The San Francisco call. [volume], May 30, 1895, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
VOLUME LXXVII.-NO. 171.
THE WRECK OF THE MAIL STEAMSHIP COLIMA.
A whole day passed before the first news
of the foundering of the Pacific Mail
steamer Colimain mid-ocean was given to
the public by the press, and not a single
scrap of information reached here of the
ill-starred vessel. A.ll day yesterday the
offices of the Pacific Mail Company and
the Mail dock were thronged by anxious
friends and relatives, all eager for the
slightest information which might bring
them either comfort or the assurance that
the time to hope had passed.
But not a tick sounded over the tele
graph wire which stretched from here to
Mazatlan, San Bias and Manzanillo. Two
lines were run into the Pacific Mail office,
but they brought no information that was
given to the public.
A telegram received the previous night
was given out for publication. It gave the
names of eighteen persons who were saved.
This was but poor consolation to the
friends of the 200 or more people who are
known to have sailed away from this port
in the Colinia, and many of them lingered
about the Mail Company's office until late
at night.
General Manager Schwerin received a
telegram the night before in conjunction
with the list of the rescued, but he refused
to make known its contents, on the ground
that there was an error in it.
What the nature of the message held
back is can only be conjectured and it
would seem to augur ill for the passengers
who have not yet been heard from. All
sorts of rumors were afloat, but none of
them could be reduced to definite shape,
and when the office closed at midnight the
public was no wiser than in the morning.
The Associated Press telegraphed to all
its correspondents in Mazatlan, San Bias
and Manzanillo, and even to the survivors
of the wreck, but not a line was returned
from a soul. The loss of tne Colima is en
veloped in mystery and the fate of the
passengers is shrouded in doubt.
A telegram was sent by Manager
Rchwerin on Tuesday night to the steamer
Barracuta at Acapulco to go in search of
boats which may have put off from the
lost Colima. The San Juan is also in
search of the boats.
A LIST OF THE RESCUED.
All day yesterday the offices of the
Pacific Mail Company at the corner of
Market and First streets were besieged by
the friends and relatives of those on board
the Colima and the Mail dock was also
visited by crowds. At the latter place the
anxious inquirers were directed to the
office, where Messrs. Schwerin and Center,
Chief ClerK Wiggins and Passenger
Agent Avery were kept busy answering
questions. These gentlemen had little
consolation to offer, for the only piece* of
news which was given out during the day
was a list of those known to be saved. The
list read as follows:
Cabin passengers:
COKHIKG.
A. J. Sutherland.
Doi&sgo Albano.
Sarabia.
Ruiz.
■ Thornton.
Steerage passengers:
H. W. Boyd. •" ■ ">
T. J. Oriel.
• ' ii.D. Ross. ;
Balis.
Ramon.
L. L. Zangerie.
Crew:
ASM*. (Probably Third Officer Hansen.)
Carpenter.
Raymond.
Richardson.
MnRELL. ■.■;:.".' ■/:.'-',:
The full list of the officers and crew is as
follows:
THE OOLIMA'B CREW.
Captain John F. Taylor, Chief Officer D. E.
Griffiths, Purser William Wafer, Chief Engineer
CAPTAIN J. T. TAYLOB OF THE STEAMSHIP OOLIMA.
[From a photograph by Taber.]
John P. Ebberson, Surgeon W.T. Kirby, Freight
Clerk T. E. Berry, Second Officer George Lang
borne, Third OfficerO. Hansen, Carpenter John
Steen, Quartermasters Charles Haserstron, W.
Smith, M. Sussman, G. Morginson; Boatswain
G. Filmore.
Seamen— A. Carpenter, A. II an sen, A. Santa
Maria, J. Martin, — Sikman, g. E. Peterson,
Fred Johnson, S. S. Pavlotos, F. Fircell, Jose
Pequerof , Charles Monti, Messboy R. Gonzalez.
First Assistant Engineer Ed D. Riorden, Sec
ond Assistant Engineer H. Finley, Third As
■istant Engineer D. Tounnerig.
In charge of the ice engines— Jacob Render,
Thomas Gray.
Oilers— S. J. Dorgan, W. 11. Mahoney, W. J.
Ben wick.
Firemen— Andy O'Xeil, J. McCarthy, J. Han
non. J. Hackett, William McMurry, T. Daly,
Chris Sherlock, D. Daiy. Coal-passers— Archie
Dow, J. Kenny, Raymond Avilles, J. Lamb,
John l'unmau, F. McDonald, C. Rodengui,
The San Francisco Call.
Latest Information Obtainable in Regard to the Disaster.
Names of the Rescued.
