Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-09-14
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
tbSg A5LAKE STEAMER SUNK. II
800 or 400 Passengers Drowned

here last night, was run into BY the schooner
Augusta, off Waukegan, at p o'clock
this morning.
The steamer sunk in twenty minutes in
800 feet of water.
Only seventeen persons are known to bs
saved, including the clerk, steward, and Dor.
ter.
From $50 to 400 persons are said 10 baye
been on board, and among them were the
Black Yagers, the Green Yagers and Rifles.
and several fire companies of Milwaukee,
who were on visit TO this city
Col. Lumsden, of The .Nrr Orleans Plea.
yume. and family, were on board, and are
supposed to be among the lost.
At the time of the accident, the schooner
was sailing at the rate of eleven miles an
hour.
The steam-tug Mcqueen left this morn.
ing for the scene of the disaster.
The son of the Proprietor of the London
News was on board, and is supposed to be
lost.
The books and papers of the steamer ars
all lost.
After the collision, the steamer foated
south to Winetka, where she sunk
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
Chicago, Sept 9.-1he clerk of the La
dy Elgn makes the following statement:
Left Chicago at / 80 p. n, for Lake SUI
perior. among the passengers were the u
mon Guard of Milwaukee, composing part Of
company Of ESQ excursionists from that
city.
At 2 80 in the morning the steamer Au-
gusta. of Oswego, collided with the Eigin,
when about ten miles from the shore Size
struck the steamer amid ships the gangwsy
on the larboard side The two vessels sepa-
rated iustantiy-the Augusta drifting by ia
the darkness.
At the moment Of collision, music and
dancing were going on in the cabin Of the
Elgin. In an instant after the crash all was
still, and in half an hour the steamer sunk
passed through the cabins, aid found
the ladies pale but silent Not cry or
shrek was heard No sound but the rush
of the steam and the surge Of heavy sea
Waether the passengers we're not fully aware
of their danger Or whether their appalling
situation rendered them speechlcss cannot
tell
+ a boat was got out for the purpose of GO
Iing round on the starboard side to examine
the leak. There were two oars belonging
to the boat, but just that morning some per-
son possessed himself Of one Of them aE3
consequently We were powerless to manage
the boat We succeeded at once in reae p
ing the wheel but quickly drifted away ana
were thrown upon the beach at Winetka.
| Only two boats we're left on the steamer.
One of them containing IL persons, all Of
whom were saved The other bore 3 per-
sons, but only four Of them reached the shore
alive, the other four being drowned a. Tie
beach
Before [ left the steamer the engine had
ceased to work, the fires having been extin
guishea- The force aud direction OF the
wind was such that the boat and fragment
of the wreck were driven up the Lake aud
would reach the shore in the vicinity Of Wi
netka
AS / stood upon the beach hopelessly
looking back upon the route we had drifted
could see in the grey morning objects iioa-
ting upon the wat>r aud sometimes / thought
that couA distinguish human beings strus-
Cling with the waves.
i [Signed II. G. Claws
Caicayo. Sept. lo.-The following is an
estimate of The number Of passengers >on
board the Lady Elgin Excursion passcn-
gers 800, regular passengers so, crew So.
The nun.bcr of saved IS 9S. Capt Jack
Wilson was drowned within 100 feet of the
shore.
Nearly Zoe persons got within fifty yards
of the shore, but were swept back by tho
breakers aud lost
Only 81 bodies have been recovered 49,
These have chiefly been recognized as resi-
dents of Milwaukee, Wis.
The names Of more than $50 Of the lcs
are known.
Gov. I,ETcHER. The recent letter of ths
Governor of Virginia, announcing his in
tention to support Douglas and johnson has
elected from few of the papers in ths
State supporting the Breck inridge interest.
some harsh and ungenerons and utterly un.
deserved structures. Gov. I.etcher is orc
of the purest and best public men in Vir-
ginia. The assaults upon him on the score
of his unsoundness on the slavery quest lou
are simply ridiculous, and not entitled to
! respectful notice. He is as good South.
5 cru man-as loyal and as true to the .'pe.
culiar institution, as any citizen in the State
or out Of it. We thought we had heard e.
} nough of the "Ruffner pamphlet" during
Z the canvass which preceded his election as
! Gov, to satisfy and to disgust any sens blC
q man. The truth is, we do not believe tina
= any sensible and wellinformed gentleman
= in Virginia really believes "honest Johr
e Letcher" to be 'unsound" on this vita
5 question. The whole thing is CANNON anc
= ridiculous moonshine. and, as we said be
o fore. not entitled 10 respectful notice. But
0 because the Governor chooses, and has the
= mapliness, and the independence, and Tx
y honesty, if you will, to announce his inten
e ton to support Douglas and johnson, this
v dead and buried and silly and cont emptiblt
: allegation, even when it was alive and fresh
e before the people, is vainy sought to be
n resurrected. John Letcher, the pure mind
t ed, honest. intelligent, ight-forward. no.
: ble-minded Governor of Virginia 'unsound
] upon the subject ofslaveryw Bah !--Rock.
inghano Register.
Movements of MT. Douglas.
3 HARRISBURG, PENN, Friday, Sept. T.