Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-09-26
TERRIBLE DISASTER on THE LAKE.
Loss of the Brig Sultan with all but
one on bOard-A horrible night
Statement Of the sole survivor.

was towed out Of this harbor by the tug |
Ajax, on Saturday afternoon, about one |
o'clock, bound to Buffalo, with cargo Of
slaves and grind-stones. The lake was |
running high, and the Captsin was advised |
by old experienced sailors not to put out. |
But, being a newly made and ambitious |
officer, he determined to go, rash as the
purpose seemed and proved. In passing
out of the harbor the Sultan struck the bar,
and pounded it very heavily five or six
times, when the sea, lifting her up, bore
her out into the lake.
Fearing she had sprung leak, as the
sequel proved, the pumps were immediate
| ly tried, but no more water could be obtained
than at ordinary times. She hadnow been
worked out about mile and half from
shore. and was labOring heavily, the seas
dashing over her, when the mate suggested
to the captain that her deck load had bet
ter be dumped into the lake, in order to
right her up. One of the men CHANGED to
90 into the torcastle, when it was discovered
that she was leaking very badly. The
captain thereupon ordered her TO be
run upon the beach. She was put about,
and proceeded, sailing and drifting, about
two miles, when she rolled over on her
side, being completely water logged. She
was then of Euclid, about eight miles from
this port, and about three miles from land.
The cabin was knocked off by the waves,
and baggage, and grind stones, and slaves,
with which she was loaded, were pitched in
to the lake. The trunks of the crew, which
they had packed when they saw she must
go down, bundles, slaves, and hickory
timber, &C., &c, were beating about on the
waves, as if "sehool " of whales hal
been there pounding and "thraahing" the
sea for a meal. The small boat was cut
loose and launched, but il Immediately
filled. The first mate worked ten minutes
10 bail it out, but it was no use. Seeing the
bSg was settling fast, he sprang upon the
quarter deck, or rather upon the bulwaTk
where all the officers and crew were sta
toned, holding by the rigging, and they
all began climbing for dear life Though
climbing hand over hand at a furious rate,
she mate could hardly keep his head
Il
Not being In amphibiou5 animal, he strug-
gled terribly to lift himself above the wei
tering chaos, and at length, when the hull
struck bottom, he found himself exhausted.
he pulled up, however, TO the main-top-
| gallant mast, and found that the Captain,
Nelson Webster, second mate, Douglas
Webster, and Stephen johnson, a sailor,
we're clinging to the rigging of the same
mast. Two other sailors, Christopher Roe
and James Greer, had perched themselves
in the rigging of the fore-top gallant mast
The remaining two of the crew of eight.
Monroe Ellsworth and Barney -, (name
not known,) sprang into the small boat,
nearly full of water as it was, and drifted
of toward the beach, and, when last seen,
we're standing up in the boat half way be-
tween the scene of the catastrophe and the
shore. 1t is possible that these latter two
may have survived, but tits not at all prob
able; indeed, it will be a miracle If they
escaped the storm alive.
The brig went down about half-past
three in the afternoon. The sea was terri
bly, rough, and the wind blew gale. The
vessel rolled heavily, jerking the masta
with such fury that it was next TO impOssi-
Bile to cling to the rigging. Stephen john
son went across from the main mast to the
fore-top- gallant mast and joined Roe and
Greer, in hope tc cut the yard adrift and
dOat ashore. Stopping to rest minute
when he had reached the mast, it suddenly
broke, and all three were pitched into the
water. Roe and Greer swan and managed
to scramble upthe other mast, but poor
johnson sank Immediately.
Roe and Greer remained there over an
.. hour, until darkness had set in, when a
tremendous sea wrenched the mast and
lifted it clear out of its step or socket, and
they were precipitated into watery grave.
Captain Nelson Webster, his brother, the
second mate, Douglas Webster, and the
drst mate, Eleazer Spear, were all who were
left of that crew of eight Impenetrable
darkness and fierce driving rain had come
on, and the waves washed over these he-
roic men. more horrible situation can
not be conceived of. The first mate was at
the top of the top gallant mast, the captain
next below, and his brother still lower
= down. Though separated by few feet
: only, they had to shout to be heard by
each other, SO terrific was the beating Of
the waves and the shrieking of the wind,
RI About nine o'clock, as near as they could
, Judge, the second mate dropped OF, or was
, swept off by the waves. The captain shout
ed out in a frenzy to Mr.. Spear, " Doug
is gone Doug is gone. Do you see him ?
Csn you see him ?" But no human eye
could pierce that Egyptian blackness to
. see the speedy fate of Douglas Webster.
Soon, however, the rain passed away, the
sky partially cleared, and the two surviv-
. Ors talked cheerfully, hopefully, fully be-
lieving they would be rescued. They fan
cied the vessel was being fast pushed shore
ward by the waves. The captain talked of
his father and wife, and was glad that she
, did not know of his uncomfortable aitua-
alton. -
About eleven o'clock the mate shouted to
the captain, shouted time and again, but
, received no answer. He heard asplashing,
and had no doubt that the captain, having
fallen asleep through sheer exhaustion, had
been washed off by the heavy seas That
was the last of Captain Webster. he went
down of Euclid, and, as the mate said, al
most in sight of his house.
The situation of Mr.. Spear can be more
, easily imagined than described Conscious
that the crew, one by one, had dropped
into the abyss which hungered for him too,
he stuck with life-death grip to his giddy,
jerking, and wave-swept post He hap
pened to have Ave or six feet of chamber
line" in his pocket. Making of this two