The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-11-20
From The Detroit Free Press
Terrible Calamity!
warckOS fhE srEanEE SUPERIOR ON LAri

-
WRECK OF 4HE STEAMER SUPERIOR on LAKE
sUFERIoR !
By the arrival Of the propeller Gen. Tsy-
lor at this port from Lake Superior this NOR
ming, we ha We the intelligence OF the total
wreck ~i of the Superior, Of lhe Chicago &
Lake Superior line, of the Pictured Rocks,
and the loss Of thirty. five lives Below d
the statement, made by the mate Of the Su.
perior, Of the terrible calamity:
r STATEMENT OF THE MATE. rcLtt.7E
The steamer Superior left the Sault 81.
Mary's Canal att o'clock on the morning %
of the 29th OF October; wind from the
snuthward; weather being favorable. Passed
White Fish Point at IL A, M. At 3 O'Clock
p. M. wind canted round s. w. and blew
fresh. At5P. NJ, of Grand Marais, snow
SQUALLS, and wind blowing very heavy from
the s. w. I then told Capt. Jones we
would have TO run back. He msde the re.
ply, ave will wait and see how it is at six
o'clock" Wind still blowing heavy from
the s. w. At 10 O'Clock wind hauled
around N. W. blowing very heavy. AT II
! O'Clock made Grand Island light, bearing
abopt w. 8. W., distant about fifteen miles.
I Il was the intention of The Captain to rnn
4 under the lee of Grand Islsnd. ..,. p
/ At III O'Clock we carried away our rud4
der; sea heavy and making fast. She then
fell into the trough of the sea. We then
shipped our tiler, and tried our after wheelS
but found it would not work, At II o'clock
her smoke pipes blew away. The deck
load, consisting of -four, merchandise, thir1
ty-four head cattle and hogs, shifted to lee.
ward. We then commenced throwing over.
board the deck load. With considerable
difficulty, got part of the cattle and hogs
overboard through the gangway, and by cut.
ting away the bulwnrks. Wind and seq
increasing. At l2k begun to make water
t fast. Rugged the pumps, but could not get
+, her free. Water gaining fust. Engine Kept
at work until O'Clock, the water put out
t the fires.
4 Sea boarding her; clenred away the an
a chOrs, hove the lead, but found no soundings.
f Showing. Kept the lead going until we
Il got seven fathoms of Water. Made the land
Q under our lee close aboard We then let
go the small anchor; could not get the large
II anchor off her bows. The small anchor
would not hold her, when she Immediately
q struck forwark; her stern swung round, and
:. the next sea carried her broadside on the
!. rocks. After she struck, left the prome-
a nade deck and went on the upper deck
o Stood there q few minutes, aft Of the pilot
ID house; then went down again on the proin-
h enadc deck, where saw Capt. Jones for
= the last time. Then went through the
70 cabin. Saw no passengers in the cabin.
40 Went up on the hurricane deck again,
r. aft of the wheels; there found number of
. passengers and crew. then went down
H. on the main deck and stood in the gangway
q. on the lee side saw the large boat in the
water, with q number Of persons in in it
n. Cabin at this time cracking and peices fly
IN ing in every direction. / then jumped over.
q. bourd and made for the boat, and then got
". into it. The first engineer had hold OF the
q. gunwale Of the boat; hauled him in, and
-. also the watchman. Told the people in
70. the boat to get out their oars and pull into
he the lake, which they did. A sea struck her
n. and Slowed her bows in shore. The mex
III sea upset her.
m found that my feet touched the rocks
ITO After a good deal of exertion among thu
floating timbers, portions of the cabin
freight, &c, succeeded in getting foot
hold on the rocks.
Sc The place that myself and others gaine,
49, was formed by rocks that had fallen from
~ overhead, forming sort. of barrier. behin
'ti- which succeeded in getting. FounI SOM
five or six already ashore Within abou
,ve fifteen minutes the remainder of the survi
bly vors came ashore, making eighteen in all
rn. 1t was very. The place where we reache,
Nj was more than 20 feet in length by fee
new width of from l50 to 200 feet in height, tn
In seas sweeping at the base Of the rocks, O.
in either side of US, and the water dashiag u
will to the height of twenty feet.
eet With good deal of exertion he manage
ces to keep from freezing. At daylight h
of found that the boat was completely broke
the up, with the exception of the wheels, wssic
will we're held together by the shafts and col
low nections. They were distant from the roci
the about one hundred feet. About one.thil
and of the wheels were out of the water; o
Ich. which we saw eight persons, viz: Hem
all Wright, steward; Jefferson Warner, saloC
the keeper, Henry Barnes, second mate; Wn
sure Robinson, second clark; John Billinghurs
like passenger, of Ontonagon; George Davi
yest deck hand; and two men, supposed to
.ld's firemen, names not known. The SCI
For breaking over them, one after another the
ant. dropped off, aud by 8 O'Clock they were q
Jew washed away. We found the body of Cap
the JONES' and also the bodies of Mrs. Benne
and one daughter, otter daylight; theirs
qht. ing the only bodies washed ashore.
1ina attempts to make tire failed; one los
hild satisfied us that an attempt to escape W
ern. fruitless. We found the large boat throw
ock, ashore, stove in. We remained there fro
the the morning Of the S0th till the evening
8 in the 4lst, when we succeeded in repairi1
attle the boat, subsisting in the meantime c
is OF ruw cabbage and raisens, with now and tn
,don biscuit.
We took portion of the saved in {
boat and landed them on q sand beach abo
v. mile and half to the westward; then !
tho turned and got the remainder, and start
With. for Grand Island.
1h;t. The party landed on the beach and stal
ahle ed through the woods for Mr.. Powell
wav house, on the main land opposite the lslaI
,,.s distant about twelve miles.
oLad JOSEPH DAVIS
ho,t LIST OF SAVED. &
g Joseph Davis, 1st Mate, Stephen Coo
.ntl, han, lst Engineer, Augustus Kensee, c
WINS penter, James Barney, watchman, Terrar
cheJ Gunner, deck hand, Henry Glander, frem
he John Dolan, deck hand, Andrew Palm
,wed deck hand, David Corbit, deck hand, Char
sno, Ernst, porter, John Butcher, fireman, A.
.tahv Foster, Edwardsburgh, Cass CO., passen
six Hugh Shelby, Detroit passenger, s. z
Who norman, passenger, Geo. Piper, do, J
loodv Dennis, Buffalo, do. vs.