The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-09-13
THE LAKE MICHIGAN CALAMITY,

oodV itseli, from extensive inquiry was in a totally
unPrepared condition to meet such disaster and
nad there been sufficient quantity of life boatc or
lie preservers on board, added with proper disci
plhe tnere Is no doubt many would have been
saved. The indignation of the friends of the lost
at the want OF these precautions is very great
STATEMENT OF LIEUT.. HARTsUFF
Mr.. Hartsuffis a Lieutenant in the United States
Army, and is stationed at Fort Mackinaw
| was on board the steamer Lady Elgin when she
collided with the schooner Augusta asleep in nv
BERTH Immediately jumped from my berth, and
saw the schooner floating away. Did not think any
serious damage had been done at first but soon
discovered that the steamer settling. imme-
diatey left my berth, which was in the after cabin
and ran toward the pilot-house, where found Capt
| Wilson on the hurricane deck. | asked him if he
thought there was any danger, and he replied that
, he thought she would float. lie told me where
there were lite-preServers on the hurricane deck
and went and passed them down to the passengers
! in the cabin till they about exhausrd, when
| took one myself and waited on the hurricane deck
| While here quite number came on the deck, only
a few of whom were females, but how many came
| up could not say, as it was very dark. From a
| quarter to half an hour after she struck she
| broke up, the hurricane deck floating off and the
| hulk going to the bottom with tremendous noise.
| As she broke | jumped with my life preserver-a
board six or eight feet long, and about one wide
| into the water, which was at this time only few
feet below US, and pulled with all my might to es-
cape from the mass of the wreck.
Alter the confusion had somewhat subsided,
heard the voice of Capt. Wilson cheering and en-
/
that the shore was but few miles off, and that if
they kept calm and obeyed his directions they
might all be saved l heard him speaking in this
manner for perhaps ten minutes, and then [ had
separated so far from the hurricane deck, on which
| the Captain and large number were, that heard
no more. All around me numbers of persons
| floating on pieces of the wreck, until it became
| daylight. When it became light that could
see some distance, discovered large mass of the
| wreck a little distance to the windward of US, COW
cred with people. then got on quite large piece
| of wreck which was floating near me, and which
! contained no other person, ano no person got
| 1T after did. The large mass to the windward of
| which have just spoken, now began to separate
| then LETT the piece was on, and got on large
| piece OF the hurricane deck, on which there were
| four other persOnS-dont know who they were
| On this fragment remained until we reached
| about quarter OF mile of the shore, when our
| raft broke up, and two of the four on it with me
| were washed off and drowned. A moment after the
| remainder of our party were washed off by heavy
sea, and one more of our little party drowned. NV
| remaining companion contrived to regain the raft,
| and again took to fe-preserver which found
afoat, and on this ioated to the shore Just below
| the bluffs. From the time | was swept from the
raft, until reached the shore, was several times
| hurled deep under the waves. When close into the
| shore was thrown from my lite-preserver and
| went to the bottom, and although the water was
not more than three four feet, was exhausted
| as to be unable to RISE and crawled for some dis
| tance under the water until reached dry land.
Early in the morning discovered fragment of
| the wreck short distance from me, on which was
| a woman and three men. She was so much ex-
hausted that she seemed unable to keep from drop
ping to sleep, although the eXertiOns of the three
men continually in to prevent it. She
was finally drowned, while remaining on the wreck,
| being unable to keep her head from the water.-
| Her body remained on the fragment of the wreck
as long it in sight. saw many pieces of the
wreck, containing from two to four persons capsized,
almost invariably drowning all that were on them.
To avoid the capsizing of our frail bark, instruct
ed the men with me so to sit on it as to keep the
edges under water. This prevented us from cap
| sizing, and at the same time enabled US to float
faster, we having in this way passed many OF the
! other RATS. | saw one woman alone floating on
dining table, and short time after l discov-
cred her the table capsized, and she disappeared
under water for several seconds, but finally reap
peared on the surface clinging to the table, and
| eventually, by great exertiOns, she regained her
seat upon the table, When last saw her she was
near the shore, and as l heard of woman being
saved shortly after | taken to house by,
| presume she must have been the one.
| BY my instructions, party most Of the time
turned our faces from the shore, and thus faced the
waves, and in this way enabled to watch the
breakers as they came towards us and be prepared
for them. In this way we were several times
saved from being washed off, while almost every
one near us carried from their frail barks and
! perished. Under one piece of the wreck, wLicn
was floating near us, four dead rastie fastened
| to it. On this were two or three persons. The
buoyancy of the dead bodies of the cattle kept this
piece of the wreck almost entirely out of water and
when last seen, this peculiar He-boat was very
near the shore, and the persons on it were doubt
less saved.
