The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-09-06

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in heavy fog off Pigeon point.
south of here, at midnight Thurs
day night.
Forty-two passengers and mem
bers of the San Juan's crew were
rescued. The tanker stood bv and
saved 20 persons, while the freight
er Munami rescued IL persons and
transferred them to the coast
guard cutter Shawnee.
The San Juan, a vessel At years
old, sank within five minutes after
the two vessels came together with
a terrific impact, a huge hole be-
ing stove in the San Juan's port
side.
Rapidly filling with water, the
San Juan plunged downward, car
rylng to their deaths the passen-
gers and members of the crew.
The radio operator barely had
time to flash distress signal. 1--WE
are struck" he flashed, and then
the radio went silent.
Capt. H. o. Bleumshen of the
tanker at once lowered his life
boats and searched the sea, pick
ing up survivor after survivor in
the confusion, as the San Juan dis
appeared beneath the water.
The suction as the San Juan. a
essel of $500 tons, went down, Gre
ated a giant whirlpool which was
believed to have drawn many per-
sons to their deaths.
The freighter Munami was near
by and answered the Dodd's appeal
for help. In the thick fog and the
black night the freighter was able
to rescue eleven persons. These
survivors were later transferred to
the coast guard cutter Shawnee.
True to the traditions of the seas
Capt. A. F. Asplund of the San
Juan, went to his death with his
vessel. Witnesses said they saw
him plung beneath the waves with
the San Juan. Capt. Asplund was
not the regular master of the YES
sci but had returned to active duty
after so years at sea, to take the
place of Capt. John J. Wrinkle, who
was on vacation.
The San Juan was enroute 10 Los
Angeles from San Francisco at the
time of the collision. Of the 116
persons aboard the ship 70 were
passengers and the Others the
crew. The fog had forced the San
Juan to grope her way.
Tho noII xxyoc var1-faI b. Loxxo
suffered only minor damage in the
collision and Capt. Bleumshen inn
mediately turned the boat into a
rescue ship.
Searchlights played on the water
as the survivors were pulled into
the lifeboats.
The Dodd brought the rescued
passengers and members of the
crew to San Francisco where ambu-
lances awaited to hurry the injured
persons to hospitals. Physicians
and nurses boarded the tanker as
she came through the Golden Gate.
The physicians said that about
seven survivors required immediate
medical attention.
The survivors had jumped into
the sea in their night apparel, not
having had time to dress, and were
supplied with cast-off clothing by
the crew of the tanker Dodd.
George H. Houghton, 40, Hol-
lywood, Calf, business man, de-
scribed the suddenness of the dis
aster:
81 was in bed at 11:55 p. m.
when the terrific crash came" he
said. "There was a terrific impact,
but I took my time in dressing be-
fore going to see what had happen
ed.
"When l came out on the deck it
was awash and people were jump
ing into the sea.
"I looked at my watch again and
saw that it had taken me only five
minutes to dress fully and go out
on deck.
"At midnight / jumped overheard
and was in the midst of persons
screaming and trying desperately
to keep afloat.
81 swan around for more than
half an hour. Terrible screams were
making the night a bedlam. Lights
barely pierced the fog. l saw many
persons who were having great
difficulty in keeping afloat."