Bisbee daily review., 1918-07-06
BUT 100 RESCUED

BLOOMINGTON, H., July GA telephone report from Pekin at 1:40 this morning said that between 500 and 600 persons were on the Colum- bia when she sank and that at that hour 100 had been rescued. The CO- lumbia was carrying an excurison | party from Pekin and was hOmeward bound when the accident happened. Miss Pauline Bineuil, of Picking, who was aboard the boat, told the follow ing story of the disaster:
 The steamer had three decks. l was on the upper one. On that below dancing was going on. The bottom deck was occupied principally by mer who were talking and smoking.
 "I do not believe many of the per sons on the first two decks who con stituted by far the larger portion of the crowd could have escaped
 q was chatting with friends We ! felt the boat rise out of the liver 1t was clouded with fog. There was a crach. For a moment no one moved and then almost everybody rushed to | one side of the boat. The crew and the officers as soon as they realized what was happening cried for the passen- gers to even the load but it was too late. The Columbia tilted and then sud denly overturned. I was thrown into the water.
 When I came to the surface people were swimming about too dGzed 10 know what dierction to follow. The mist hung low above the overturned boat, from which came horritying con ! fusion of cries for aid.
 Those on the lower decks seem to have been trapped.
 q swan about and then man came to my aid. A portion of the boat re- mained above the water. Three oth- CT men were behaving like heroes. Some were holding women in their arms and others were attempting to keep their heads above the water by clinging to their clothing. The acci- dent occurred about opposite Wesley City. The steamer had rammed an ob- struction near the east bank. It was not long before the sound of the screams for help attracted attention on shore. Row boats began to ap- proach.
 The rescuers began to pick up the survivors. After a moment d boat neared me. A man who was support | ing me called to the rowers to take me in. We rowed a distance-it seem ed about four blocks-before we final ly reached shore"
 The steamer was in use in the regu- | lar excursion trade along the river. It was about 150 feet long and was considered staunch. The boat reached Alfresco park about 10 o'clock. The excursionists spent about half an hour there during which there was band music and dancing. The crowd was homeward bound when the crash came.
 As soon as the news reached Peoria relief parties were organized. Every doctor in the city who could be sum- moned was directed to report to the depot. A special train was made up at once and rushed to the scene of the | disaster.
 board the boat when it left Peoria on the return trip to Pekin. The boat ran into the peoria shore in a fog that was prevailing. It backed away and began sinking immediately, water rushoing in through a large hole in | the bow. The boat instantly began sending out signals of distress and several craft from this city rushed to the scene of the tragedy. None of these has yet returned.
 Loss of life is said to have resulted largely from the panic that followed on the boat as it began to sink. Doc | tors and nurses were rushed to the scene from Peoria. Some of the sur vivOrs have been taken to Pekin on a relief train.