| Show Rescued Passengers From Doomed Doome Ship S i I Jell Tragic Story J j to S PEORIA Ill July Ju July y Survivors G.-Survivors of the wre wrecked ked steamer ste m r Columbia tol told I thrilling stor stories e of the tragedy August Mehl br brother ther of Captain Captain H. H F F. Mehl Mehi- and nd purser of the b boat at made the following statement The whole thing was over in an Instant nt I Ivas vas was in the c cafe re of the boat when the shock c came me I knew that we had struck a submerged log and nd 1 t 1 heard my brother the captain cr cry out out Everybody upstairs The crowd rushed for the upper decks I r rushed Crushed to the the engine engine room to notify th the Hie engineers On my return n I 1 I saw my v fe running ahead of me I up up the the- companionway c I followed and just as s I got to the second deck aeck I the the boat listed to the lee Aide ide and sank J jr 1 I. I saw pV wife thrown r I overboard h. h rbi info Wate grabbed grabbed- t ther hr skirt but it t. t slipped lipped from mv my ng S T boa boat waa was plunged q qIn in total darkness I I 1 ran for for fora a life pr preserver r and to the upper deck In time to help the women and chil chil- t dren escape In the tie lifeboats I At that time the water was up to toI toti I t ti the e staterooms rooms immediately below the I pilot house on one one side and up to to the base of the t pilot house house- on the listed I side sid l I Mrs l Mehl MehI ehl was was' and will recover I LEAP I INTO TO WATER i Dell Deli Sil SIlve y the the- pilot pt of the watch at the time of or the disaster was asleep in In his stateroom His wife His wife in charge II of the lunch counter rushed to her husbands husband's room him They reached th the deck grabbed life lire I pr preservers servers jumped overboard and were saved Mrs Herman l Mehl MehI eh wife of the captain captain cap cap- tam tain was was bleeding from a a. a wound on the side of the head when she told her ler story of the accident V I was on on the d dance nce floor deck dEoCk at atthe atthe atthe the time she said It was all over before you you could sa say sl t. t When the boat listed something must have hav struck me on the he d. I came to in hi the water and grabbed a handrail on the boat I had just s sense nse en enough ugh I to pull myself in and get get geta a life pre pre- server Holding on with one hand to the boat and the other to th the preserver preserver I I. I kept afloat until some men pulled me in Mrs Elizabeth Fr Frew w w. w a stewardess was asleep when the boat struck She hurried hurriel to the deck arid and tried to calm the terrified women FIG FIGHT T TO ESCAPE Everybody dy was fighting g t to get et to the rail rail- said Mrs Frew They were struggling and clutching each I other Many jumped overboard I saw some of or them go down Others swa swam ar around und crying M. M until nUl boats picked them up So Soon n I found I-found myself I in a boat God knows how I got ther there there- 1 i The first deck was was given over exclusively to to dancing said Mrs Mary Brew a cook on the steamboat who although asleep at the time of th the crash was was was' rescued It was thronged I could have ardly been asleep fifteen minutes and the last think thing I remember the b band nd was playing f t Tile The crow crowd was laughing laughing- and many were singing the dance airs Hardly any of them could have escaped d. d The second deck was given over overto overto overto to to- couples ples who were strolling about When the boat submerged th the water dashed over that deck too r But Butmore Butmore Butmore more time was given couples to put on The panic was terrible and few could take advantage of bell belts All An Anabo abo about t m me w were r m men n women women and ch children jumping overboard SCORES OF SWIMMERS All about mo me were persons persons- swimming swim swim- ming Some of them vanished vanished-in in the g steam M her baat d 0 the the- river dver very swiftly I saw sav it sinking as a a rowboat picked me me- up and car- car fried ned ime to me to I ItU turned ri d my face 1 away 1 rt v t vv do do not ot b v man th the per I many of t per per- I were on the first tw two de decks could possibly have escaped said Pauline of Pekin Iii m. who escaped from the sinking pleasure sure craft I was chatting with friends when we felt the b boat at rise out of tIle the river which was so clouded with fog almost noth nothing ng- ng could be seen ahead There was a crash For Ot moment nobody moved and then almost l e everybody rushed tow toward rd d one side of the deck The Columbia tilted and I was thrown into the water When When- I came cameto cameto to the surface a terrible scene was being enacted People were swimming swimming swim- swim ming about too tod dazed to know what direction to follow in the mist HEROIC ACTS Those on the two lower decks seemed to have been trapp trapped d. d I swam about and then a man came to tomy tomy tomy my aid ald A p portion of the boat re remained remained remained re- re above the water and there were other men behaving as as heroes Some S me were holding in their arms and others were attempting attempting- to keep their heads aboVe the river rivet by grasping their theW clothing The sound of the screams for hel help attracted attention on shore and boats I pushed off Captain Herman H. H Mehl Mehi owner of the pleasure boat who ia ii made mad a pauper by the wreck asserted his only is Is' Is the p people down there We must have a solid oak log or something else eise hard The hull Is lined with steel h he said When I found that she was was jammed and had a hole in her I ordered Tim the pilot to run her ashore Her Herbow Herbow Herbow bow was dow downstream stream and he started her toward the Tazewell side He could make it quicker than he could turn and get ba back lc to the Peoria side side- We did everything we could to get the lifeboats away and to distribute dis distribute distribute dis- dis tribute to every person There must be thirty or forty persons down there there I I dont don't believe there there- are area a hundred |