John Boylan, Andy Rooney. Mess-boy— D.
Murphy.
Chief steward— William A. Smith; second
steward, William H. Tonton; steerage stew
ard, L. Kelson; stewardess, Miss Minnie
Thomas; storekeeper, A. K. Richardson;
baker, Ed Brett; second baker, Jose Arliv;
butcher, W. Wenluff; cook, J. Johnson; second
cook, John Weeks; third cook, William Swim;
messman, A. Hunter; porter, H. Callin; pan
tryman, Fidel Capatino.
Steerage watch— James Dinison and Charles
Pope.
Waiters— Frank G. Oliver, Alexander Thomp
son, Henry Hodges, Y. U. Frances, Charles
Schultz, C. A. Adams, William Wrin, George
Paulson, C. A. Chandler and M. 11. Rush.
R. P. Schwerin admitted having re
ceived another telegram, but refused to
make the contents known because he
feared that there was an error in the dis
patch.
"I will give out no news," said Mr.
Schwerin, "until I am absolutely sure that
it is authentic. At a time like this one
cannot be too sure of the information
given to the public."
To all who came to inquire nothing
further was given in the way of news.
The clerks said, though, that the office
■would be opened during the evening, and
that the company had telegraphed all
along the coast for news of the missing
steamer, but had received no answer.
A CRUEL RUMOR.
During the day a telegram was received
at the Merchants' Exchange saying that
the Colima had been lost and that 160
people had been drowned. The telegram
was published in the evening papers, and
the people who had their, friends on board
flocked back to' the office of the company
with extras in their hands and grief de
picted on their faces. At least 300 people
visited the office during the afternoon-, and
nearly every one turned away relieved to
find that the news was only a rumor.
"As soon as I heard of that telegram,"
said General Manager Schwerin of the Pa-
cine Mail Company, "I telegraphed to Sec
retary Lane of the campany. He sent back
an answer to the effect that it was sent out
by the New York Exchange on a rumor.
All the news which has been received in
New York has gone there from San Fran
cisco. We have wired to our agents at Mazat
lan, San Bias and Manzanillo to get all the
news possible, and to spare no expense in
doing so, and telegraph to us immediately.
Up to the present time we have received
no word from any place. John T. Wright
and Mr. Proll, two merchants of the City,
who have interests along the Mexican and
Central American coasts, have telegraphed
to their agents, and neither has received
any answer.
'"'lt is a most peculiar state of affairs.
There is no doubt that something has hap
pened to the Colima, but we are as much
SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1895.
Anxiety of Residents of This City Who Have Friends
on the Ill^Fated Vessel.
at pea regarding the nature of the trouble
as anybody else. Captain Pitts of the San
Juan no doubt had left Manzanillo on his
■way north when he picked up the boat
with the eighteen men in it. As soon as
he telegraphed to us I think he went right
out to look for other boats."
Mr. Schwerin was asked as to the con
tents of the dispatch he had received in
connection with the information as to the
names of those who were saved.
"I know that there is a mistake in that,"
he said, "which was made in the trans
mission of the message. I have wired back
to have it repeated, with all the particulars
which can be gathered up. That is what I
am waiting for."
THE LOST STEAMER COJLIMA.
[Sketched for the "Call" by Coulter.]
A telegram was received in the afternoon
from Captain H. L. Read by Secretary
Levison of the Board of Underwriters.
Read wa« sent to Mazatlan by the Under
writers to make a Rurvey of the wreck of
the bark Geor^iana. His dispatch stated
that the Colima was wrecked at Man
zanillo, 200 miles south of where he
was, and that there was urgent need
of the presence of some one in the inter
ests of the San Francisco Underwriters.
The. message said that Read was
ready to proceed to Manzanillo at once
and only awaited instructions. A driver
could be procured at Mazatlan, the mes
sage added.
A meeting of the underwriters was held
at once to act on Read's telegram, the re
sult of which was that it was decided to
wait to hear more direct news. Another
meeting will be called this morning.
The Colima was insured in the company
and with the steamer the underwriters
have nothing to do. The car*o, which is
valued at $95,778, is insured for $60,000, and
the insurance men are naturally anxious
over their risks. In the cargo which left
here there were only between $10,000 and
$15,000 worth of bullion, but it is thought
considerable more was picked up at Mazat
lan, which is the shipping point from Mex
ico to Europe.
Manager Schwerin was seen again last
evening with regard to the dispatch from
Captain Read.
"I do not place much stock in it," he
said. "Read cannot possibly learn more
about the accident than we can, and he is
dispatching at random. He wants a job,
I think, that is all. If he were to be em
ployed by the underwriters he would re
ceive $15 a day and his expenses, and I
presume he would make the job last as
long as possible."
