The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-29
The Detroit River DiSaster-Sixteen
Lives Lost.
DETROIT, MICH, July @

DETROIT MICH, July o.
A TERRIBLE accident occurred about
10 O'Clock last evening on the De
troit River, some nine miles below
this CITY The excursion steamer Garland,
with POO persons on board. under the auspl-
ces ofthe Detroit MoulderS' Union, while gong
down the river, collided with the steam
yacht Mamie, coming up, cutting her IN
two, so that she almost instantly sunk. The
latter had on board twenty -tourperSons, CON
SstinT mainly OF Father BlyenDurSl, pastor
of Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and mum o
Der Of acolyte boys and others ofhclating IN
various capacities in the service in the church.
They had been on an annual excursion TO
Monroe, and we're returning home. inc
night WAS bright and moonlight, ana there
WOuld seem to have been no earthly reason
save that of criminal negligence why the &C
cident should have occurred.
THE LOST.
Of those on board the Mamie, the following
were drowned: MIS-. Fred. Martin, wife OF the
engineer; Mis- Lizzie Murphy, hOusekeeper
for Father Bieyenberg, Miss Mary liam,
domestic in the Parocnial School OF Trinity
Church; Frank SOlan, John Howe, Daniel
Barry, John Donovan, Willie Cuddy, DAVID
Cuddy. John COsgrove, James ToOmey, JOS.
Monaghan These nine were altar boys OF
the Church, aged from eleven to tourteen.)
Thomas Kelley, sexton OF the Church; jim
Kelly organ blower, and Andrew Doran, a
boy who was invited to accompany the eNcur-
! sion. Thomas Nc logan, another boy, Is miss
! ing, and is doubtless drowned.
THE SAVED.
Capt Hoffman, Engineer Martin, Father
| Blpycnburgh Miss Lizzie Dussean, OF Monroe
! and four others, were saved.
! All the parties reached this city about {
! O'Clock this morning.
FATHER BLEYENBUBGH's STATEMENT.
In an interview Father Bleyenburgh states
/ that lust priorto the cOllisiOnmOst of the boys
| were i'll the cabin. He was sitting with the
! older members of the party, and they noticed
! the steamer coming down the river. The Car
| land and the Fortune (another steamer.
J ,,.,l4 ut
very rapidly. Il do not know" he said, 81
! hardly dare to assert it, and yet it seemed Il
me-" and the father made a significant pause
! as though he thought they were racing. lie
! went on to say that he did not dream. OF a col
! lision; in fact, he had just said to Miss Dus
/ sean, who was sitting beside him, that II was
/ picturesque and eNhliiratlng sight to see a
steamer pillow through the water on such a
! bright moonlight night,when he saw the Car
! land suddenly loom up larger, and instantly
| OWNED with horror that Il collision was I'M
/ minent The Mamie whiStled, and soon after
/ the Garland replied, bat bore directly dow
on the fragile yacht, crushing II as II II hdC
| been an egg-slell, fairly cutting 1t IN t"C
I amidships. At the moment he had dlNlnet
. that the collision was unavoidable, he had
! shouted to his friends and children "COme e
the front. come to the front" Some o. then
/ id so. Miss DusSean followed Inn, and a
1he same time he felt the boat give way beneath
/ him, and caught hold OF a rope on the Car
| land. The young lady did the same some,
! body on board the steamer pulled her aboard
| and he climbed the rope he had hold of unaid
ed The four boys who were saved crawlet
/ ont OF the cabin windows OF the yacht ant
/ threw themselves into the water They wer
picked up by the lifc-bOat of the Garland
which was Immediately lowered; but SOM
. who might have been saved were, he fears
; drowned by the swell or run down by the For
tune which plowed along very soon after
/ This was not the fault of the Fortune, as the.
/ seemed to suppose that the Garland people
who hailed them in alarm and anxiety, wer
cheering them. The father did not know how
[ the accident could have occurred at all, as /
| WAS such a brilliant moonlight tina the small
est object could be disceined at a great dis
] lance
Persons on the Garland claim that the right
/ of way belonged TO her, as she was goins
down stream and was the larger boat
/ Mamie they say, came straight toward tn
Garland, signaling that she would pass Il
the left by Il blast whistle, to which the Garland
I responded Neither apparently changed it,
I course until the Mamie WAS almost under thu
| how of the Garland, when the pilot OF TIN
/ Mamie threw his wheel over and she SWUNG
| directly across the stream, and presented
| a broadside TO the Garland. In this posi-
ton the latter struck her squarely, jus
| aft of the pilot house, crushing in her side
/ and submeRging her whole forward part
/ Before they struck the Garland stopped
! her engine, but did not reverse it. She wa
/ apparently going at nearly her full rate o
I speed at the moment of the collision. WheI
the two vessels struck they chung together tol
I a moment or two, and the pilot of the Mamie
7 and one or two passengers cIambered OF
. land tken began to back and the two vessel:
. separated. The Mamie then dr1fted dow
. stream her forward part submerged or en-
tirely carried away, but her sterI
ont Of the water. she sank entirely out o
: sight ~ about ten minutes