The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-20
THELAKEDISAsTER
Further Particulars Of the Wreck on
Lake Ontario.
The Stories Of the Surviving Officers
..s Of the Tugs.
twenty-five Persons Saved and
Nine Lost.

oswEoo, n. Y, Nov. l9.-The fol
lowing additional particulars relative tc
the lake disaster have been received: Two
tugs oftbe aeet were seen to go down
The tug Barker came along side the dredGe
Gordon about 1850 a. NJ, half fall OF water,
Geo. Palmer, Geo. Logan and VIM. Logan
jumped aboard the dredge, and immed.
lately thereafter the tug disappeared.
The tug q. Thayer went down about 8
p, ". Her captain, Henry Heckler, was
saved by her engineer. Those supposed
to be lost on board the dredHe Gordon,
were Richard Arnold, Patrick Egan, Billy
Logan, s. Logan, Geo. Palmer and his
wife. The water In the engine room was
waist deep at 4:40 A. N. The Gordon sank
and all on board were drowned, except
ing fireman Smith, and two brothers
named Heather, who were picked up by
the etug Seymour.
SAcKErTs HARBoR. Nov. 19.-Leyis, the
engineer Of the tug Seymour, says: About
eight o'clock the wind increased to gale
and Capt. Logan, Of the tug Brecker, came
alongside and called out "Some OF our
scows are sunk" It was then showing
hard.
Thos. Smith, fireman on the dredge Cor.
don, says: The tug Brecker came along.
side the Gordon at nine o'clock, striking
her stem and on sprtnglug q plank
broke a spar; she also cracked three
planks whichthen commenced to open and
let in water 80 fast that 1t was impossible
to keep her clear. She had ninety pounds
OF steam. The Brecker came alongside
again attwelve O'Clock and called out I'VE
are swamptng." l wanted to put out a
line then. Mr.. Arnold said, "jump aboard
the Gordon and let the tug go" which
they did and the tug Breeker went down
at once, along side the dredge. Smith then
went down forward, where the hoisting
and hacking chain come through, and took
some old clothes andtTied to stop the leak,
but heavy sea rendered all efforts futile.
He then came, on deck and Richard Arnold
asked him how was the leak, when Smith
replied he could not stop It, although he
bettered q little run. Arnold then asked
him II he could use some OF his under
clothing, which we're much finer and
would wor k to better advantage, he said
he thought he could. He then went
down again and did the best he could,
until water rose in the forward hold and
pressed him against deck and put
out his lamp. He then cut hole in the
floor Of the fire hole and used pals in bail
ing out. The boat then careened and the
water came in the engine room door.
Then MIR. Arnold told me to blow the
whistle for the tug Seymour to come to
our assistance, but could not see her turn.
ing around or coming. Then he said to
blow again, which l did twice, but was
obliged to leave the engine room, as the
water was then waist deep. Then Mr..
Arnold says, Tom, we are gone" says,
eyes, We are gone" We then started for
the stern OF the dredge. Patrick Egan
pulled of door and handed it Mr.. Ar
mold. We stood together q second, and
then came and took the door from Egan's
hand. Smith then says, "Come with me-"
and started for the tow line OF the Sew.
mour and went fifteen or twenty feet on
the line. He was too heavy and returned
to the dredge. When he got back he call
ed out for Egan and for Arnold, but
could get no answer. They were gone,
carried off by the sea. Then he got hold
Of Mrs. Palmer's hand, and her husband
had her around the waist. She says,
George, We must CO." He tried to cheer
her to hang on a few moments longer, and
q swell then came and carried both away.
! could not hold them any longer. VIM.
Hogan was carried away about fifteen
minutes after, and then Samuel Logan. l
had Just spoken to him, asking him II he
could hold out until daylight, but got no
response. This left three, Charles and
Neal Hanthan and myself. Charles Han
than said, II cannot hold on any longer"
l told him TO hold on all he could. Itook
hold OF his collar and helped him, Neal
Hanthan standing between him and me.
1t was now getting daylight, and the Sey-
mour came on towards US. A heavy line
was thrown to US. | hauled in the line
with one hand, holding the stock in my
teeth and holding the plank with my
other hand. made the line fast around
them. Then went aboard on the line
and the other two were hauled 10 the
side together and secured in an uucon.
scieus condition, one frothing at the
mouth.
G. F. Strah, Of the tug Ritter, says: At
about eight o'clock we were towing along.
side Of the Derrick, when the hawser men
commenced to call out that the scows
were breaking loose. told the fireman
TO drop back and for him to haul in the
hawser. He did get the hawser in. |
then called TO the men Of the Derrick to
let go the hawser, but they could not let
go. then ran out OF the pilot house to
let go the hawser, and could not, as the
line was iammed. The tug was about
capsizing, and went back to the pilot
house, got an AZ and cut the hawser, and
then ran alongside the Gordon twice to
get lines, but could not gear her without
danger Of sinking the Gordon or our
selves. l ran back again, and the tow
was gone. It was about 8 o'clock, and We
kept sight Of the balance OF the tow until
about 12 o'clock. The tug Brecker
was around without lights. It was
showing when the Brecker crossed our tow
and called TO us that they were in sink.
ing condition. Told them them to hold
on and | would get alongside. They
started off before could do so, and that
was the last l saw Of them. Stayed around
until 2:l0. Then the fireman came and
told me the water Was up to the CRATES.
Told them We would board the Seymour;
ran alongside and could have got aboard,
but did not see the men get of, and she
fell ot again. Told the fremen to tell the
engineer the next time we got alongside
10 jump, which we all did and let the tug
go adritt. This tugwas found next morn
ing all right. Two OF the three dredges
have been found near Sodus and the
scows are scuttled along the south shore
Of the lake.
oswEGo, November 19.-The tug Gard.
ner, which left this port for Sodus Point
yesterday, returned this evening and re.
ports eight scows OF the wrecked fleet ON
the beach between here and Sodus Point,
There were thirty.one persons on the feet
when Il left the river 81. Lawrence for
Lake Ontario. Sixteen were taken to
Sodus, six to sacketts hahor and three,
who were on the scow, are missing. The