Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-10-24


The telegraph day before yesterday brought
word Of the loss Of the Propeller Troy OF
Chicago, ON Lake Huron tl-...r
Yesterday the fret mate, Marcus Lake, the
"a engineer, } Q Barton, md ono OF the
wheelsmen, George 4 Phmley, arrived in this
city by the steamer Ruby from Mr.. Plimley
and tho Port Huron Press, we gather the iol-
lowing particulars;
The Troy was bound from Chic1go for Port
Colbome with cargo Of wheat, aud ioundeIed
on Tuesday morning last, about 9 o'clock, ten
miles south Of Point aux Barques. aud about
eight miles from land.
The propeller encour tered a strong head
wind until aboni 2 O'Clock on Tuesday morning,
when the wind yeered to north. west, and blew
gale Notwithstanding the very heavy sea
on the lake. the propeller weathered the gale
we'll until ab at O'Clock In the morning,
when heavy sea burst in her gang-ways and
flooded her decks After this every soa swept
over her decks, until the water rising above her
weather boards, flooded the engine, boilers and
furnace, anu at Ia Gu Tter 10 o'clock her fires
were all extiuguished, and at o'clock in the
morning she went down. As she sunk, her
upper cabin parted from her deck, and when
last seen was ailOat. .
There were on board Of her twonty-six per
sons, viz:-The officers and crew, numbering
Kate Hurlbut, sister of the Captains wife, and
two steerage passengers
W hen the vessel was found TO be sinking,
the master. Capt Byyon, with great cooluess
and decision, addressed himseh to the task OF
saving the passengers and crew. His first care
was for the passengers, so after giving direc-
tions to other Of the officers, with reference to
managing the boats and saving the crew, he
launched tho life-boat, and placing Mr.. Raic,
with his wife and three children, Miss Hurlbut,
the chambermaid Elizabeth Leonard, and Jo-
seph Kelly the LIST engineer, in it, got into il
himself TO take the management Of It. After
the boat was launched, rush was made for her
| by the deck hands, and two of them, coloied
men, succeeded in getting into her. The Cap
tain, however, maintained his presence of
mind, and prevented the swamping Of the frail
craft.
The Captain detailed one Of his officers to
take charge of the only quarter boat that was
considered seaworthy, but in making the attempt
the boat partially filled, and was then abandon
ed
There was still another guarter-b0at but she
was not seaworthy. She had been passed by
the hands, probably because she was known to
have a hole in her. J. @. Barber, the 81 Engi.
neer who had shipped on the Troy for the first
time at Chicago, not knowing the condition Of
this boat, got into her and ilOated from the pro-
peller as she went down. Geo f. Pimey re-
mained on the pilot house until the propeller
was over half under water when lie lett his
post, flung himselfinto the lake and swan, pick
ing his way among the flood wood to BARRIERS
boat. When he got in he found hole through
the bottom, and the boat itself half full of water.
He pulled his neckeTchief of, and handing it to
Barber, told him to put in the hole. This done,
Barber took Plimleys knife and made plug,
IL, H., aIs
and by bailing, the boat was kept ahoat Ono
of the negro deck hands was in the water near
the boat in which were two orrs; Plimley see
| log him, reached him an oar, which h9 grasped,
when the stern of the boat rising on the sea,
Plimley was obliged to let go, and the poor ne.
gro sank 10 rise no more. Only one oar re-
mained, and the occupants of the boat knowing
that their safety depended upon retaining that
lashed it to the ring. bolt at the stern. Marcus
Lake, the first mate, remained on the hurricane
deck after the propeller had gone down, trying
to save his comrades. When he saw that his
only chance of escape was to get on board the
boat in which Barber and Elimley were, he
urged his comrades 10 plunge with him into the
water and make for the boat; but they seemed
paralyzed with fear, and Lake jumped from the
hurricane deck and swan to the boat, where, by
catching hold of the oar, the blade Of which
was swung towards him, he was assisted on
board. The three occupants of the boat, Lake,
Barber, and tlimley, then putting their fra and
leaking craft before the wind, drilted for ten and
three. quarters hours, finally making land at
Blacks Point, four miles below Goderch, q.
W., at about O'Clock in the evening.
When they last saw the wreck, three men
were on the hurricane deck, which being part
of the upper cabin, had hoated Off with it -
These men were wheolsman called "Dan,"
the steward "Tom," and the porter, who has a
wife in Buffalo They we!e called to several
times to jump into the water and swim to the
boat, but all appeals were in vain, as they seem.
ed perfectly paraly zed and appalled, with the
awful scene before them. All of the balance,
with the exception Of the eleven in the life
boat, we're clinging to.pieces of the wreck, or
floating upon the drift wood
The life boat was well furnished with buck
cts, blankets, &c, and was not overloaded, but
when last seen she was half filled with water,
aud it was the impression of Mr. Pimley, that
the oars had been washed away, and that tho
persons on board of her were entirely at tho
mercy of the waves.
A teegraphic dispatch from Port Sarnia,
was published in the Advertiser Yesterday
morning, which states that five of the crew had
been picked up This must be a mistake as
our informant left there yesterday morning and
knew nothing of it. There is possibility that
the Captain aud ten other persons in the life.
boat, may have been saved, although II chan
ces are greatly against them. For the others
there can hardly be hope, and it seems almost
certain that they must have poTished
The men saved landed on the farm of Mr..
Witten, Lake and Plimley got ashore, and
supposed Barber was following but looking
back they discovered him out of the boat, rece
ding with the surf. Plimley sprung after him,
and brought him in so that he could get hold OF
tde roots of a fallen tree; but again he was
swept out by the waves and again he was
brought TO the shore by Plimley. This time he
was taken part way up the bank, and being
unable to walk was left, while his companions
proceeded towards light, which proved to be
in Mr.. Witten's house. They entered the house,
when a large number of men who had been Ia
king part in threshing bee, were at supper.
They told their story, and the men sailed forth
for Barber, whom they found on the top of the
bank, where he had crawled, thinking as he
said afterwards, that the waves were after him
and bound TO catch him. The three men saved
had nothing on but pants, shirts and stockings.
The folks in the house, acting each ono the part
of the good Samaritan, stripped their wet
clothes from them, wrapped them in warm fan
nels, gave them some "hOt stuff" and as soon
as they recovered enough from their benumbed
and iatigued condition, set out, what to them
was a bOunteOus repast.
Mayor McDOugal of GOderich, supplied them
with shoes, caps, and good warm coats and gar.
ments, when the next day they got on board the
steamer kaloolah to proceed to Saginaw. The
Kaloolah, by reason of heavy weather, was
Obliged to make for the st, Clair river, and the
shipwrecked seamen were landed safe and sound
at Port Huron, from which place they came 10
this city by the Rnby They express themselves
as owing deep debt OF gratitude to the people
/ where they landed, for the kindness shown
them. They say that If they had fallen into the
doors of their own fathers houses, they could
, | nok baya gnet with a mora Oh rta1lo a II