The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-04-29
A THRILLING LAKE ADVENTURE.
The Story or weman's imprisonment In n
Wrecked Schooner.

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The story or q weman's Imprisonment In
Wrecked Schooner.
tEric (Ps.) Correspondence New York Tripune.j
The death Of Mrs. Emily Johns, OF this
county, recalls one OF the most remarkable
incidents OF navigation on Lake Erie OF
which there is any record or recoilection.
Mrs. Johns was an aunt OF the late Captain
Gilman Appleby, who commanded craft
OF different kinds on the lake for more
than forty years. In 1910 Captain
Appleby lived at Conncaut o., and
his aunt, then young woman,
was visiting az his home. She lived
near Buffalo. Captain Appleby owned
the schooner State OF Connecticut, and
was building ut Conneaut a steamboat after |
ward well known as the North America.
While Mrs. Johns was at her nephew's nome
she suddenly became very home-sick. and
no solicitation could induce her to remain
at Conneaut. Her nephew was DESTROYS
that she should remain few days until the
North America was ready for launching,
and return 10 Buffalo on board the YES
sell; but as she would not do so. he
placed her in charge OF the crew OF
his schooner, which was ready to start
for Buffalo. Two days afterward the
crew OF the schooner returned TO Con-
ncaut in another vessel. They reported TO
Captain Appleby that just after they had
passed Erie they were caught in one OF The
sudden and violent squalls to which Lake
Erie is liable. and which are terror to all
sailors on the "lakes." The schooner was
capsized, hut, although filling with water
in very short time, did not sink. Mrs.
Johns was in The cabin, and the crew, be-
/ lieying she was drowned, and being anX-
ious TO save themselves, hurried away in
the schooner's boat without paying any at.
tentiOn to the passenger. They succeeded
| i'm reaching shore near Dunkirk. and made
their way back to Conneaut.
II was three days after the wreck before
Captain Appleby could make arrangements
| to go in search OF his wrecked schooner
and endeay0r to recover the dead body OF
his relative. The steamer Peacock, from
Detroit, was on her way to Buffalo, and
was engaged by him to look out for the
wreck. and il the body was found to take
| ii TO Buffalo. The steamboat came across
the wreck. which was drifting on its side
as it had been left by the crew. A number
OF the Peacock's men boarded the schoon-
er, and found that the cabin was to all
appearances full OF water. They thrust
poles down into il. but did not come
in contact with anything floating about.
Believing that the body had hoated
out into the lake they left the wreck as they
had found it. Word to that effect was sent
TO Captain Appleby, and on the fifth day
after the schooner had c1psiZed he went in
search of her himself, with facilities for
righting her. He found the schooner still
drifting out in the lake on her side. After
several hours the schooner was straighten-
ed up on her keel. and before she had
hardly righted Mrs. Johns, haggard, worn
almost to a skeleton. and every shred OF
her clothing dripping with water, stag
gered up the cabin stairs, and fell uncOn-
scious on the deck. The thought OF her
being alive not having been for a moment
entertained. her sudden appearance was
so startling that the crew fled in terror TO
the other vessel, and it was some time be-
fore the captain himself recovered his self
possession. Mrs. Johns was restored to
consciousness, but she was so weak that
she was not able until the next cay to tell
how she managed to keep alive during the
| five days the schooner was drifting about
the lake. She said that when the vessel
went over she did not know what had hap
pened. She was thrown down, and by the
| time she got to her feet the water in the
cabin was up to her waist. 1t subse-
quently rose to her armpits, and was
at that height most OF the time. She could
not lie down. and although the cabin door
! was open the water was nearly three feet
above it. and she could not get out. When
| the men from the steamboat Peacock
boarded the wreck she heard them walk
and talk overhead, but she was so hoarse
| hot onn v,Af Oh 10 10 hnt
ence known. She saw the pole they
thrust into the cabin, but it ALWAYS came
in at q spot where it did not touch
her, nor could she grasp 1t, and be-
fore she could make her way to the
spot the pole would be Withdrawn and
thrust in at another distant place. This
failure to make it known that she was
alive in the cabin, she said, removed her
last vestige of hope that she would be res
cued. All that Mrs. Johns had to eat for
the last five days she was on the wreck
was a raw onion and water-soaked crack
er that floated Oil the water. Twice she
tried to drown herself, but she could not.
She fell asleep several times while standing
| in the water. 1t was only by the most SUI
perhuman efforts that che gathered suffi-
cient strength to make her way up
the cabin stairs when the schooner was
righted by Captain Appleby. She heard
the men walking about from the time they
arrived on the scene. She did not know
who they were, and listened to them in a
dazed and listless manner, which only left
her when the vessel turned back on her
keel. Then she appreciated the situation.
and escaped from the place OF her five
days misery and terror. Mrs. Johns lived
spoke without a shudder OF her terrible