When passed through the cabin, on my way to
the pilot house, Immediately after the collision,
there was much confusion there. Many of the pas
sengers, owing to the scarcity of berths, were
asleep the floor, and when the collision took
place the vessel listed so much that all rolled in
pile on one side of the cabin. This caused much
confusion, and when persons from above com
menced passing down lifepreservers, and those be-
low commenced pulling down the doors aud other
floating material, the anxiety to obtain these pre-
WA ind AhDut Ha
one boat badly stove bottom up, six or seven men
clinging to it, Whether or not they were saved
cannot say.
When / reached the shore every attention which
heartfelt sympathy could suggest, paid to me
and the other survivors. One gentleman pulled off
his coat and gave it to me- and another his boots.
Mr.. Pierce, of the Adams House, Chicago, was
of the first to reach the Of disaster, and his
efforts for the comfort and safety of all were
ceasing
During the time | was on the wreck | contrved
TO keep myself warm by threshing my arms catch
ing pieces of wreck, &c. and in this manner saved
myself from suffering from the cold, which proved
so fatal to many.
THE MoURNERs FROM MILWAUKEE,.
About IL O'Clock yesterday morning a large and
heavily laden train came down from Milwaukee to
Winetka, having on board great number of the
friends of both saved and lost. They were princi
paly Irish. Distributing themselves along the
shore in mournful groups, they spent all the middle
Of the day in waiting for the to give up their
dead. Moving to and fro, on the high bank, search
ing with anxious eyes every inch of the beach below
and every breaker that rolled in, they were sad
sight Aged mothers in quest of sons daughters,
wives looking for husbands and husbands for wives
little children brought down to see all that remain
ed of parents, sympahsing and fearful friends
these kept up the unavailing hunt from Winetka to
Evanston, going many times over the ground, and
continuing their pious labors until night drove
them away.
Reports of bodies found were eagerly seized upon,
and at times the most exaggerated rumors prevailed
But the most distressing was the hope that buoyed
many of them up. We heard one woman say, 81
know he's safe; he was so cool in danger that he
could not be lost. No, no, he's saved; he Will
come" was her answer to all Hope doomed to
disappointment-we knew that her husband was
dead
Mr.. HowE's SEWING MACHINE PATENT EXTENSION.
AS we have before stated, the application OF Mr..
E. Howe, Jr, for an extension OF his patent for the
needle used in the best sewing machines, which was
for some time pending before the Commissioner OF
Patents was decided on Saturday last. The grounds
on which the application was made, as produced in
the argument of his counsel, were, that the hall
million of dollars acquired by the inventor as prot
its, not sufficient remuneration for the actual
advantage derived from the use of the inventions
that new branches of industry had been created by
| its MEANS and that by its use products had been
| cheapened and improved, and hours of labor les
sened while wages had been increased. Alter hav-
ing heard the arguments, the Commissioner oil Fat
ents reserved his decision until Saturday lastwhen
| he granted the application and extended the pat
| ent for seven years. In making his decision the
Commissioner expressed the opinion that the profits
| which had accrued to the inventor were not such
| as the value of the invention entitled him to-
| Washington Star.
| New POSTAL Observation-Disclosures, August
| J. lSG0.-We observe, by virtue of a public notice
from the General Postofce, that the conveyance OF
the mails to Nassau and Havana from these islands
for the United States will be discontinued during
the summer months.
As our letters sent by mail from this to the
| States so frequently go aStray, we have deter
mined to forward all our letters for the future by
the various sailing craft leaving port for Ame-
| rica thus avoiding all the disagreeableness
nected with the present pOst-ofice system. Our
| American friends will do well to write by sailing
vessels instead of the steamers via Havana, as we
are aware of many letters having been posted to US
| that have never come to hand.
Joux JEFFRAY Il Co.
| ELoPEMENr IN New YoRK.-The Tribune, OF yes
| te rday, says:-The story that a clerk OF the Su-
| perior Court had eloped with strange woman, ana
was supposed to have gone to California, was very
freely circulated Yesterday. 1t is alleged that ne
| drew Sc 600 from bank leaving his wife and three
| children penniess, and largely in debt for rent.
| His must have been strange infatuatOn, for his
| wife is said to be most estimable lady, to whom
| he appeared to be devOtedy attached, while his
worldly circumstances were all that could be de-
sired, his situation being worth $500 year
! The PoMoLoG1CAL EXHIBITION in Philadelphia is
we'll attended, there being great variety OF fruit
on exhibition. Nearly every State in the Union is
represented in the collection, and even Kansas has
| her quota on the tables. From the North, Mr..
LYONS of Michigan presents l2O varieties of apples,
with sample of cherries; the South is represented