Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-28
An AWFUL LAKE DISASTER.
Over Sixty People swept into Eter-
nity-The Wreck Of the steamer Co.
burn i'm Lake Superior-Upwardso Of
Sixty Lives Lost.

Over Sixty People swept into Eter-
nity-The Wreck Of the steamer CO.
burn i'm Lake superior-Upwards Of
Sixty Lives Lost.
(From the Detroit POST
The Coburn left Sault Ste. Marie, on her way
down from Duluth to Buffalo, on the morning
of Saturday, the 18th inst. Her officers were -
Commander, Gilbert Demont, of Detroit; first
mate, VIM. Simmons, of Detroit; first engineer,
A. 5. Robinson, of Marine City; second engi-
neer, VIM. Hutchinson, of Detroit; clerkI L.
MAJOR, OF FTomteld, Ont; steward, Geo. West
Besides the above officers, she had on board
crew of about thirty persons and about forty
passengers, seven of whom were women and
three children. Her cargo consisted of about
$1,000 bushels of wheat aft, 500 barrels of -four
forward, taken on at Duluth for Buffalo, and 80
barrels of silver ore from Silver Islet Mine.
By 10 O'Clock Saturday night II was blowing
fierce gale, and there was no staying on deck.
The Coburn struggled CALAMITY against the
winds and waves until about O'Clock Sunday
morning, when she unshipped her rudder and
was henceforth entirely unmanageble. She soon
drifted into the trough of the sea, and though her
engines were kept going, she was unable to make
any Roadway against the wind, or to hold her
course across the waves Soon her smOkestack
blew down and came crashing through the roof
OF the cabin; whether any persons were serious
ly wounded by this accident is not known.
Already the women were paralized with fear
and remained in their staterooms, praying in the
agory of despair. The wailings and lamenta-
tons that went up from the cabin on that awful
night will ring in the ears OF the survivors to
their dying day.
The barrels of silver ore on the main deck
rolled from side to side as the vessel rolled in
the trough. and. being of great weight. knocked
holes in her bulwarks She was loaded down
very deem and the water rushed in at fine holes
in her sides and poured down the firemen s gang
way filling the hold Her toundering Is believed
to be largely attrihutsble 10 the shifting Of this
mart of her cargo ~
About O'Clock on Sunday morning. when
about twenty or twenty-fiye miles OF Point any
han avid art tn. Ia,
that The steamer must ba wrected and ,ho nrSnr
was gwen to stand by the boats She carried
&c Root. ,rohaI,Iv Of srfs c;ant ca,ao;.n a. 80
OF ali the neonIe On hoard in Sp"otS ~. IN ant
in snch a pale which stannch steamep Gold
not Withstand. there was little hone for a fraii
vawl-hoat Al that tima M narsnn on tba an
lated steamer eInected to escsne alive How
aver thew onlv Lane nos in The Snail hoa,s 80
one was immediatelv launched None ~ tha
women or cbiIdrrn conld he got into ~ "a thaU
wonid not iea W. tba c.hin anS seyerai Of ,bayS,
we're in their stets.ronms and seamad nn.hia ~
yeti ont Twas Almost ;mnossible to stay ont ~,
sha AL 80 sa.onio NJ, -; = , ~ 10y ~. =. vi
time Navr.ha,aoth aI hat o a. tne
nassenoers and nos 60 eair ianncSaS 90 Jrirta
away fow.rd the ConaS. Shnra "a anu ,,oa l s.
ont ~ sight wiz " 'A''@' oiu "~' Sooh
A second boat was launcbad and suod ,,;.,
passengers and crew She was n;.,tad 0u VIZ" .,.n
same afternoon with ali her occpnant - 'H H
nnmher IN ranad, al s nSI Oo0u Pah1s-eeh In
A Cantain Camden VIC boJ Chez oe 49,. -.
the life hoats sayS. ~ N 0" &c vi oiie vi
q I'm ,anncb;ng her aha ro. ho,s .,u 90 49,.
but we bailed her ont. There were nine msT =,
tbe boat with meWt;ve coored NH niie , men Ia
white mn We 6oJ oil 60 1919 NJ - Gnu 1 iouI
boat aaoat. baiIine ali the tIma 10 ~ our
another man steered the boat and II rs an anu ~,
could do to taen ber bafora tha 90 as ,t i we
were rnnnina monnta;n T;oh "e w as .ne waves
exnectsd 70 e. swamnnd 'sn' we nhonieiitariiy
I'VE saw The hnat tb .t uas srs. ,o.os
5r;f,;na go 20 .bo ooto% "o I'll NJ. .auhGh n
for soYea t;ms Thoo 49, 80 anu "a.oi,eu her
mostly passengers and tbey were nrovidad MEL
it, nyeeeror anu 'iie1 "eie pio'iueu WIN
launched soon after a cot - W. III IT, va
Lar q Fo,r ,;nntn W. gu 'h' VIC ohiy ga"
50 a fourth hosf was rnon .ba da,-i.s Gill;,
with noonia o~S @as tP. ING tue, uarl.s, uIIe1
when the Cobnrn Gave . Inch and =, n,odiatoI,
sank ont Of sigbt The snail boat aiiiod ,itf
naonle was ssranna5 ar% - 80. a.. niileu Win
Them in the water when the CohmSn law saw
down her MINER cabin hnrSt OF 81 III I'm
ward saw ber aoat;na NO., coUad a. -
Rotor tha CohS as 49,. WIN People'
Demont stand;no ON the StarhoayS aroS law Oapt.
LARGE wave strnct hin, and t%raa- h;' ". M -,
floating near him: but he soon sank AGAIN and
disappeared. All the women were i'm the cabin
or staterooms. and went down with the boat.
O'Clock Sunday afternoon, when we were nictaS
up bv the Canadian bark Robert Gastin P'0A'U
"fhe names of the survivors rescued bv the
Gastin so far as could be aseertained. are as fol-
Iows:-Capt John Condor, Thomas DerrinI Of
Buffalo, deck hand; John Bridgman. passenger
of St Mary's Ont Spencer CfurchwelI. Henry
three
mentioned are colored men. Young was thrown
a distance of about fifteen feet when the deck
burst up, and was picked up by the boat
1t Is not positively known who was lost as II is
possible many NAV have been picked M from fine
other boats and the wreck of the cabin by pass
ing vessels Engineer Robinson kept his engine
so that it is certain that be was lost The second
mate, whose name is unknown is also supnosed
TO have persisted. The clerk, Mr. Major. is con-
sidered lost - WI
In one of the boats which got off there were
known to be William Walker of Cleveland two
gentlemen named Rhodes. of the Garrison
House. Detroit: Fred Mumford, colored: lanes
Turner, of Canada, colored, deck hand: Chas
Miller, colOred, deck hand; two vatcbmen
Other persons known to have been on the CO.
burn, but whose fate is uncertain were Indian
Agent Smith and his wife of Detroit: Cant At
Ger who had been ATTENDING q conrtm.rsSa IN u,
the Sault: George s. Wescott and wife Who
were last seen in the cabin: a brother of Cant
Demont and Robert Hutchinps of Detroit