A SEARCH FOB A BON.
In the crowd that called at the Mail
dock only three were of the gentler sex.
One of them was Mrs. Renwick, mother of
one of the oilers on the steamer. From
the wharf the poor woman was directed to
the office, but at the latter place little
more comfort was given her.
"He is all I have in the world," she said
to a group of reporters, "and I should like
to hear something of him."
Mrs. Renwick was told of the dispatch
which had been received from Captain
Read and it Beemed to comfort her a
little, and as she turned away from the
office she said: "Well, to-morrow will
probably bring us all the news."
Two young colored girls also appeared at
the Mail dock. They were the daughters
of Chief Steward Smith, one of the oldest
stewards in the employ of the Pacific Mail.
"Is my papa drowned?" asked the elder
girl, the tears streaming from her eyes.
"We cannot tell anything about the
Colima down here," said Captain Ander
son, to whom the question was addressed.
"We have not yet received any authentic
information. We will probably know all
about it to-morrow, but you had better go
to the office."
Captain Cashing was one of the callers
at the Mail company's office. Two of his
sons were passengers on the Colima, and
among the list of tnose who were saved was
the name of Cushing.
"I think that must mean both of my
boys," said the old gentleman. "They
went away together, and I think that one
woula not go into the boat without the
other." There was no one there to help
him out in his surmise, and he went away
to wait for more news.
A MOTHER MISSING.
Two young ladies went down to the of
fice in the afternoon to ascertain if there
was any news of their mother. The latter
was Mrs. E. C. Brainard, who went away
in the Colima as governess to the three
children of Mrs. L. R. Brewer. There was
no more information for them than for
any one cisc and all the comfort that could
be given to them was the uncertainty of
hope.
Among the passengers were E. J.
Roberts and wife of San Diego. Mr.
Roberts is a retired capitalist, who waß
formerly in Utica, N. Y. He married
Miss Clara Henley, the daughter of Police
Justice Henley of Sacramento, about ten
years ago and had been in San Diego for
the past five years.
V. W. Monti was another caller at the
[ail Company's office. He is an Italian
merchant of this City, and his brother
CharJes was one of the crew of the Colima.
He had been a captain in Italy, but being
unable td find a suitable occupation in San
Francisco he had shipped before the mast
on the steamer's last trip. Among other
visitors at the office were two lady friends
of the wife of Second Steward Ivinton. An
old man named Irving went down to learn
if the stories in the evening papers were
true. His daughter was a passenger on
the ill-fated steamer.
OLD-TIME OKFICERB.
Captain John T. Taylor of the missing
steamer entered the employ of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company over twenty
years ago. In fact, his name appears as
chief officer on the company's boo' s more
than two decades ago. He worked his way
up in the service until he was made cap
tain about four years ago. He stands very
WILLIAM. JULIA. LYDIA. ROSE.
THE CHILDREN OF PROFESSOR HAROLD WHITING, REPORTED
LOST ON THE OOLIMA.
[From a photograph by Webster, Oakland.]
high with his employers, being considered
a very efficient officer. He has a wife in
this City.
D. E. Criffiths, first officer of the Colima,
is another old-timer in the service. It is
many years since he made his first voyage
on this coast, but in the interim he was in
command of the Honduras when she was
lost on Lcmpa Shoal, off the coast of Sal
vador, and was afterward in the Brazilian
William Wafer, Purser of the Colima.
[JFVim o photograph by Taber.]
mail line. He returned to the Mail Com
pany about four years ago.
George Langhorne, the second officer, is
well known in this port, and is a very pop
ular fellow and a splendid officer. He has
only been in the service a few years, hav
ing at one time been in command of the
Bteamer Arago, plying between this City
and Coos Bay.
William Water, parser of the steamer.
is the oldest continuous officer in the line,
having been there steadily for over twenty
years. He is one of the most courteous
and competent men in the business. He
is married and has two daughters.
William A. Smith is the oldest steward
in the service. He has made 110 trips in
the Colima, this last voyage being the
129 th of that vessel. Harry Tainton, the
second steward, is very well and favorably
known on the coast, having been for
many years in the employ of the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company.
PROFESSOR WHITING'S CAREER.
Among the others who are said to be
lost, and the report of whose death has
caused a gloom of sadness to be cast over
Berkeley, were Professor Harold Whiting,
his wife and four children— William, 9
years of age; Rose, 6; Julia, 3, and baby
Lydia, 1 year and 10 months old.
