News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-12-06
FIVE DAYS ON A WRECK.
THE THRILLING EXPERIENCE OF
WOMAN ON LAKE ERIE YEARS
The Schooner In which she Takes Passage
Meets Squat aud Fills with Water,
and the Crew, Surprising Her TO be
Drowned, Desert the schooner.

The schooner in which She Takes Passage
Meets IL SquaIl aud Fills with Water
and the Crew, Surprising Her TO be
Drowned, Desert the schooner.
A Buffalo letter says:-The recent dis
asters ON the lakes, with their usual at
tendant of loss of life and property and
narrow escapes of shipwrecked sailors
and passengers, have given old lake
sailors opportunity of recalling many
curious and thrilling incidents of navl-
cation ON either one or the other of these
great inland seas. The most remarka-
bic experience that has been related is
that of an elderly woman, an aunt of the
the late Gilman Appleby, who com
manded lake craft for forty years. Eff
ty years ago he lived at COnneaut, Ohio,
aud was at that time one of the owners
and captain of a we'll known schooner,
the State of Connecticut. Mrs. VIII
liam Johns, his aunt, was visiting ut his
fathers house, ana became suddenly
homesick and expressed her determine
ton to return to her home at Black
Rock on her nephew's schooner which
was about ready to leave for Buffalo.
The captain was then experimenting
the building of the steamboat North
America, at COnneaut, a vessel which he
afterward commanded 1t would be
ready to launch in a few days, and he
begged his aunt 10 await and return
home on board the new vessel. She in
sisted on returning at once, and the cap
tain reluctantly placed her in charge of
the schOOnGr's crew.
Two days after the crew returned to
COnneaut in another vessel. They re-
ported that Just after they passed Erie
they were caught by one of those sudden
and violent squalls that are such a ter
ror to the sailors on Lake Erie. The
schooner was capsized, but, although III
short time becoming full of water, did not
sink. Mrs. Johns was in the cabin, and
the crew, believing that she was
drowned, and being anxious to save
themselves, lowered the schoOners boat
and deserted the vessel without paying
any attention to the passenger. They
succeeded IN reaching shore safely at a
small village near Dunkirk, and made
their way back to COnneaut.
1t was the third day after the wreck
before Capt. Appleby could arrange to
go in search of the body of his aunt.
The steamboat Peacock, from Detroit,
which was on its way to Erie and Buff
falo, was engaged by Capt. Appleby to
look for the wreck and take the body of
his aunt to Buffalo. The steamboat
came across the wreck, which was DRIFT
ing on its side as it had been left, and a
number of the crew boarded it. In MAX
ing an examination of its condition they
found 1t to all appearances full of water
They thrust poles down into the cabin,
but did not come in contact with any
thing floating about. Believing that the
body had floated out in the lake, they
left the wreck as they had found it.
Word to this effect was sent to Capt.
Appleby, and on the fifth day after the
schooner had been capsized he went in
search of her himself, with facilities for
righting her, if found. A son of the
missing woman accompanied him. They
found the schooner still drifting abOut
in the lake on her side.
After several hours the schooner was
up on her keel, and before
she had hardly righted Mrs. Johns, hag-
gard, worn almost to a skeleton, and
every shred of her clothing dripping
with water, staggered mp the cabin
stairs and fell unconscious on the deck.
The thought of her being alive never
having been entertained, her sudden APP
pearance before her relatives and the
crew was so startling that the crew fled
III terror to the other vessel, and it was
some time before the captain and his
nephew recovered their self possession.
Mrs. Johns was restored to conscious
ness, but she was so weak that she was
unable until the next day to tell how
she had saved herself and managed to
keep alive during the five days the
schooner was drifting about on the lake
She said that when the schooner went
over she did not know what had hap
pened. She was thrown down. and bv
the time she arose to her feet the water
was up to her waist. 1t subsequently
rose to her arm pits, and was at that
height most of the time. She could not
lie down. and althOuoh tha cabin door.
was open the water was nearly three feet
above it, and she could not get out
When the crew of the steamboat Pea
cock boarded the wreck she could hear
the men walk and talk overhead. She
saw the pole they thrust into the cabin,
but it always came III at a spot where it
could not touch her nor she graspit, and
before she could make her way to the
pot the pole would be withdrawn and
thrust i'll at another distant place. This
failure to make her presence known, she
said, removed every vestige Of hope for
ler.
All that Mrs Jones had had to eat was
4 water soaked craker and an onion,
which came floating to her. Twice she
ricd to drown herself by putting her
head under water, but she could not.
She fell asleep several times while stand
ng in the water. 1t was only by the
most superhuman efforts that She gath
red sufficient strength to make her way
10 the cabin stairs when the schooner
vas ri9hted by Capt Appleby. She
heard the men walking from the time
hey arrived on the scene. She did not
Know who they were, and listened to
hem in a listless, dazed manner, which
pnly lett her when the vessel turned
pack on her keel. Then she appreciated
he situation, and escaped from the scene
If her five days misery and terror. Mrs.
Johns lived many years after her extra
experience on the schooner,
nd always spoke of it with shudder.