Show sa sim LOST steamer columbia heavily laden with tourists run down by disaster occurred at when the Passer ers and crew were asleep the vessel S ng E M after be ing struck erieka cal sixty lives ost in a collision between the stear nei columbia and the steam launch schoon ei san pedro in shelter cove twelve miles southwest of the mendocino humboldt county line between 12 and 1 clock sunday mom ng eight minutes from ane time the san pedro struck the col imbia the later had filled full of water and sunk night saloon watchman notified all the passengers to go to the up per deck without clothing they climbed out of their berths and rush ed out it was only two or three minutes beffie the deck was awash six boats and three life rafts were cut loose and as many passengers as pos sible were crowded into them there was scarcely any evidence of a pan ic the women acting with heroism the crew of the san pedro immediate ly lowered a boat and picked up a large number of survivors while the boats from the columbia lay to by the san pedro aaen the columbia sank she car ried down w ith her about seventy tour passengers ahls estimate h not ac curate and the number cannot be definitely antl tull lars are rec ne from S bleter cove where four boats uie aid to hive been landed captain adoian and first officer witney t on deck when the columbia the captain s last ards being god bless ou according Acco iding to purser J E byrnes ot the columbia there were gers aboard first 22 in the steer age and 60 crew it is known that passengers have been saved and 37 of the crew the exact number at shelter cove is yet to be determined just as the co lumbia was sinking hei boilers ex plodded this interacted suction and saved many lives husbands aej wives were separated and fathers and mothers and children become lost to each other tn the excitement when the boa s collided 0 swanson a sailor of the san pe dro was at the ahel when the fatal collision occurred in his leport to sailors agent john erickson the blame is laid upon the shoulders of the co lumbia s officers other members of the crew of the san pedro substantiate the story of swanson he says that the order was given to him when the lookout sighted the columbia to put the wheel hard aloit three points aport carried the san tedro seaward apparently and out of the way of the approaching vessel chuse name at that time was not known short toots from the whistles of both vessels warned the the columbia was on the coast side the san pedro on the sea side apparently both ves sels were proceeding at full speed if all had gone well the san pedro would have deal the columbia but it is evident that an order put the wheel hard was given or the co lumbia this sent her directly across the bow of the steam ac hooner whether or not the speed t either vessel was sacked is immaterial tor the crash of assels was terrific the columbia an iron ves el boie the brunt of the impact and her iron plates cracked and a gash seven feet across the forward hatch alkred the water free ingess ing ess at a great velocity |