Professor Whiting was born in Roxbury,
Mass., in 1855, where he received his pre
liminary education. Upon the com
pletion of his high school course
the family moved to Cambridge,
where he attended college, receiving
the degree of A.B. at Harvard in 77, gradu
ating in the same class with Professor Irv
ing Stringham, head of the department of
mathematics at the University of Califor
nia.
Boon after his graduation he was made
an instructor in the department of physics
at Harvard, which position he held for
only a short time, and received the degree
Ph.B. in '84, for the successful completion
of advanced work.
At the death of his father, about the
time of his graduating from college, he
fell heir to a large estate, which has been a
source of a considerable income to him.
In order to tit himself more thoroughly
for his chosen work, that of a professor of
physics, he went to Germany soon after
the death of his father and studied for a
year. After his return he was married in
Boston to a Miss Dana, who was 34 years
of age at the time of her death.
In 1392 he was called to the University
of California to accept the chair of assist
ant professor in the department of
physics, and was advanced to the position
of associate professor in '93, which
position he held until the close of last
semester, May 15.
His parents are dead, but he has a sister
and brother living at Plymouth, where a
large part of his estate is situated.
The family were bound for Cambridge,
Mass., where the professor proposed to de
vote his time to the publication of works
on physics. With that end in view he re
signed his position at the State University.
He wrote several works on physics, some
of which are now in use in certain of the
high schools of the State.
The nursemaid, Mrs. Helen Miller, who
accompanied them on the steamer, leaves
an only child in San Francisco.
JCBT OFF THE DRYDOCK.
The steamer Colima was built at Chester,
Pa., in 1873, and was brought to this coast in
1874 by Captain Griffith, arriving here on
February 15. In the same year she broke
her propeller at Cerros Island, off the coast
of Lower California. She was in command
of Captain Hudson at the time and was
towed to this City by the Arizona, Captain
Van Sice. She sailed for Australia in Sep
tember, 1875. On the trip across the ocean
she broke her crankshaft and lay in Sydney
until March, 1876. when she sailed with
passengers to connect with the steamer
Granada at Kandava, Fiji islands. At that
port she collided with the Granada, nearly
sinking her. From Kandava she went to
the New Zealand coast, returning to San
Francisco later in the year. Her latest
mishap was a collision with the Granada,
since which time she has been considered
a very lucky ship.
"The Colima came off the drydock just
before she sailed," said United States In
spector of Hulls Talbot yesterday. "She
had a new propeller put in ncr and an in
spection was made of her machinery,
which showed it to be in perfect order.
"1 have heard it rumored that the vessel
was 9unk by an accident to the machinery,
but at the Pacific Mail office they have not
received confirmation of the report. There
is one way in which the machinery might
have been responsible for the accident.
The connecting rod may have broken near
the cross-head, dropped down into the
crank pin and been driven through the
bottom of the ship. The steamer was well
equipped with boats. She had four life
boats, 25 feet in length, each capable of
holding 45 people ; two 23- foot boats, two
21-foot boats and one 17 feet in length, be
sides two life rafts."
SEATTLE PASSENG-EBS.
Chllberg and Sutherland Left the City
on the Sound for Central
America.
SEATTLE, Wash., May 29.— Edward
Chilberg and A. J. Sutherland, the two
Seattle passengers aboard the Colima
when she foundered, left this city May 13
on the steamer Umatilla and took passage
on the Colima at San Francisco.
Sutherland is a carpenter and had re
sided in this city for some years. The day
before the Umatilla sailed, as a result of a
conversation with Chilberg concerning
Central America, he decided to go there
and locate. Chilberg, who has not been
accounted for, has made two previous trips
to Central America for the purpose of
establishing trade between that country
and Puget Sound. He intended to take
charge of a mixed cargo which had been
shipped on the barkentine Eureka. Chil
berg is but 28 years old and leaves a wife.
Chilberg's death means a loss to the com
merce of Puget Sound. He was on his way
to complete arrangements for establishing
a line of vessels between here and Central
America. He had secured valuable con
cessions from the Guatemalan Government
which greatly favored a scheme he had on
hand to establish a number of large flour
ing mills there and ship in wheat from the
United States to manufacture flour, thus
saving the heavy duty on flour.
The Guatemalan Government gives Chil
berg credit for inducing leading capitalists
there to introduce electric street cars to re
place the mule cars. The last Seattle man
to see Chilberg was L. H. Griffith, who
came up from Central America on the
Colima and who shook hands with him in
San Francisco.
THEY AEE HOPEFUL.
Officials of the Company In New York
Know Little About the
Wreck.
