The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 30, 1895, Page 1

VOLUME LXXVIL—-NO. 171. SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1895. PRICE FIVE CENTS. THE WRECK OF THE MAIL STEAMSHIP COLIMA. A whole day passed before the first news of the foundering of the Pacific Mail steamer Colima in mid-ocean was given to the public by the press, and not a single scrap of information reached here of the ill-starred vessel. All 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. Butnot a tick sounded over the tele- | graph wire which stretched from here to Mazatlan, San Blas 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 Colima, 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 therewas 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 Blas and Manzanillo, and even to the survivors of the wreck, but not a line was returned from a sonl. The loss of the Colima is en- veloped in mystery and the fate of the passengers is shrouded in doubt. A telegram was sent by Manager Bchwerin 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 Ban Juan is also in search of the boats. A LIST OF THE RESCUE All day yesterday the of Mail Company at the corner of nd First streets were besiezed by ces of the | 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. Nelson; stewardess, Miss Minnie | Thomas; storekeeper, A. K. Richardson; | baker, Ed Brett; second baker, Jose Arliy; | | 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. 5 | Waiters—Frank G. Oliver, Alexander Thomp- |.son, Henry Hodges, Y. C. Frances, Charles William Wrin, George | | Schultz, C. A. Adams, i Paulson, C. A. Chandler and M. M. 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 atime like this one given to the public.” Anxiety of Residents of This City Who Have Friends : the Ill-Fated Vessel. on ‘ at sea 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. Assoon as he telegraphed to us I think he went right ut 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 cannot be too sure of the information | which can be gathered up. That is what I | ! am waiting for.” 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 eise 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 was 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 Mail Company’s office. Heis an Italian d relatives of those on board the ( 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 lation to offer, for the only piecé of | news which was given out during the day was a list of those known to be saved. The | list read as jollows: Cabin passengers: CusHING. Al THERLAND. Dorixco ALEANO. BARABIA. Ru1zZ. THORNTON. Steerage passengers: H. W. Boyp. T. J. OrreL. G. D. Ross. Saus. Ramox. L. L. ZANGERIE. (Probably Third Officer HANSEN.) TER. RaYMOND. | RICHARDSON. ! MoRELL. { The full list of the officers and crew is as follows: THE COLIMA'S CREW. Captain John F. Taylor, Chief Officer D. E. | Griffiths, Purser William Wafer, Chief Engineer d the Mail dock was also | THE LOST STEAMER COLIMA. [Sketched for.the *“Call” by Coulter.] To all who ceme 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 aiong 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 pubiished ‘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 bands and grief de- picted on their faces.” At least 300 peaple visited the office during the afternoon, and nearly every one turned away relieved to find that the news was only a rumar. “Assoon as I heard of that telegram,” said General Manager Schwerin of the Pa- CAPTAIN J. T. TAYLOR OF THE STEAMSHIP COLIMA. [From a photograph by Taber.] John P. Ebberson, Surgeon W.T. Kirby, Freight Clerk T. E. Berry, Second Officer George Lang- horne, Third Officer ©. Hansen, Carpenter John Bteen, Quartermasters Charles Haserstron, W. Smith, M. Sussman, G. Morginson; Boatswain G. Filmore. § Seamen—A. Carpenter, A. Hansen, A.Santa Meria, J. Martin, — Sikman, 8. E. Peterson, Fred Johnson, S. 8. Pavlotos, F. ¥ircell, Jose Pequerof, Charles Monti, Messboy R. Gonzalez. First Assistant Engineer Ed D. Riorden, Sec- ond Assistant Engineer H. Finley, Third As- sistant Engineer D. Tounnerig. In charge of the ice engines—Jacob Rehder, Thomas Gray. Oilers—S. J. Dorgan, W. H. Mahoney, W. J. Renwick. Firemen—Andy O'Neil, J. McCarthy, J. Han- non, J. Hackett, William McMurry, J. Daly, | Chris Sherlock, D. Daly. Coal-passers—Archie | Dow, J. Kenny, Raymond Avilles, J. Lamb, John Punman, F. McDonald, C. Rodengui, cific 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 Blas and Manzanillo to get all the news possible, and to spare no expense in doing so, and telegraph to us immediately. TUp 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, “It is a most peculiar state of affairs. There is no doubt that something has hap- pened to the Colima, but we are as much ‘ A telegram was received in the aiternoon from' Captain H. L. Read by Secretary Levison of the Board of Underwriters. Read was sent to Mazatlan by the Under- writers to make a survey. of the wreck of the bark Georgiana. 