Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-09-14
APPALLING LAKE DISASTER.
Loss Of the stsAmsr Lady Egin,-Soo Lives Iog
SO Persons ooyod. ~

Loss Of the Steamer Lady Egi1, 800 Lives Iost
SO Persons Saved
The Chicago Press q Tribune contains fal
particulars of the loss Of the Lady Elgin
which occurred on the night Of the 7th inst
Unable to publish the full account, becaus,
Of its great length, we make tho following
extracts ::
A most appalling calamity has burst upor
our community, and the other communities
yet to be thrilled with the intelligence of ,
disaster which has just occurred on this lake
without parallel in the marine annals Of the
lakes. Other vessels have been lost amid
scenes Of horror that will cause them long Ia
be remembered, but at the head of lake dis
astcrs will ever stand the fearful loss Of the
steamer Lady Elgin, and each recurrence Of
the anniversary Of the night Of Friday, Sep
TENDER 9TH, 1860, will be long observed BY
hundreds of lacerated hearts with tears and
anguish. ~'.t -. 7.
The schooner Augusta, Capt. D. M. Malott,
came into our port carly Saturday morning,
and reported that on the night previous,
about midnight she had collided with largo
steamer on this lake, . few miles out of this
city. The Augusta had suffered seriously in
the encounter from the loss of her headgesr,
and was leaking badly She had full cargo
OF lumber, which had shifted in the collision,
in which she struck head on. The Captain
knew nothing Of the extent Of the disaster to
the other vessel. ;s.ryrz' = q
Almost simultaneously with her arrival
come tidings from Evanston that brought the
rest of the tale, in an Intelligence of disaster
that by 8 o'clock A. \. filled our streets and
places Of public resort with anxious inquirers,
when it was known that the steamer, in the
encounter with the Augusta was Lady Elgin,
Capt Jack Wilson, which left this port on
Friday evening in her regular departure for
Lake Superior, in which line she has run for
some seasons past. aa4,. y4.gs...,s II. Z, TX.
The steamer Lady Elgin on Friday morn
ing last left Milwaukee on regular charter
from the Independent Union Guards from
that city, and brought about three hundred
.excursionists, gentlemen and ladies, into Chi
cago, where the party passed the day in in
terchange of Inequalities and socialities usual
to such occasions. On her return she left Is
stated on her regular trip to Lake Superior,
taking about fifty cabin passengers for Mac
kinac and pleasure points north, added to the
excursion party.
The appalling intelligence came to hand
that in the collision the steamer thus heavily
freighted with precious life, was cut nearly in
two amidships, and sunk in the lake about
twelve miles off Winetka, sixteen miles north
of this city. "a zGg aIar24 .sss no ba.tgI
The evening Of Friday set in with wind
moderately high, though not such as would
have deferred the Elgin from leaving; yet it
is still likely she would have lain by, but for
the return excursion party, who had made no
calculations on remaining over. Soon after
she left, however, and scarcely. could she
have got outside, heavy thunder storm
came up, about midnight, accompanied by an
increase Of wind, which grew to perfect
gale. In such commotiOn of the elements
the collision took place, the sea running
high, and the gale increasing throughout the
night, and almost the entire Of Saturday.
TIE SHORE AT wTNErKA. avs
When our reporters reached Winetka, at
1OA NJ, the surf was rolling in heavily, and
breaking in thunder along the beach. the
gale having risen t. fearful fury, from the
northeast, and thus nearly on shore. The
shore there is an uneven bluff, ranging from
thirty to sixty feet in height, with narrow
strip of beach at its base At some points
the heavy surf made directly against the bold
bluff. AT most points, however, a narrow
tract interviewed umwashed by the waves. and
so afforded place and foothold for the op-
erations for rescue. B 8r.s aga
The whole beach for three miles we found
strewed with fragments of the light upper
portions Of the ill-fated steamer, and out to
sea, where tho waves were rolling more heay-
lily than is usually seeneven in our Scptem.
Der gales, the surface of the angry waters for
in, 70 4
sea-ward, was dotted with fragments Of the
wreck, and RATS, and spars, with what was
clearly made out to be human beings cling
ing to them. At this time, 10 A. NJ, yari-
Gus authorities make out that from eighty to
one hundred persons could have been count |
cd driving at the mercy of the maddened |
elements. toward the high, rolling breakers,
and surf-washed beach and bluff, whence
thousands with straining eyes watched their
progress, and with pale cheeks noted, as alas, |
too many met their fate in the waves.
Parties OF men were on the alert and ready |
Tor the work of rescue. Word was sent to |
Evanston, and citizens and its entire student
community came up IN force. Attention was
first directed to large raft coming in steadily |
but bravely over the waves, upon which were |
standing large group of human beings, since
known to have been some .ffty in number -
Around and beyond it on all sides were single |
survivors and groups of two or three, or more, |
but painful interest centered about the fate Of
that larger raft. It neared the seething line
OF SURF With q glass; those on shore could
see that the company on board seemed to
obey the orders of one. That ladies and
children were there-hearts on shore forgot
to beat for an instant, and then saw the raft
break and disappear in the seas. OF the en-.
tire number on board only fifteen names ap-
pear in our list Of the saved. OF the lost was
the brave heart who tried his best to save
those committed to his charge, and persisted
in the attempt-6rars Captain Jack WILSON.
the commander of the unfortunate steamer.
The work of rescue, however, did not pause
in the agony that wrung the hearts on shore.
Men, residents Of Winetka, and Evanston,
stripped off all superaous clothing and with
ropes tied around them, held on shore, dash.
cd nobly into the surf and only BY such peril
the saved Of: the wreck. Where
many wrought so well we cannet here partic-
ularize, but we accord the universal senti-
nent Of the day in the assertion that the I
Theological teachings of the Garrett Biblical
Institute must include liberal amount Of
'Auscular Christianity" for Messrs. Spencer
,1~c ne kl>>k =