Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-11-20
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WRECK OF THE STEAMER ST.
PERIOR ON LAKE SUPERIOR.

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STATEMENT OF THE hate.
The Steamer Superior left the Saul St. MaTy,s
Canal at o'clock on the morning Of the 18th of
October, wind from the sonthward; weather "a
yorable. Passed White Fish Point at IL A. II
At 3 O'clock p. " wind canted around s. W.
and blew fresh. at p n, of Grand M;irais,
snow squalls, and wind blowing heavy from the
! s. W. then told Capt Jones we should have
70 run back. He made the reply, Z. viii wait
and see how itisat6 o'clock Windstiil blow
| ing heavy from the s W At ten O'CLOCK. wind
hauled around \. ", blowing very heavy At
! IL O'clock, made Grand Island light, bearing
about ". s. W :, distant about fifteen miles 1t
was the intention Of the Captain TO run under
the lee of Grand Island. S5
at ~ o'clock we carried Away our rtidder
!. sra heavy and making fast She then fell off
into the trough of the sea We then shipped
our tiller and tried our after-wheei but found il
would not work At 10 O'cloct. her siuoke.ripes
blew away. The deck load, consisting Of Hour,
merchandise, thirty -four head Of cattle and hogs,
shifted to eeward. wethen commenced throw.
( ing overheard the deck load. With considers
bic difficulty, got part Of the cattle and hogs
overheard through the gangway aud BY cutting
away the bulwafks- Wind and sea increasing
4 At l24 began to make water fast. Rugged the
pumps. but could not free her. Water gain
I ing fast Engine kept at work until O'clock
I when the water put out the fires Sea board
lead but found no soundingss kept the lead
agoing until we got seven fathous of water
| Made the land under our lee, close aboard Ne
then let go the small anchor; could not get the
large anchor off .her bows. The small anchor
would not hold her; when she Immediately
struck forward; her stern swung round and the
next sea carried her broadside on the rocks
After she struck. I left the prop,enade deck and
went on TO the upper deck. Stood there a few
minutes, aft the pilot house; then went down
again on the promenade deck, where / saw
I Capt. Jones for the .last time. Then went
through the cabin. Saw no passengers in the
fcabin. Went up on the hurricane deck again.
aft the wheels; there found a number Of the
passengers and crew. then went dewnion the
main deck and stood in the gaIg,rays on the lee
side; saw the large boat in the water with a
number Of persons in it Cabin at this time
cracking and pieces flying in every direction.
| then jumped overheard and made for the boat.
and got init The first engineer had hold Of
the gunwale of the boat; hauled him in, and also
the watctnnap. Told the people in the boat to
get out thejr oars and pull into the Lake which
they did a sea struck her aud slowed her
bows on shore. The next sea upset her.
found that my feet touched the rocks
After good deal of excrtion among the floating
timbers, portions of the cabin, freight DC. i
succeeded in getting a foothold upon the rocks
The place that myself and others gained was
formed by rocks that had fallen from overhead.
forming sort OF barrier, behind which j sue
cecdcd IN getting. Found some five or six al
ready ashore. Within abont fifteen minutes the
remainder of the survivors came ashore. making
eighteen in all. 1t was yery dark. The place
where we reached was not more than 90 feet in
lengthlby 5 feet in width, at the foot of per-
pcndieular rocks Of the height of from 100 to
200 feet, the seas sweeping at the base of the
rocks, on either side OF us and the water dash
ing up 70 the height of 30 feet
If With n ond deal nf sa,-srfian VIZ,
keep from freezing. AT daylight We found TINT
the boat Was completely broken up, with the
exception of the wheels, which were held to-
gether by the shafts and connections They
were distant from the rocks about, 100 feet
About one-third of the wheels were out of the
water on which we saw eight persons, viz
Henry Wright, steward; Jefferson Warner sa-
loon keeper Henry Barnes, second matc VIM
Robinson, second clerk; John Biinghurst, pas
lsengers, of ontonagol tieo. Davis, deck hand;
and two men, supposed to be firemen (namcs
not known. .lae
The seas breaking over them one after anoti
or they dropped oil, and by nine o'clock they
were all washed away. We found the body of
| Capt. Jones, and also the bodies of Mr. Bennett
and one daughter, after daylight; theirs being
the only bodies washed ashore! All attempts 70
attempt to escape was fruitless We found the
large boat thrown ashore, stove in We re-
manned there from the morning of the 3Othito
the evening of the 3lst, when we succeeded in
repairing the boat, subsisting in the. meantime
on raw cabbage and raisins, with now and then
We took portion Of the saved in. the boat,
and landed them on a sand beech, about mile
and half to the westward; then returned and
got the remainder, and started for Grand
Island
Theparty landed on the beech started through
the woods for Mr.. Poweil's house on the main
land opposite the Island; distance about twelve
miles JosIPn DAVIS.
The Lake Superior journal states that the
number saved is l6, and it is csrtain that. the
number Of the lost is q, and mas, reach CO. a
meeting of the citizens of Marquette has sbeehI
held to raise means to defray the expenses of
the survivors and to send them to their respec-
tive homes Committees were sent to gather |
and bury the bodies as they drift ashore, and 10
receive and protect such property as may be |
found. We add the following incidents of the
terrible disaster from the Journal.
The snowswas falling fast during the night.
rendering 1t intensely cold and slippery upon
the deck, aud so dark that it was impossible to
discern any thing Capt. Jones in ascending
the pilot house, slipped and fell, bruising him
self severely, yet he relaxed not his efforts in
the least. at another time, while standing in |
the gangway, n heavy sea swept him overheard, |
but fortunately 1t returned and brought him |
back. but at length. alas, he met q watery grave
HIS body was found by the survivors, at day /
light, having been washed ashore before the
other bodies were From this fact, il was |
thought that he must have nearly reached it
alive Mr.. Ernst, the porter, informs MS that I
capt Jones came into the cabin where he was /
sitting and says :--ssBoys want YOU to stick
to the boat as long as there is any thing len of
her :. this IS the fourth beat have lost, but i