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 cargo, 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 upat 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 wantsa 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 BEARCH FOR 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 Iittle 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 bad been received from Captain Read and it seemed 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 Cushing 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 those 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 would 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 ascertaip if there was any news of their mother, The latter T e merchant of this City, and his brother Charles was one of the crew of the Colima. He had been a captain in Italy, but being unable to 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 storiesin the evening papers were true. His daughter was a passenger on the ill-fated steamer. OLD-TIME OFFICERS. 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. is the oldest continuous officer in the line, having been there steadily for over twenty years. Heis 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 12th 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 Iry- ing Stringham, head of the department of mathematics at the University of Califor- nia. Soon 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 fit himself more thoroughly for his chosen work, that of a professor of physics, he went to Germany soon after 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 meansa 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 neavy 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 Franeisco. THEY ARE HOPEFUL. Officials of the Company in New York Enow Little About the Wreck. NEW YORK, N. Y., May 20.—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 the death of his father and studied fora 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 1892 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 elose of iast 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 an 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. JUST OFF THE DEYDOCK. The steamer Colima was built at Chester, Pa., in 1873,and was brought to this coast in 1874 by Captain Griffith, arrivihg here on THE CHILDREN OF PROFESSOR HAROLD ‘WHITING, REPORTED LOST ON THE COLIMA. (From a photograph by Webster, Oaklard.} February 15. In the same year she broke LYDIA. ROSE. high with his employers, being eonsidered 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 Lempa Shoal, off the coast of Sal- vador, and was afterward in the Brazilian ‘William Wafer, Purser of the Colima. [From a 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 isa 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 steamer Arago, plying between' this City and Coos Bay. William Water, purser-of the steamer, 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 shebroke 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 vort 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 ner 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 sunk by an accidentto the machinery, but at the Pacific Mail office they have not received contirmation 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 P;ESSENGERS. Chilberg and Sutherland Left the City on the Sound for Central Ameriea. A\ 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 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 of the persons named as passengers for New York could be found inthem. 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 W. 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. 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. 103° The officers of | York and Brooklyn directories, but none | The newspapers | them. In the absence of definite informa- tion I am unable to explain the accident, but I imagine thatit must have been caused by the machinery breaking down.” SURVIVED THE WRECK, T.J. Oriel, a Resident of Stockton, Was on Board the Ill-Fated Colima. STOCKTON, Cavn., 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 Were Well-Enown Residents of . Redlands. SAN BERNARDINO, Carn.,, 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 8an Francisco on a pleasure trip, with no intention of pro- ceeding further. He and Mr. Alder were old friends, and the latter inducea 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 Hlis San Francisco Bride Had Agreed to Always Live Apart. SAN JOSE, CaL., May 29.—The divorce suitof S. A. Beggs against Etta M. Knowl- ton-Bezgsyof 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 sucha matter into court, and declared the con- tract null and void. G. Knight White of San Francisco represented the defendant. Memorial Day 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 wili 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 Narrow Gauge. SBAN JOSE, CAL., May 29.—The Los Gatos Board of Trade is taking steps to secure the laying of a third rail on the 04 MAP SHOWING THE OUTLINE OF THE COAST NEAR WHICH THE COLIMA WAS WRECKED. "Nothihg is known by officials of the com- SEATTLE, Wasg.,, May 29.—Edward Chilberg and A. J. Butherland, the: two Beattle passengers aboard the - Colima pany in this city about the passengers. They were all booked at San Francisco, ind beyond their destination weat this end when she foundered, left this city May 13| of the line know absolutely nothing about narrow gauge from Campbell to Los Gatos, so that east-bound shipments can be loaded direct on broad-gauge cars. A committee has been appointed to counfer wit{:“Sonth'om Pacific officials in regard to matter.