The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 15, 1896, Page 1

VOLUME LXXX.—NO 45 RAN ASHORE | N FOG, The Pacific Mail Steamer Colombia Strikes Near Pescadero. PASSENGERS BROUGHT TO THIS CITY. The Vessel Is Fast Upon a Sub- merged Rock and May Be Saved. COCLNESS SHOWN BY THOSE ON BOARD. The Disaster Believed to Have Been Caused by the Mistaking of Signals. PESCADERO, CaL, July . 14—The steamer Colombis of the Pacific Mail line went ashore near Pigeon Point at 8 o’clock this morning. She was on her way from Panama, via Acapulco, for San Franciseo, and had a full load of New York mer- chandise ana coffee and sixty-two passen- rs aboard. All went well until Cypress Point was reached, and then the fog began to settle | down. Crossing Monterey Bay it lifted a little, but settled down heavier than ever during the early hours of this morning. No one thought of danger and the passen- gers enjoyed a sound night’s rest. 1t was different with Captain Clark and his officers, however. They were all on watch throughout the night and the en- tire crew was on deck. At 8A. M. it was impossible to see twenty yards ahead and Captain Clark was in a quandary. Many | of the passengers came on deck, but the fog soon chilled them and they returned to their scaterooms. Just as the breakfast bell was ringing there was a scraping along the keel that set everybody’s nerves on the tingle and a few seconds later the Co- lombia struck heavily on a partly sub- merged rock. She was hard and fast on the rock and, although kedges were put out and the en- gines worked to their full capacity, she would not budge. Some little alarm broke out among the passengers when it was discovered that one of the forward compariments was filled with water. Then an attempt) was made to lower the boats, but as the surf was breaking over the jagzed rocks and against the cliffs in a continuous streak of foam it was decided that it would be dangerous, Pigeon Point Lighthouse Near Which the Steamship Colombia Went Ashore Yesterday. PRICE FIVE CENTS The Pacific Mail Steamship Vessel Will Be a Total Loss. Company’s Steamer Colombia Went Ashore on Pigeon Point in a Dense Fog at 8 A. Without a Moment’s Warning and the Sixty-two Cabin and Steerage Passengers Were Panic-Stricken. 1 obtained until the arrival of the Pescadero | stage, after 5 o’clock this evening, as there is neither telephone nor telegraph connec- tion direct between Santa Cruz and Pes- cadero. Mr. Harvey, proprietor and driver of the | stage, brought all the information obtain- able from some of the salors who had come ashore before he left. The steamer | was resting easily, but there was no hope | of getting it off, as it had struck hard and | its bottom was badly punctured in several | places. It went onto the rocks under a | full head of sieam, and with such speed | and force that it is likely to stay there | until it goes to pieces. | There weré eighty passengers aboard | when Harvey left, but their lives were in no apparent danger, as taey could be eas- ily sent ashore. Harvey was informed that the Colombia kad $500,000 in specie aboard. He believed from his own obser- vations and from the talk ke had with the sailors that the chances were good for saving everything except the steamer | jtself, and even the vessel might be | brought off with the assistance of the tugs called from San Francisco and a favorable tide, but that was not probable. | The coast in the region of Pescadero is rough, but when following the current and obeying the signals on New Years so everybody stayed by the ship, The skipper finally made the passengers under- stand that there was really no danger and persuaded some of them to go down- stairs and take breakfast. The majority, however, had no heart to try to eat, and wandered around the deck watching the shore in the vain hope of seeing some avenue of escape. The Colombia struck fairly on the rocks u_nd had she not been supplied with water- tight compartments'would have undoubt- edly gone down in a short time, and nearly all on board would have perished. To- morrow morning will witness a busy scene under the lighthouse, as word has just arrived that there are at least a dozen tues and steam schooners on their way to Tescue the disabled vessel. The opinion here is that the Mail Company will be lucky if it saves the cargo alone. — MISTOOK THE SIGNALS. The Captain of the Colombia Steered Straight to the Hocks. SANTA CRUZ, CaL, July 14—The news of the going ashore of the steamer Colom- bia on the rocks at Pigeon