Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-09-04
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1880
4. FEARFUL DlSATSER!
THE MARINE CITY BURNED,
Several Lives I.Ost-The Passengers
from ChebOygan all Saved.

Several Lives Iost-The Passengers
from ChebOygan all Saved.
Sunday evening the telegraph brought
word that the Marine City, the we'll
known shore steamer that had run
to Cheboygan for many years, had been
burned. The first word was that the
passengers had all been saved, but a
later dispatch stated that fifty or sixty
lives had been lost. As there were a
number of passengers from our village
on board, this carried CONSERVATION to
their friends here, and all were eager to
ascertain in regard to the safety of
those in whom they were more particu-
larly interested. We are glad to say
that this report of the great loss of life
proved untrue, and that among the
saved were all from ChebOygan. Those
from this village on the ill-fated steam
er were Miss Sadie Van Arsdale, Mrs.
Lizzie Sharp, Miss Jennie Sharp. and
Thomas Sharp. Beside these residents
of our village, there were others who
took passage here, who had many ac-
quaintances and friends among our citi-
zens among them being W. A. King, of St.
GATHERINGS, Ont, who has spent the most
of the summer in our village. He was also
among the saved. Miss Sadie Van Arsdale
was in the water about three quarters of
an hour before she was picked up. She
is reported as keeping cool under the
trying circumstances, and thus, not only
preserving her own life, but that of a
lady who was elinging to cot, and who
a number of times was about sinking,
when Miss Van Arsdale rendered her aid
and enabled her to sustain herself upon
her frail support until they were both
rescued.
The following particulars we take
from the Post and Tribune.
CAPT. COMER'S STATEMENT.
ALPENA. August 30.-Capt. Conner,
master of the Marine City, arrived here
on the st. Paul this morning. He makes
the following statement. We left Alpena,
bound down, at 1890 o'clock Sunday,
with full load of freight and about 105
passengers. We made AlcOna at 1:30,
and loaded $4,000 shingles and;lath, put
on wood for fuel, and took on 10 passen-
ger. We left AlcOna about $50, with the
first mate in charge. l had laid down
and was asleep, when about $50 clock
was awakened by mate Smith, who
rushed into my room saying the boat
was on fire. l jumped up and ran into
the cabin, and saw
THE FLAMES AROUND THE SMOKE-STACK
nearly three feet high above the cabin
floor.
FIGHTING THE FIRE.
l went out on the promenade deck and
asked the mate if the steam blowers
were on. He replied: II don't know"
ordered him below to turn them on full
head, if possible, and then went on the
hurricane deck and got stream of wat
er from the deck on to the flames, and
placed the same in charge of the second
mate. / then learned that Mate Smith
from the main deck on the discovery of
tuc ul0: ouu UclOlO i was Cd1l6us 0t
had the pOney engine at work, and then
got force at work on the hurricane
deck with the buckets, 81 in number.
At first the water seemed to quell the
flames, but they Immediately broke
through the skylight on the deck. about
seven feet forward of the stack, and
spread almost instantly across the boat.
The whole boat seemed afire amidships.
l was then satisfied we could not subdue
the flames or save the boat, and there
fore ordered the mate to lower the boats
and life RATS,
LAUNCHING THE LIFE BOAT.
They were only able to launch two
boats, the fire being so hot that it drove
the men from the life RATS and the two
other boats before they could be launch
ed. All communication with the after
part of the boat was cut off, and
GENERAL PANIC ENSUED.
/ saw some of the crew and passengers
getting ready to jump into the lake, and
ordered all to remain on board, but some
did not obey me. / then made an effort
to stop the engine, but the bell-rOpes
had burned and the engineer was
DRIVEN FROM THE ENGINE ROOM.
/ could not stop the wheel and the
wind was blowing quite fresh from the
east, and striking us on the port bow,
driving the flames aft where the main
part of the passengers were. ordered
the wheel hard a-pOrt, bringing the
boats stern to the wind. Then l ordered
the wheel hard a-starbOard to bring the
boat up to to the wind. Before she swung
up to the wind she would not mind the
helm and the wheelsman reported that
she had no connection with, the helm.
The boat then lay brOadside to the wind,
slowly working her wheel and drifting
toward the beach. Twenty-One passen-
gers and crew got into one of the boats
which had been launched and 16 into
the other boats.
LEAVING THE STEAMER.
/ assisted the passengers in getting
things to support them in the water in
case of necessity.
When / first came on deck l saw the
tug Vulcan out in the lake, going up
nearly abreast of us. She at once came
to the rescue, and
ENCOURAGED THE PASSENGERS
to remain aboard until. the tug got to
US.
THE wHEELSMAN REMAINED AT HIS POST
UNTIL DRIVEN AWAY BY THE FLAMES.
The Vulcan came alongside, and took
off those forward, and before reaching us
lowered her boat to pick up those in the
water.