The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-09
PERLLS or TIE LAKES.
Cnst AdrIft-Three BarRes In n storm on Lake
Bur0n-TwO Crews supposed TO Have Been

n
Lost.
From the Detroit Free Press, Nov.2
Yesterday morning the bark Oneonta ar
rived down, having on board woman named
Josephine Dean, and man named Harry
Morrison, as survivors of seven or eight per-
sons, who composed the crews of the three
ill-fated barges that were cast adrift in q
terrible storm off Point aux Barques,
Sunday night, at midnight. The story
of the survivors flew along the docks
with great speed. as an anxiety had
been felt for day to know the fate of the
crews, and the two survivors were called on
time and again to relate their unfortunate
adventures. The story of Mrs. Dean is full
of suffering and affliction, as she has been
made a widow by the terrible storm. 1t seems
that on Friday night last the tug Zouave
started for Bay City with six barges heavily
lumber laden. Getting down to Port Austin
she found the tug Clematis lying there, and
the sea was so heavy that she decided to turn
over the Joseph A. Hollon, Mohawk, and the
Mills to her charge, coming along with the
other three herself. The crew of the Hollon
consisted of Captain Robert Forrest Cana
dian; the mate, Harry Morrison, of Algonac;
Peter Dean, and the woman Josephine
Dean, his wife, and employed on board in the
capacity of cook. The gale continued to blow
fresher, after the tugs started out, and the
Zouave was soon out of sight, the Clematis
going along slowly. The sea grew constantly
rougher, and the men at the wheel on the
barges had to lash themselves fast. The
woman retired to bed about 9 o'clock, all
anxiety for the safety of the barge being
carefully kept from her. About midnight,
while it seemed as if the barge would be
knocked to pieces, the tow-line suddenly
snapped, the men heard a shout through
the gloomy darkness from the tug, and
the three barges were adrift in the lake,
utterly at the mercy of the Storm King.
Captain Forrest was greatly excited over the
event, and was utterly incapable of giving or
assisting to execute any orders that held out
hope of safety. The barges soon broached
to in the troughs of the sea, and the crews
shouted to each other that there was no hope.
They knew that the tug could not put about
in that wild sea and pick up the line, and
that she would have enough to do to make
her own port. They soon drifted quite close
to each other, and grim despair settled down
over all The deck load of the Hollon
began to start, and she cut loose from the
others, SO as not to impair their slight hopes
Thus she drifted off into the
gloom, and the shouts of the alarmed crews
were soon drowned out by the booming of
the storm. In half an hour nearly all the
Hollons deck load was gone, and then the
Captain, thinking that she labored less, con-
cluded to cast anchor, having plenty of cable,
and hoping that the storm would abate before
she should 20 to pieces. The anchor failed
to get holding ground, and the Hollon
dragged about two miles before fetching up.
During this time wave after wave went
over her, and the cabin finally went over
board. The wife had been called up
short time previous, but was too much
alarmed to dress, and came on deck in her
night clothes, loose calico dress thrown
over them. She was lashed to the rail by
her husband, who at length told her that
there was no hope, and they crouched down
behind the bulwark together, determined
that death should not separate them. Dean
had been i'll with fever most all summer,
and was not very stout, and was so poorly
dressed that he continually shook like one in
fit of ague. When the cabin went over
board, Captain Forrest declared that their
fate was sealed, and would not heed Morri-
sons injunctions to hold out bravely to the
last He threw himself down on the lumber
yet remaining, refusing to even pass lash
ing around his body, and great wave soon
lifted him over the side and carried him off
amid the tossing waves to leeward. He met
his death without a cry, and made not the
slightest resistance Morrison is q young
man in good health and strong nerve, and
after the death of the captain he made
every effort to cheer up Dean and his wife,
telling them that he could see signs of an
abatement to the storm, and that the barge
was then securely holding at anchor. Whlle
neither were without hope, Dean commenced
to grow weaker and weaker. and was at times
almost insensible from the cold. At daylight
the storm had gone down greal deal, and
there was every prospect that the barge
would hold out. The weather was extremely
cold, the three suffering severely, and Dean
was almost gone. And yet, seeing how
his wife was suffering, the brave man,
almost dying then, raised up, pulled
off his coat, and made the
wife wrap herself in it This left the man
with nothing on but shirt and pants, and he
laid his head in her lap, and never spoke
again until Monday noon, when he reused UP
little, said that the storm had gone down,
bade his wife goodbye, and dropped off to
his death without groan. The two survivors
had nothing to eat from Sunday night until
Monday afternoon at o'clock, when the barl
hove in sight, altered her coulse, aud sent t
small boat to take them off, arriving down al
stated.