Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-31
The Detroit River Disaster Sixteen
Lives Lost.

DErioIT, MICH, July %
A TERRIBLE accident occurred about
! 10 O'Clock last evening on the be
! troit River, some nine miles below
this city. Tie excursion steamer Garland
I with ,sr persons on toard: under the ;.uspi-
ccs ofthc Detroit MoulIcr,' Mon, while :,oint
down the river, coliidcd with ibe stea.
! yacht Mamie. coming up cutting her il
| two, 20 mat she almost Instant, sunk. The
/ latter had on board twcnt y-tuur persons, con
! sistinG mainly OF Father III cnburgh, pa. tOi
I of Trinity Roman Cathoiic Church, and n mum
bcr ui aculytc boys and others officiating in
various capacities III the sclVice in the church
They had been on an annua! excursion t.
Monroe, and were returning home. The
night was bright and moonlight. and there
would seem 10 have been no earthly reason
save that oi criminal ne slig"nce why the ac-
cidcnt -h ,uid have occurred.
TIE LOST.
of those on board the Mamie, the following
were drowned: Mis-. Fred. Mariiu wife OF tie
engineer: Miss LiLIi. Murphy EouscSeeper
domestic in the ftrocnIal school OF Trinity
Church; Frank Solan, John Howe, Daniel
Barry, John Donovan, Willie Cuddy, David
Cuddy, John Cosgroye, james Toouey, Jos.
Monaghan. (rheSc nine were altar boys OF
the Church, aged from eleven to fourteen }
Thomas Kelley, sexton ct tn. Church; jim
Kelly, organ blower, and Andrew DOran, "A
boy who was invited to accompany the cxcur
sion. Thomas Me- og.tn. another boy is miss
ing, and i doubtless drowned.
THE SAVED.
Capt Hoffman, Engineer Martin, Father
Bleycnburgh. Miss Lizzie Dus5ean, OF Monroe
and four Others, were saved.
All the parties reached this city about .
O'Clock this morning.
FATHER BLEYESBUGGH's STATEMENT.
In an interview Father Bicycnburgh states
that lust priorto the collision most of the boys
were Ill tine cabin. He WAS sitting with the
older members of the party, and they no o.iccd
the steamer coming down the river. The Gar
land and the Fortune tanother stcamer)
IN NOT
very rapidly. Il do not know he said -.
hardly dare TO assert it, and Yet it seemed to
me" and the father made II significant pause,
Is though he thought they were racing. He
went ON to say that lie did not dream. OF 4 col
lision; in fact, he had just said to tIi-s bus
sean, who was sitting beside him, that it was ::
picturesque and cXhiiirlting sight to see IL
steamer plow through the water on such IL
bright moo pnliglt night when n" saw the Gar
land suddenly loom up larger, and instantly
OWNED with horror that :, collision was i'm
lnineHt. Tie Mamie whi-tlcd, and soon after
the Garland replied, bat bore directly down
on the Fragile yacht, crushing it if it had
been an egg -saell, fairly cutting it in two
amidships. At the moment he had OWNED
III. ;Ec collision was unavoidable, he had
shouted to his friends and children Come to
ihr front. come to the 'front.' Some o. them
did so. Miss Dusscan followed him. and at
the same time he ielt the boat give way beneath
him, and caught hold OF :. rope on the Gar
Land. The young lady did the same. some
body on board the steamer pulled her aboard
ed. The four boys who were saved crawled
ont OF the cabin windows of the yacht and
threw themselves into the water. Th.-v were
picked up by the life boat OF the Garland.
which WAS Immediately lowered: but some
who might have been saved we're, he fears
drowned by the swell or run down by the For,
tune, which plowed along very soon after
This w.Is not the fault OF tine Fortune as they
seemed to suppose that the Garland people
who hailed them III alarm and anxiety, were
cheering incIn. The father did not know how
the accident could have occurred at all, "a it
was such brilliant moonlight that the small.
est obiec. could be discei ned at ii great dis.
tance.
Persons on the Garland claim that the right
of way belonged to her, As she was going
down stream and WAS the larger b Jat
Mamie, they say. came straight toward the
signaling that she would pass 10
the left by blast whistle to which the Garland
course until the Mamie was almost under the |
bow OF the Garland, when the pilot OF the |
Mamie threw his wheel over and she swung |
directly across the stream, and presented
4 broadside to the Garland. In this posi- |
ion the latter struck her squarely, Just |
aft of the pilot house, crushing in her side, |
md submerginS her whole forward part. |
her engine. but did not reverse it. She was |
apparently going at nearly her full rate OF |
speed ut the moment OF the collision. When |
he two vessels struck they chung together for |
moment or two, and the pilot of the Mamie |
md one or two passengers clambercd on |
BOARD the Garland with assistance. The Car
and then began TO back and the two vessels |
separated. The Mamie then drifted down |
tream, her forward part submerged or en-
ircly carried away, but her stern
,ut of the water. she sank entirely out of |
light i'll about ten minutes