NEW YORK, N. V., May 29.— The offi
cials of the Pacific Mail Steamship com
pany here know little about the loss of
the Colima beyond what is contained in
the press dispatches. They have no exact
knowledge of the cause of the disaster or
the number of lives lost. At the office of
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, in
Chief Steward William A. Smith.
the Mills building, the officials sat around
a long table in moody silence this after
noon awaiting the receipt of further and
more explicit information concerning the
disaster. As this did not come the offices
were closed at 6 o'clock. The officers of
the company were of the opinion that the
loss of life was not so great as had been
reported. More definite particulars of the
accident are expected to-morrow morning.
A diligent search was made in the New
York and Brooklyn directories, but none
of the persons named as passengers for
New York could be found in them. In the
absence of inquiries as to their safety the
steamship officials thought that none of
the persons supposed to be lost were from
the city of Brooklyn. Secretary \V. H.
Lane of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany, before closing the office, made the
following statement: "We have received
no details of the disaster. The newspapers
contain a more complete story of the acci
dent than we have. In the dispatch from
San Francisco no mention is made of the
number of lives supposed to have been
lost, but as the Colima was well supplied
with boats I am almost certain that other
boats will turn up.
"The sea in the vicinity of Manzanilla at
this season of the year should be calm, and
if one lifeboat got safely to shore others I
think will also reach land or passing craft
in safety.
MAP SHOWING THE OUTLINE OF THE COAST NEAR WHICH THE
COLIMA WAS WRECKED.
•'Nothing is known by officials of the com
pany in this city about the passengers.
They were all booked at San Francisco,
and beyond their destination we at this end
of the line know absolutely nothing about
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
them. In the absence of definite informa
tion I am unable to explain the accident,
but I imagine that it must have been caused
by the machinery breaking down."
SUEVIVED THE WEECK.
T. J. Oriel, a Resident of Stockton, "W»»
on Board the 111-Fat.-. 1
Colima.
STOCKTON, Cal., May 29.— T. J. Oriel,
one of the survivors of the wreck of the
Pacific Mail steamer Colima, resided here
seven years, and left this city a short time
ago to engage in coffee-planting in Central
America. He was a member of Company
A of this city and was one of the soldiers
called out during the railroad strike last
summer. He has relatives here and many
friends among the young men.
SAN BERNARDINO'S LOST,
William Alder and W. H. Bryan Wer«
Well-Known Residents of
Redlands.
SAN BERNARDINO, Cal., May 29.—
Among the passengers who were probably
Harold Whiting.
lost on the steamship Colima are William
Alder and W. H. Bryan of Redlands. Mr.
Alder is a member of the firm of Alder
Bros., undertakers, aged 26, and took a
sea trip to New York for the benefit of his
health. He is a prominent member of the
Masonic fraternity. Bryan has just com
pleted his apprenticeship in the printers'
craft and had gone to San Francisco on a
pleasure trip, with no intention of pro
ceeding further. He and Mr. Alder were
old friends, and the latter induced young
Bryan to become his companion on the
trip to the Isthmus. Bryan is an only
child.
ROMANCE OF SAN JOSE
Vows of a Contract Marriage
Severed by a Decree of
Divorce.
S. A. Beggs and His San Francisco
Bride Had Agreed to Always
Live Apart.
SAN JOSE, Cal., May 29.— The divorce
suit of S. A. Beggs against Etta M. Knowl
ton-Begg^jof San Francisco came up before
Judge Reynolds this afternoon, and a de
cree was entered for the plaintiff, the de
fendant defaulting. Etta M. Knowlton is
a daughter of Professor Knowlton of San
Francisco. A year ago she spent the sum
mer in the vicinity of Alma. While there
she became acquainted with Beggs, and
before she returned home they had en
tered into a contract marriage. A queer
stipulation in the contract was that they
should never live together.
In granting the divorce Judge Reynolds
censured the parties for bringing such a
matter into court, and declared the con
tract null and void. G. Knight White of
San Francisco represented the defendant.
Memorial Hay Services.
SAN JOSA, Cal., May 29.—Exten
sive preparations are being made for the
observance of Memorial day in this city.
In the morning squads from the several
Grand Army Posts and delegations from
the schools will visit the cemeteries and
decorate the graves. In the afternoon a
monument in St. James Park will be
decorated and exercises held there. At
night memorial exercises will be held in
the theater. The programme will consist
of speaking and literary exercises.
To Broaden the yarrow Gauge.
SAN JOSE, Cal., May 29.— The Los
Gatos Board of Trade is taking steps to
secure the laying of a third rail on the
narrow gauge from Campbell to LosGatos,
so that east-bound shipments can be
loaded direct on broad-gauge cars. A
committee has been appointed to confer
with Southern Pacific officials in regard to
matter.