Point, off Pes- cadero, was first received here by wire irom» San Francisco this morning. No definite or detailed information could be Point and Pigeon Point ships are in no danger in passing that bit of coast and heading for the Golden Gate. There is a semi-circular bay lying between the two points, and the signal on New Years Point, if 1t had been heeded or not mis- understood, would have kept the Colom- bia directly on its easterly course until it should stand off Pigeon Point, where a signal would have directed it into the car- rent that leads direct to the Golden Gate. But the captain of the Colombia evi- dently mistook the signal on New Years Point, for upon passing that point he steered to the north and headed directly for the rocks lying in the upper edge of the bay and just below and west of Pigeon Point. Had he passed Pigeon Point snd then steered northward he would have swung into the current and been safe on his way to San Francisco. —_—— HOW SHE STRUCK. News at an Early Hour This Morning Tells Further Details of the Misfortune. PESCADERO, CaL., July 15, 2 A. M.— The steamship lies hard and fast. : She first touched on her port bow with a slight shock and shd further upon the reel, rising and falling on the swell, and finally became stationary with the for- ward half of hull aground. Purser Harnette and C. B. Lastrato, a passenger, went ashore, first going to the light and then working their way to Pes- cadero, seven miles up the coast, whence telezrams were sent to San Francisco. In response to the dispatches the tugs Fearless and Reliance arrived at about 3 in, the afternoon, and took all the cabin and steerage passengers off the steamer and started for San Francisco. There was no confusion, and the boats were made ready for lowering. Aiter a few minuotes the officers succeeded in quieting the fears of the lady passeagers and everybody quietly awaited the com- ing of the tugs. o The Colombia was going ata slow speed, and when she struck was headed directly in shore, showing that Captain Clark, who was on the bridge, had lost bis bearings and was steaming wildly through the dense fog. He did not locate the Pigeon Point fog- horn that was a quarter of a mile north- ward of him, nor the breakers on the beach sixty feet abead. The vessel passed Ano Nuevo Island, which is about seven miles soath of Pigeon Point, a little after 7 o’clock this morning. It bas a foghorn which was heard dis- tinctly on board. The breeze was light, with a moderate sea, but the fog had settled thickly down on the ocean. Captain Clark on the bridge kept listen- ing for the Pigeon Point horn, which he kney should sound on kis port bow. As far as can be learned he mistook the Ano Nuevo sig.:af for that of Pigeon Point,, and thinking he had passed the last piace changed his course more to the east directly for San Francisco. This threw him in shore, and the inev- itable result was the wrecking of his vessel. S g THE PASSENGERSY STORIES. What Those on Board Knew of the Disaster. As soon as the lights of the Active ap- peared off the heads Captain Bullock of the revenue cutter at Meiggs wharf took a CaLL representative and Representative Wills of the Kimball Steamship Company aboard. Captain Marshall of the Active said he was sent out by Mr. Hawkins of the Mail Dock to get the passengers, mail, baggage and bullion from the Colombia. He reached the steamer about 8 o’clock in the evening and took on board of the Active all that he was ordered—pas- sengers, mail, bullion and baggage. “The Colombia,” said he, ‘‘was balanc- ing on her forward compartments which were resting on the ledge of rock; the rest of her was floating in the water.” G. H. Rainey, one of the passengers from 8an Jose, Guatemala, said that the fog was so thick it was impossible to see the prow of the vessel. “I had just stepped out of the social- hall when the vessel struck,” he said. *There was a very slight shock. -I heard the bell to reverse the engine shortly be- fore the shock, so the captain evidently saw the danger, but too late. A *“The passengers were not frightened at all. The boats were let down and every- thing was put in readiness for getting the people ashore. The vessel grounded about 8o'clock in the morning, and we waited there until the Active came in the evening about 6 o’clock.” . J. C. Quinn from Guatemala, whose resi- | dence is in Honolulu, had perhaps a bet- ter opportanity of observing the circum- stances connected with the disaster than any of the passengers aboard. At the time the vessel