The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-09-14
Awful Disaster on Lake Michigan
Nearly 900 Lives Lost

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Awful Disaster on Lake Michigan :
Nearly 800 Lives Lost
On Saturday morning, Sept. 9th, at
about half. past two o'clock, collision
occurred on Lake Michigan, between the
schooner augusta and the steamer Lady
Elgin, resulting in the loss Of nearly three
hundred lives The details Of the disaster
are truly heart. sickcning. Three hun
dred and eishty.iv persons were on
board the Lady ElgiR, about two hun
dred and fifty Of whom were citizens oI
Milwaukee, returning from pleasure
excursion to Chicago. The boats sud.
denly collided in the darkness Of the night,
and scores who, up to the very moment,
were reveling in pleasure, or sleeping in
inconsistencies: of danger found a watery
grave.
Among the lost, were Col J. f. Lums.
den, one Of the editors of the New Orean:
Picoyane, with his wife, son sixteen years
Of age, two young daughters, and two
colored servants ard w. Garth, Esq,
Of Paris, Ky, wife and two daughters, all
Of whom constituted a portion Of the late
party Of Souti ern cxcursioDiNs. Hon.
Herbert ingraham, Member OF the British
Paliament, and publisher OF the London
illustrated News, and his son sixteen years
old, who were travelling in this country
were also lost. We subjoin the most i'm
portant details:
CHICAGO. Sept. 8--Tho steamer Lady
EIgiu, Lake Superior Limo, loft here last
night, and was run into by tho schooner
Augusta, off Wankegan. at hali-past two this
morning, striking hor abnf; tho wheel The
steamer sunk in twenty minutes 10 hire,
hundred feet Of water. Only seventeen
| persons known to be saved. including clerk
steward aud p1rtor From throe to four
hundred persons said to DO aboard among
whom wcro tho Black Yagcrs. Green Yagors
and Rifles, several fire companies from Mil.
waukeG who were uu visit To this CITY, Col
Lumsden, of tho New Orleans Picnyunr
and family also on board. supposed to be
! lost At the tiine of tho accident the
schooner was sailing at the rate of / | miles
an hour.
Books and papers all lost. After the
collision tho steamer 0oatcd south of Win.
etka, whcro Lhe sunk
STATEMENT OF THE CLERK.
The clerk makes tho following siatemcn
L., EI-... 4 &,
eleven o'clock, for Lake Superior. Among
tho passengers wcro tho Union Guards, Nil
waukoo Company, part of somo two hun.
drcd aud fifty excursonists from that city.
About half past two O'Clock this morning.
tho schooner Augusta. Oswcgo. camo in col.
lision with Lady EIgin, when about ten
miles from shoro Tho vessel struck tho
steamer at midship gangway on tho larboard
side, tho two separated Immediately, and
tho Augusta driltcd by in tho darkness. At
tho moment of tho collision, thoro was
music and dancing forward in tho cabin; in
an instant after the crash all was still, and
in half an hour tho steamer sank.
| passed. through tho cabin; tho ladies
woro paIo but silent; thoro was not u cry
nor shrek, no sound, but rush of stcam. and
surge of heavy seas. Whether they wore
not fully aware of tho danger, or whether
tho appalling situation made them speech
less. cannot toll. ....... ...
Boat was lowered Mt once with design OF
going round upon |arboatd sido TO examine
tho leak. Thoro wore two oars, but Just at
that moment some person possessed him
self Ot ono of them, and we were left power.
less to manage tho boat. We succeeded
once in reaching the wheel but wero drfted
away and thrown upon tho beach, at
Winotkn.
Only two boats left tho steamer Ono of
them contained thirteen persons, all of
whom wore saved tho other one, ,tOrty.eight
persons, but four of whom reached shore
alive, the Others being drowned at tho beach.
Before | left the steamer tho engine had
ceased work, iiros having boen oxtinguishod.
and within thirty minutes Lady E'gin dis
appeared. Forco and direction of tho wind
such that boats, and fragments of tho wreck
were driven up the Lake. and would reach
shore in tho vicinity of Winetka. As |
stood upon tho beach by tho helpless look
ing back along tho route we had driftod.
could SEQ in tho gray of morning, objects
tloatng upon tho wator. and sometimes
thought human beings struggling with tho
waves. Sguod. H. q. CARYL,
Clork of tho Lady Elgin.
CHIcAoo. Sept. OH.
No accurate list or number Of persons on
board can DO given, but tho following os,i
mite is nonrly correct: Excursion party.
500; regular passengers so steamers crew
30. Of those but 90 saved.
Capt. Malott, of schooner Augusta, saws
he first discovered tho steamers light, both
rcd and bright. supposed to be from quar-
ter to half a mile distant, and steering bo.
tween north aud northeast. Raining very
hard at the time. We kept our vessel on
hor course cast by south until we saw col
lision probable, whom we put helm hard up,
and struck tho steamer two or thrco min
utcs afterwards just abaft tho paddle box,
port side. Tho steamer kept on bor course
Tho engine in full motion, heading tho Au.
gus'a, and wont alongside tho steamer.
Got separated in about u minute, whom
the Augusta foil into a trough of tho sea-
All tho head gear, jibboom and staunchus
were carried away Took in sail and cleared
away anchOrsupposing tho vessel would fiji
Aftor clearing wreck, got up foreslil. We
succeeded in getting before tho wind and
stood for land. Lost sight of tho steamer
five minutes after the collision.
Breomnn, Second Mato, states: Half.
past 2 II squaIl struck us in five minutes
mare saw tho lights of a vessel one point off
port bow; l sang out, "hard,aport;" vessel
seemed to pay no attentions; struck us Just
forward of the paddle box on tho arboard
side, tearing off tho wheel aud cutting