Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-09-16
wRECKING OF THE BERTsCHY.
Two Memphis Ladies' Lose all Their
ClOthlng---The Way They Do
Things on Lake Huron.

"Some of the ladies had a large
wardrobe. The two Memphis ladies
especially had elegant clothing. All
this was stolen by these thieves, so that
the ladies we're left with nothing but
the clothes they had on when taken
ashore" This was what Captain G.
W. McGregor, of the propeller
Bertschy, said, when he landed at
Detroit last week, after his vessel had
been lost in a storm in Lake Huron.
1t was in this ship that Miss Kate J.
Buckley and sister, of this city, were
shipwrecked week before last. Miss
Buckley, in relating the story, said
that she and her sister had left home
to escape the ravages of the yellow
fever, to meet the most trying expert
ence in their lives. She said that after
leaving Port Austin the Bertschy
rolled, pitched and pounded in the
trough of the sea until the hole was
finally knocked in the bottom. She
said the passengers did not become
panic-stricken when they learned that
the propeller was leaking, but, on the
contrary, conducted themselves with
the utmost fortitude and coolness
She denounced in unmeasured terms
the thieving dervishes who plundered
the trunks of the passengers, as de =
scribed by Captain McGregor, remark
ing that she and her sister were left
with nothing in the shape of wearing
apparel.
The captain said the meanest
wreckers that ever went unhung live
on the shores of Lake Huron. The
baggage foated ashore, and as fast as
a trnnk would be landed on the beach
two or three Of the wreckers would
seize it very much as hawk pounce,
upon chicken, and Immediately rur
to the woods with it. There they
would burst it open and strip it of thu
contents in a minute. In telling abou
the loss of his ship the captain said
| We had just passed Port Austir
: | when the gale became SO furious tha
she was obliged to put back to Por
| Austin. When the wind changed th,
vessel continued her course. Tha
was about seven o'clock. Thursda,
evening we were getting alonl
fairly, until the vessel sprang
leak. We took to the pump
and bent all our energies to stop th,
leak. But it was no use The waite
gained on us very rapidly, and abou
| 10 o'clock | headed the Bertschy fo
shore. At this time it was pitch dark
the rain was pouring in torrents ant
it was blowing a hurricane. 1t wa
impossible to see any distance, but
knew we were off Grindstone City
and / endeayored to beach her between
the two docks. | knew that if | coulc
do that | could get the passenger
ashore and save the cargo, if not saw,
the boat. But we got very close t,
shore before the water, which haC
/, been breaking over us for some time
had put out the fires. called to tn,
engineer to keep her going ten minutes
longer, but it was no use. We saw
that the Bertschy must 20 to pieces
and the next thing to do was to max,
an effort to save the passengers anC
crew The majority of the passenger
were ladies, and | never saw NOR,
brave or cool headed women in m,
life. They behaved much better thai
the men. We launched boat abou
10 o'clock containing the mates anc
four men. But no boat could live il
that sea, and she capsized very soon
The men clung to the upturned boa
and were carried ashore. They land
ed on the high rocks and hung ther,
until daylight, when they were res
cued by the people on the shore. w
launched another boat about midnight
but did not succeed in getting tina
ashore. We then concluded to wal
until daylight before making any fur
ther efforts to save ourselves. Whel
morning came, the boats from tn
life saving station arrived and save,
fbo naot,la on hOord