River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-09-26
ANOTHER TERRIBLE MARINE DIS.
ASTER.

ANOTHER TERRIBLE MARINE DIS.
ASTER.
Loss OF the Propeller Ironsidcs on
Grand Haven, with Twenty-foui
Lives.
Lake Michigan has just been the
scene of another marine disaster, at.
tended with tho loss of numerous valu.
able lives. The Engelmann Transpor.
tation Company's splendid propeller
lronsides left Milwaukee for Grand
Haven on SUNDAY night with twenty
passengers, crew of thirty, and the
following freight: 13, 450 bushels OF
wheat, 500 barrels of flour, 10 barrels
of pork, and a quantity of sundries-
in all about $50 tons. Shortly after
midnight the wind veered to southwest
and blew very fresh, gradually increas.
ing to a violent gale. A heavy sea was
the result, and when the propeller ar.
rived off Grand Haven it was deemed
imprudent to attempt to enter the har.
bor---so she was again headed ono into
the lake, and kept lodging about.
While thus engaged she sprung ser-
GUS leak, and filed so fast that the
pumps could not keep her free. The
water speedily put the fires out, and
the steamer was tossed abort by the
mad elements, helpless hulk, until
she finally sunk. In the meantime all
OF the steamers boats were lowered,
and the passengers and crew placed ii
tPem, when they cut loose and steered
toward the land Most of the boats
filled with water and capsized in tho
breakers, and ut least twenty-four per!
sons out of fifty on board the propeller
thus lost their lives. The following is
a list of the lost, as far as known;
q. II. DennisOn, ct Ada, Michigan.
Campbell aud Smith, deckhands, residence
not known.
John Driscol, Steward of the boa.
John Hilos, lumber and planning mills, Nil
waukee.
Mrs. II. A. Valentine and son, fire yeers Of
age, Milwaukee.
/ Captain Harry Sweetman, commander Oh the
4 Ironsides, Milwaukee.
/ Robert McGlue, First Engineerof the boat.
/ Milwaukee.
Charles wetmeil, agent of s. L. Harling &
Co., of New York.
Joe Smith, Of Grand Haven, Uch
L. II. Biting and wife. Mr.. pod Mrs. A bion
Haselbarth, Of Port Washington, Wis.
Mr.. Harry Hughes, tiremai.
Edward Fugle and james Brown, greasers.
A. J. Doneson, Grapd Rspds, Michigan.
Mrs. J. b. I. Dewitt, Milwaukee.
The saved area follows:
NE. Watkios, clerk of the boat.
Samuel Wpskins, Milwaukee.
Chris. DDscoll cabin boy.
Dan Drbscoll, head waiter.
NJ CToss0n, first mate
A q. Pitman, second mate.
ttassics Bradford, lookout.
Geo. Cowan, second engineer.
Vim. DoleusOn.
Andrew falsUn, secOad clerk.
Riley, first porter.
H. West A. Scuttler, Vim. Savage and G..
Orion, deck hands,
Dan. Hines, John Gilber, aud Charles vii
cox oilers.
Maggie Young, stewlrdes,
y. Joldon, M. l.. Chester, Ii. NJ Ward. Miss
Ward, T. y. Ridley, John Gee. Mr.. Whiting
IL hrautbautr, o. kiZngerA
Seventeen bodies had at last accounts
been recovered.
The following statementsof suryly.
j ors of the disaster are intereting:
STATEMENT OF GEORGE NJ. awAN.
Z" was the second engineer on hoard the
! Iransides. We lett Milwaukee at sLont ID
, y NtNAk NtH'thN Hhks WIN Ninu NnOlA north.
west. 1 came on watch at | O'Clock Monday
morning, when the Chief Engineer SAL ~
! would goup aud get lunch, ipstructiAv ~
10 kgup close watch Of the enciBeN An
vent well. At half past two McGluc, (CNiei
1 Ehglneef) came down aud asked how she ve,
NVthlnS' An Was satisfactory, and continual
80 until about half past 3, when the win,
! treshened aud hauled around to tho soutb
& west. At about o'clock the water anpovs.
! me so that used bilge injection 10 force
out. This continued getting worse, until +.
httle beiore O'Clock We began shipping wate
badly. inc gangways were smashed ia by IN,
force 81 tina waves, tho hunkers got blocked M
tv the boilers SO that the water couldnf ruf
au. soon We began shipping water into thC
Hfe-Ftom, l saw something must be don,
? immediately. | sent one Of the oilers mn io
, We Ohtt Engineer telling him 10 tell the
captain that we had better get before the
Wind m order o. get the water out. Tho
, Captain said, That's inst what I'm tryine ~
&C.. hut tho vessel was IN the trough of The
, sea, anu 10 was impossible to
DO ". We worked one enrinc
back and the other forward, bat Il was IN No
nsq we couldn't stir her. AZ this time Tie
water eamo IN aud put ont the fires. mi. yv@s
, at about 10 O'Clock Previous to l6ie-at shcn,
9oeiock-Wo had holstcd sail aud btd alan
at up the signal of distress. When the 6rcs
went out, then we began TO think of SAVING
tufseiNcs IN the small boats There was No
excitement among tie crew everybody know
hts place aud kept Il. 70 the best of NV
knowledge Captain Swcetmau did an thai
could bo done. he was perfectly calm aud
en0l. ~ scows queer that some 81 the h,ats
At the Haven didn't come to oar relief. some
say they saw the signal other say they didn't
AT about n O'Clock We began lowering the
boats. The boat which belonged 20 our crew
We gave TO the passengers as also another
one. We then took a metallic boat-No.
land launched her. As steppcd
lu, prisc0ll and several others umpcd
ia, Acoal-passer jumped after our boat as
We pushed away. Tie must have jumped al
least twenty feet ll0 struck the side of Tho
boat and chung 10 her. When We were abont
twenty-five feet away our boat capsized 1
came NJ exactly under her, striking my head
against Tie soais, We al clnng 10 her fnf
about an hour and a half. We did not leave
The propeller until just rs she sunk After
Nc eapsi1ed and we're Cliuging 70 the boat We
looked baca,a there wa Mike Crosson, the
first mate standing away up IN the mast, wav.
ing has hand as the ship went down. The mast
broke aud he was struck by Il IN the face aud
across the back, iniunng him somewhat.
After that We lost sight Of him FOR awhile.
Then We drihcd among some Of tine driftWn0d
q the propeller and succeeded in ughtng our
boat and still eluuu a. her sffhWw.t, 49,. $3.50.