The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 1, 1901, Page 22

.000060006&000000‘0000000. - B Ps < +ee s oo¢0000’000?0¢'#09?§ the L|brary s 4#“##0400&%}#*0#06*2 Pages 21 t 34: R R R e e e e e e e e A A e tPaoes 2 10 34 + >4 e 3 + + p< ¢ + ® ° Oris 4444 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1. 1901—FORTY-EIGHT PAGES. SAN FRANCISCO, PRICE FIVE CENTS. LRYBOAT SAUSALITO PLOWS INTO AND GINKS i on the bay during the aiternoon and clung to the surface of the water all night. trusting to the life preservers. ~ ofN RAFAEL INBAY WATERG OFF ALGATRAL [oLAND PANIC, WITH LOSS OF LIFE, FOLLOWS COLLISION. OMEWHERE between the last jutting pier of the water front and Alcatraz [sland the Sausalito rode down the San Rafael early last night, crashlng into her starboard side. On the San Rafael was a crowd even larger than the ordinary Saturday night traffic afiords. £he was slowly stéaming toward San Rafael when out of the thick fog the Sausalito crashed into her starboard side. Men, women and children, terrcr-stricken, rushed for life preservers and in dire confusion sought every means of escape from dl‘owning. The San Rafael sank gradually, some fifteen minutes being consumed from the time of ths collision to the mecment when the waters closed over the ill-fated boat. How many were lost has only been roughly estimated, fcr the work of rescue went on rapidly and confusedly. The accident was due to the impenetrability of the fog that settled Both boats played their hoarse fog whistles incessantly. As the great gap filled up with water panic seized the passengers. f£o c'ose'the two boats remained that many jumped from one to the other. Some were picked up in the water, Others found salvation on the small lifeboat or a plank. The scene of confusion and terror is told be'low by those who came safely out of the wreck. All those who came back on the Sausalito did not bear whole skins. Some were wounded, others had legs broken in the struggle for selt pr%servatlon. In several of the hospitals | are men who were saved, but who are more or less ser:ously injured, l SCENE FROM THE DECK OF THE FERRY-BOAT SAN RAFAEL LAST NIGHT A MINUTE AFTER THE COLLISION IN THE DENSE FOG. Men Women and Children Are Rescued From the Water, While Cries of Drown- ing Ring Out Above the Din and Noise of Bells and Fog Whistles. N the thickiest, mushiest|have been lost is a matter of con- the the ferry-baat San Rafael | run down last night after 6 o’cloc that ever settled on|jecture. San at minutes n the San The fifteen minutes that Francisco Bay | elapsed from the first .crash as Sausalito. after the the bow of the Sausalito cut its way into the starboard side of the ill-fated San Rafael until the boat went down were given up to life- col- | saving. Until the roll of the liv- Rifael sanic in|ing is called the number of waters. How many lives | dead cannot be ascertained. The San Rafael was steaming northward - with about 250 pas- sengers on board. The hoarse fog whistles were blowing almost continuously. Out of the dark- ness and the impenetrable fog came the big, dark Sausalito on her return trip to this city. Both boats were under reduced steam, but so sudden was the meeting that no order given by captain or other officer could save the collision. Right above the pad- dle-box the bow of the Sausalito ground into the San Rafael. RUSH FOR PRESERVERS. Immediate panic laid hold of all. The captain’s orders rang out on the night air, but they were soon drowned by the wild cries ‘throats from sheer of the passengers. Terrified, their hearts jumping into their fear, mmen, women ‘and children made a mad rush toward the life-preservers. They did not wait to see that the life - preservers went around. Some enveloped themselves with them. As many as two and three were tied around the bodies of a single person. For a moment, even amid the clang of bells, the puffing of steam, the harsh, fear- engendering gasps of the fog- whistles, there was order on board the Satisalito. Some one man quicted the quaking crowd .on the upper deck and in plain view threw his aboard the San Rafael, life-preserver Like sheep the Sausalito passengers, crowding the rail, imitated his action. Then the thick fog cut in between the two boats and the panic became greater and greater as the darkness grew blacker and blacker. Down in the water could be heard the cry of chil- Continued on Page Thirty-Five.