair.
The sea was smooth and the thir-
teen hfeboats got clear of the ship in
safety. The captain and the members
of the crew stayed aboard the Bear.
Before the flotilla pulled away into
the fog orders were issued for the
boats to keep together and head for
the Blunt's Reef light ship four miles
away.
Drowned From Lifeboats
After the boats left the ship the
wind freshened and a heavy swell set
in but after eight hours eleven of the
lifeboats made the light ship. Two
of the rescue boats, the Relief and the
Grace Dollar put in an appearance
and to these the shipwrecked people
were transferred and carried to
Eureka
TWO of the Bears 1ifeboats were
swept towards the shore and COM
PEELED to make a landing through the
surf. While in the surf the boats col
lided and both capsized. They were
eventually righted but three persons
from one boat and two from another
were drowned. The others eventually
reached the beach near Capetown and
after a night of suffering without
shelter and in wet clothes were taken
into Capetown and given the attention
their condition required.
A woman passengers dog was said
to have been responsible for the cap
sizing of the boats. According to one
of the survivors the dog fell over
board. The woman who owned II
grabbed for the animal and in grab
bling knocked one of the oars out OF
the oarlock. This caused the boat tc
veer into the other lifeboats and both
turned over