Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-10-03

Steam Barge East Saginaw.
The particulars of the wreck and
laundering of the steam barge East
Saginaw, last week, are given as fol-
lows:
About 10 o'clock at night, on the
oath, she was trying to reach the har-
Dor of refuge at Sand Beach-the
wind blowing heavy from the north
east. In tow of the Saginaw were
four barges. A heavy rain occurred
at that time, making it difficult to see
the lights, and the Saginaw was head
ed for the lights too soon, which caus-
ed her fetch up on the reef south of
the piers. She pounded heavily,
broke her wheel and began to fill with
water. AT midnight the mate and
two sailors went to the harbor in the
yawl boat and tried to get a tug to
help them or else tow in the barges.
The tug Adams attempted to do SO,
but, owing to the heavy sea and thick
weather, was unable to do so. The
Saginaw remained on the reef until
about one o'clock in the morning,
when she got off and drifted out into
the lake. On their way out they pass
ed close to the steam barge Osceola,
and asked her to tow them in. The
Osceola replied they would send tug.
The Saginaw answered back that they
were sinking, but the Osceola went on.
When about eight or ten miles from
shore, the Saginaw foundered, her
crew being saved by the steamer Cone
maugh. The Saginaw had no cargo
on board at the time of the wreck.
Captain Harry Richardson was part
owner and loses about $4,000. The
Saginaw was valued at $4,000. One
of her survivors relates the following
regarding the manner in which they
were saved:
after the East Saginaw got off the
point where she struck we would have
cast anchor but a tug was expected
every minute, and as she was leaking
badly every effect was made to keep
her ahoat. Men were set to work,
three at the forward hatch, five at the
after, and the engineers and 6remen
worked with the ash bucket in the fire
hold. Everybody bailed with might
and main, while the captain kept a
lookout from the pilot house ready to
signal any tug or steamer that might
come in sight. The yawl boat was
made ready and was hung from the
davits so that no time would be lost
if it came to the worst. From about
2 p. NJ, when the steam barge got off
the point, until nearly 7 o'clock, we
kept the leaking steambarge afoat by
dint of the hardest possible work on
the part of the crew. The sea was
not breaking, but the swells were very
large, and, although the vessel rolled
very badly, she shipped very little
water. At 7 o'clock the water was up
level with the deck, and all hope was
abandoned. She was now from eight
to ten miles from land, having drifted
that distance after being released from
shore. When Capt. Richardson was
informed that the water was even
with the main deck he ordered the
crew to stop bailing and take to the
boat, which they did, the captain and
mate being the last men to quit the
ship. We kept in the lee until she
went dowr. There were fourteen of
us in the boat, and there was only
about six inches Of the side out, so
that we could not row because it took
us all our time to keep her head up
into the sea and keep her from filling.
When Capt. Cochran started to pick
us up he used great skill in doing SO:
He rounded the Conemaugh to and
brought her in between us and the
wind, keeping her nearly in the trough
of the sea. He did this so as to shell
ter us. Had he kept her head into
the sea we could not have been taken
on board, because the sea would have
been so great that the boat would GER
tainly have been swamped. The pro-
peller was rolling heavily and it was
with the greatest difficulty that we
kept the boat from being capsized
while we clambered on board. When
all but two were safe, the edge Of the
yawl was caught under the propeller's
guard and the yawl capsized. One of
the men jumped into the after gang
way, but the other, VIM. Eccles, jr.,
son Of the stewart, was carried away.
In order to pick him up the Cone
maugh had to make complete circle
in the lake, very difficult thing to
do with such a heavy sea running,
but he was at last taken on board.
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