grounded he was standing | under the captain’s bridge. “The fog was very thick,” said he; “in fact, thicker than I have ever seen it in these waters. I could hear fog horns, 1t seemed to me there were two of them, one on the right and’ one on the left. The fozbank on the left evi- dently echoed the foghorn on Pigeon Point. This, [ believe, deceived the cap- tain. He believed the whistle on the left, or toward the open, to be asteamer and shifted the heim a few points toward the land. These few points were safficient to run the vessel on the reef. I myself was positive a vessel was approaching from seaward, and expected a collision, “Immediately before we struck the captain saw danger ahead, although I was unable to see anything what- ever. He rang for reversed engines, but the bell had scarcely sounded fore the vessel came to a stand- still. There was an almost’ imiperceptible Continued on Fifth Page. M, FAURE IS IRED UPON, Two Shots Taken at the Popular President of France. INTENSE EXCITEMENT IN PARIS. Gendarmes Protect the Culpfit From the Infuriated Populace. HE ONLY SOUGHT TO ATTRACT ATTENTION. Weapon Loaded With Blank Cartridges and Prisoner Thought to Be Insane. PARIS, Fraxce, July 14—What is claimed in some quarters as an attempt to assassinate President Faure was made at 2:50 o’clock this afternoon at the parade ground at Longchamps. The day was the one hundred and seventh anniversary of the Fail of the Bastile and was celebrated in the usual manner, including a review of the troops at Longchamps, which drew a very large concourse of people. Among those present were some members of the M. No Loss of Life Cabinet and the Honorable Military Com- pany, who were yesterday elected honor- ary members of the Cercle Militaire. President Faure, accompanied by Prime Minister Meline, General Le Mouton de Boissedefre, chief of staff of the army, and General Tournier, chief of the President’s military household, left the palace of the Elysee in an open carriage and drove to Longchamps, it having been arranged that the President should review the troops. As the carriage passed through the Porie du Moulin entrance to the parade grounds it was surrounded by troops, who were to escort M. Faure to the stand. Before the vehicle had proeeeded far a tall, fair and well-dressed man of about 30 years of age stepped slightly in advance of the crowd and drew a revolver, which some eyewit- nesses declare he discharged pointblank at the President. Immediately there was a scene of the greatest excitement, and it would have gohe hard with the man had he not at once been seized by the gendarmes who were standing by. He was conducted.to the temporary police quarters that had been established within the grounds. The man resisted arrest, declaring that he had done nothing to cause his being taken into custody. He claimed he had not fired the revolver with any intention of injuring the President, and that in fact the weapon had only been loaded with blank cartridges. 'Those who stood close by when the President entered the grounds declare that two shots were fired. An examination of the revolver made by the police appears to bear out the pris- oner’s statement that blank cartridges were used, for in four of the chambers cartridges with no bullets were found. Attempts at the police station to learn anything further from the prisoner were of no avail. He stated that his name was Francois, and refused to say anything fur- ther. The prisoner appeared to be in- sane. News of the affair spread like wildfire and the most exaggerated reporty gained credence. The crowd of spectators surged toward the prisoner’s cage, and the troops had a difficult task in keeping the excited people back.. It took only a little time, however, to have it known that M. Faure N ‘ B NSRS Y & IIf il 4 7% Ll K PRESIDENT FELIX FAURE OF FRANCE. . While on the way to veview the French troops who marched at Paris on the anniversary of the Bastile’s fall, the chief emecutive of the republic was fired upon: His assailant, a démentéd man, escaped death at the hands of & mad- dened populave. 