Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-28
LOSS OF THE HURON |,
One Hundred and Fourteen
Drowned.
Y. >. steaner Wrecked

H., 10 the cnieI slgnAl officer as fol-
Ows:
The U, S. man of war steamer.
Huron, struck, two miles north of
No. station, at 80 a, m. Her FORE
nasts, main and top masts are gone.
The steamer is total wreck and as
,istance is needed Immediately. The
,ea is breaking over her and several
have already washed ashore drowned.
The number on board is about l35.
No cargo. The Huron smiled yester-
day from Fortress Monroe for Ha-
vanah.
The Navy Department has no adj
vices Of disaster to the Huron beyond
The regular press dispatches. The
authorities are taking
measures to get prompt information
but the facilities are not good. The
Huron was under command Of Com
modore Geo. p. Ryan and her list of |
officers in addition thereto, as far as
known at the department, was as fol-
lows: ;.s
Licutenants s. o. Simmons and l.. |
G. Palmer; Masters, VIM. III. Con-.
way, II. r. Tyler and w. s. French |
Engineers, Lucien Young and F. w.
Bonner; Surgeon, G. s. Colbreth
Passed Assistant Paymaster, Carey N.
Saunders; Chief Engineer E. III. Ol-
son; Asst. Engineer, II. G. Denig /;
Captains Clerk, j. Dc Calvin; Cadet
Engineers, f. 4. Washburton and r.
NJ. LOOMS; Draughtsman, Jno. j.
Evans.
The Huron was an iron screw pro-
peller, carrying four guns, of 54l
tons and of the same class exactly as
the new vessels, Alert and Ranger,
now on the Asiatic stations. She had
been ont from Fortress Monroe only
about twelve hours when the disaster
occurred.
3:l5 r. M.-Ihe signal service OBJ
server at Kitty Hawk, N. c., reports
to chief signal officer at 3 r. NJ, as fol-
lows: Surfmen have just returned
and report that the Huron has gone
to pieces. Thirty saved. All the
others perished. No assistance rem
dered. There were 135 persons on
board the Huron.
NORFOLK, Nov. 24.-As soon as the
news reached here to-day that the U.
s. steamer Huron was ashore, the
steamer Resolute was dispatched and
Rear Admiral Trenchard, command
ing the North Atlantic squadron in
Hampton Roads, sentthe U. S. steam
cr Swatara and the tug Fortune to
the scene of the wreck.
THE STORM RACED ALL NIGHT
along the coast. The wind blew
about 20 miles an hour.
The Huron got caught in the highth
of q gale, and while trying to hold
her head to the wind her machinery
gave way, her sails were useless, and
she drifted ashore. 1t appears there
was no assistance rendered from
shore life saving stations. The q. s.
steamer Powhatton has left Fortress
Moroe for the scene of the wreck,
| WASHINGTON, Nov. 24-The fol-
lowing telegram was received here
at O'Clock this evening and copy
Immediately sent to the Secretary of
the Navy:
/ KITTY HAWK, s p. 1n.-I have just
returned from the wreck, distance
of s miles down. No man is at the
wreck at present. l walked there
and back with medicines and such
other articles as could carry, as nc
horse was available, and this morn.
ing am completely worn out.
have just sent a man down to the
wreck to ascertain whether Lieut.
Palmer is lost or saved.
i This morning the chief officer re.
fused to give me the names of those
lost or saved, as he cared to break
the news too suddenly to their rela
i tivcs. NAYI.oR.
SECRETARY THOMPSON
has taken measures for the promptes'
assistance to the saved. He has sem
q steamer to the scene, from Norfolk
in addition to other vessels dispatch
ed, in the hopes that some may bt
picked up. The Secretary has also
telegraped 10 the signal observer al
Kitty Hawk to use every possible ex'
ertiOn to relieve the saved, to employ
messengers and to send them up tt
Norfolk, and get the people to take
every care of them. The Navy De
partment expects to get very full in
formation tomorrow, OF the wreck
by the signal service. The observes
at Kitty Hawk reports to the chic
signal officer, at 5 sop. M, as follows
Il Among those saved are: E Z
Washburton. Penn, cadet Engineer
Lucien Young, Kentucky, ensign.
\ r. G.. ENG, Ohio, assistant ngineer
/ George r Ryan and John Murphy
ships cooks.
4 Carp N Sanders, Pennsylvania, pas
assistant paymaster.
4 Patrick Nance, ordinary seaman.
Assistance is wanted Immediately
The men are only half clothed anl
the dead uncared for-seven now ly
ing dead on the beach; others wht
persisted are still in the breakers
Only four officers and thirty mer
were saved. The Captain persisted
The saved and the bodies of tn,
drowned will be taken to Norfolk to
morrow. Tho Huron is completely
under water and total loss.
4 WASHINGTON, Nov. 24.-The loss O
the Huron was not generally known
until somewhat late in the afternoon
and as a consequence there was very
few inquiries at the Navy Depart
ment by the friends and relatives O
those on board for details of the ca
lamity, or information as to who hai
been lost or saved. But tonight
INQUIRIES
are very numerous in all quarter
where it is possible that any informa
ton could concentrate as to the fat,
: of the unfortunathe ships company
1t is not considered in any way reas
7 enable to suppose, but there may b,
some who are saved in addition Il
, those known to have reached shore a
the same time Ensign Young and hi
boats crew landed, yet rigid look
out will be kept and
i THE HOPE IS NOT DEAD
!. with many that the dispatch of stou
J ships may result in the discover
alive of some now thought to be lost
From the list of those saved and
!. which contains the name Of only ON,
line officer, Ensign Lucien Young
naval officers are inclined to the opin
ion that only one boat from the HUI
ron which under naval rules, would
be under the command Of line off
Ger, succeeded in reaching tho shore
The others not in this boat wer,
thrown upon the beach, but in sucl
an exhausted condition as to be
UNABLE TO SAVE THEMSELVES,
or be resuscitated. Up 10 this tim,
there is no ground for any clear as
!, sertions of such incidents, but nava
officers advance these ideas as not i'm
probable. As to what rendered tn,
steamer SO helpless as to drift upol
dangerous shoals, several believe hel
engines must have broken down leav
ing the ship absolutely at the mercy
of the wind and waves. Again 9th.
er naval officers say that with her en-
gines thorough in strength and ii
J perfect working order, she should
have had no trouble in steering hel
way down the coast. Another theo
ry Of the naval officers is that wher
the vessels ENGINES became diaa III al