1t was found that the imbeoile’s pistol was loaded with blank cariridges. Yesterday. Occurred but It Is Feared the The Disaster Occurred was unharmed, whereupon cheered again and again. M. Faare appeared entirely unmoved by the incident. He paid no attention to the shot and calmly conversed with his com- panions in the carriage until the shouts and cheers of the multitude drowned his voite. Then directing his coachman to proceed, the ecarriage which had been temporarily stopped went on to the stand where the President reviewed the troops, after which he was driven back to the palace. The police informed a reporter of La Presse that Francois is the same lunatic who recently threw a bundle of petitions from the gallery of the Chamber of Depu- ties into the body of the house, thereby causing a semi-panic among the members who imagined that the bundle was a bomb. Late this afternoon Francois was ex- ‘amined by Prefect La Pine. He was then more communicative, and told the Prefect that in discharging the revolver he merely wisned to attractattention. He reiterated his statement that he had no wish to in- jure anybody. Francois was formerly employed as a street surveyor by the Municipal Council of Paris, but was discharged owing to his presumed anarchistic tendencies. The special offense which led to his discharge was the publication of revolutionary verses. He lives at 46 Rue Clery. His residence was searched by the police, but nothing of a suspicious nature was found. The officials believe that he is insane. During the commotion which followed the firing a reputed anarchist named Bou- lant was arrested for saying: “That’s the sort of fellow for me. He has done the proper thing.” This approval of outrage is a penal offense under M. Dupuy’s anti-anarchistic laws, and Boulant stands a good chance of spending a few of the coming years in prison. The feeling of the crowa at the review- ing grounds was illustrated by its treat- ment of a waiter of the cafe at the Grande Cascade. In some way this man was mistaken by the crowd for Francois and a savage at- tack was made upon him. One of his eyes was torn from its socket and he was almost lynched before the police were able to rescue him. The news of the shooting had preceded the President to the city and he was recognized on the streets through which he passed on the return with cheers and congratulations. This evening the diplomats and a large number of prominent men clled at the Palace of the Elysee and congratulated M. Faure. Séveral sovereigns sent tele- graphic messages of congratulation. Throughout the whole episode M. Faure was perfectly calm and unaffected. Both at the reviewing ground and on his return to the city he received an ovation and was greeted with hearty cheers of ‘‘Long live the President of the republic.” The affair calls to'mind the fact that a similar assault was made upon the late President, M. Sadi-Carnot, in the avenue du Marigny in 1893. Many persons believe the story of the prisoner, whose full name is Eugene Maria Francois, that he had no intention of harming the President. A search was made at Longchamps for a builet dis- charged from the revolver, but not a sign of 1t could be fonnd. It is evident from the facts learned that M. Faure could not have been in any great danger, even if Francois had used bali cartridges. Francois stood behind the troops, who lined the wide road, and at the time the shot was fired the horses drawing the President's carriage were trotting fast. The carrlage was surrounded -by a cay- alry escort, who raised a cloud of dust which almost obscured the carriage ana its occupants from view. Had ball car- tridge been used it is probable that one of the cavalrymen instead of the President would have been shot. The incident did not check the fetes which which were in progress in the city and suburbs in hounor of the day. The heat@uring the afternoon was in- tense and the troops suifered severely. A large number of them were sunstruck. The ambalances on the field were full of patients, and all the army physicians present had their hands full. The heat was so great that some of the members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com- pany preferred to remain quiet at their hotels. v Many distinguished persons who were expected to attend the review were vented by the heat from being present. the crowd SPERNTE DEMOCRATS Their Efforts to Capture the Populist Con- vention. ITS APPROBATION MUST BE SECURED. Without It Their Party Will Surely Be Irretrievably Ruined. BOSS ALTGELD'S SOCIALISTIC COMBINATION., If Bryan Is Recognized Most of the People’s Party Will Vote for McKinley. Horen LinpeLL, Sr. Louis, Mo., July 16. The eyes of the country are now focused upon 8t. Louis and will continue riveted there until the end of next week, when the question of the destruction or prosperity of the People’s Party will have been set- tled. The issue to be decided then is whether the tottering Democratic party shall be bolstered up by the People's to the ruin of both or whether the People’s Party shall stand forth before the Nation with clean hands and pure heart. The question now confronting the Democracy is one of life or death. If the Democratic candidate, with his mil- lionaire partner, shall receive the indorse- ment of the coming convention, the Democracy may be enabled to hobble along, even though defeated, crippled and in shame for the next four years, but if the good sense of the honest mass of the Populists shall prevail, then will die the party which since 1861 has been false to principle. The silver men, the socialists, the anarchists, the ex-Republicans, the greenbackers and the rest of the cranks who captured the Democratic organiza- tion at Chicago are using their greatest efforts. to secure the indorsement which they hope will save them from destruction. The coming convention will be one of the largest ever held in the history of this country. It willconsist of 1300 representa- tives of the party from every State and Territory in the Union—men who have leit the old parties because of what they consider to be corruption and bossism. They are men of partisan character, courageous enough to face the taunts and reproaches of their neighbors and ex- political associates, and it therefore can- not be expected that any great proportion of them are likely to be influenced by the ex-Republicans and silver Democrats who will urge upon them the apparent advan- tages to be derived from allowing their party to be -absorbed by the free-silver wing of the Democracy. With such a fate confronting it the sil- ver faction is desperate. It will stop short at no means, however improper, to attain its end. If arguments will not prevail silver and even gold will be used. Indeed the report is now current that persons in- terested in the free-coinage proposition and in the election of Orator Bryan and Capitalist Sewall have made up or are making up a large purse to be used whers it will do the most good in the coming convention. The necessity for a resort to bribery is apparent, when one reflects that the ster- ling Democracy throughout the country, through its leaders and newspapers, is de~ serting the Bryan-Sewall banner and re- fusing to countenance the methods and principles of such as Boss Altgeld and the anarchistic faction of which he is the leader. Noless than sixity-five of the lead- ing Democratic newspapers have repudi- ated the ticket put up at Chicago and more are falling into the ranks of the bolters every day. The following is the list of some of the more prominent of the Demo-~ cratic newspapers which have repudiated Populist Bryan and Capitalist Sewall: Anstin (Tex.) Statesman, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Post, Balti- more Sun, Baltimore News, Buffalo Cour- ier, Buffalo Inquirer, Brooklyn Eagle, Ben- nington (Vt.) Reformer, Chicago Chron- icle, Chicago Abend Post, Chicago Staats Zeitung, Charleston (W. Va.) News, Chat- tanooga Times, Dallas (Tex.) News, Dav- enport (Iowa) Democrat, Detroit Free Press, Elizabeth (N. J.) Herald, Easton (Pa,) Express, Fitchburg (Mass.) Mail, Galveston (Tex.) News, Holyoke (Mass.) Free Press, Jersey City Times, Key West (Fla.) Equator, Key West (Fla.) Democrat, Lacrosse (Wis.) Chronicle, Lewiston Sun, Lexington (Ky.) Herald, Louis- ville Courier-Journal, Louisville Times, Louisville Post, Louisville Anzeiger, Lowell (Mass.) Times, Manchester (N. H.) Union, Milwaukee Journal, Mobile Regis- ter, Machias (Me.) Union, New York Evening Post, New York Herald, New York Irish-American, New York World, New Orleans States, New York Staats- Zeitang, New York Sun, New York Times, Nashville (Tenn.) Banner, New Haven (Conn.) News, New Haven (Conn.) Register, Philadelphia Record, Philadel- phia Times, Providence (R. I.) Journal, Petersburg (Va.) Index-Appeal, Richmond (Va.) Times, Salem (Mass.) News, Sioux Falls (8. D.) Argus-Leader, St. Paul Globe, St. Louis Anzeiger, Springtield (Mass!) Republican, Syracuse Courier, Syracuse Herald, Sioux City (Iowa) Tribune, Troy (N. Y.) Press, Trenton (N. J.) Times, TUtica (N. Y.) Observer, Washington Post, Washington Times, Wilmington (Del.) Every Evening, Yonkers (N. Y.) Gazette, Hartford Times. The bolt becomes more appalling to the Populistic faction of the Democracy when the high standing and great influence of these newspapers and of their leaders and readers especially are iaken into conside- ration. An added impetus has been given to the 5 TrE CALL's Hz.«nql’unflu,}