The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-04
vOYA0s or DEATH.
sailed ~ q Lake Propeller. Thirty Years
Aso, rren Bu6.sio milwaukee.


H. Gray, now engineer In large manufnctur-
ing establishment of this CITY, Il have been
on more than thirty vessels that were wrecked
and on scores that had narrow escapes. ana on
one occasion was the only person saved after
four days floating about on spar ana barrei
In a bowling storm. such rs one only sees on
the great lakes. 1 look back on those dangers
calmly and without a shudder. but the remem-
brance OF the very first trip ever made is at
tended with sense OF horror that time fails to
remove. was not much more than boy
when hired out AS a deck hand on tho old
Allegheny. one OF tho best propellers oil her
day. She piled bot wecn Buffalo and Milwaukee.
shipped on her mt tho former place in 1880.
when Capt. Morrison was running her. She
had on board that trip. besides about forty
cabin passengers. $50 storage passengers. oil
Swedish emgrants. These were going In n
body to Milwaukee. whore several hundred OF
their countrymen had preceded them. They
were forwarded By somo colonization society.
and were In charge OF a man named Jansen
the agent OF tho society All their money
nearly 100000. was in his possession. With
the exception of Jansen none of tho Swodes
could speak English.
Tho propeller always stopped at Beaver
Island. King Strang, as he was called. oecu-
pied tho Island at that time. with his colony OF
Mormon and Free Love followers. During our
stop on this trip a little Swedish girl was TAX
died on the ocean voyage and was buried at
sea. We buried the child on tho island. We
had passed on not moro than ten miles from
the island when the father Of the child died in
the same manner Between there and South
Manitou Island no less than twenty-five OF the
emgrants died OF the same mysterious dis-
ease. which now was spreading rapidly
among Thorn. panic ensued on board.
The cabin passengers were placed In
quarantine In their quarters. and the crew of
the propeller were kept busy caring for tie un-
fortunate Swedes. We landed ut Monitor. and
buried the score and a half OF dead in ono large
trench. 1t was impossible for TO Ito to any
where before wo reached milwaukee,. and we
left Manitou literally a floating charnel house.
Scarcely an hour passed that an emigrant did
not die. 1t finally become almost impossible to
attend to the wants OF the sufferers. although
night and day. to their service: The stencil BE-
came almost TnbsarabIe There wa, no mis-,
the ant ,z The ,, yc,W became ho
that nppeared; death was but an hour or two
' ao seD %ssa es Ell
with Intense agony. You could look among
Would @ nex Thsss %srs
some pltiful sights. tell you. One. poor man
lake. We threw them, oysrboaTd as last fast as
they died weighted 50 they would sink. Such
the =" ~ cast s" into t H%
water just as they died. This poor man was
Say ana he had isar small sb!ldPsn left e .
Gi m mns a ssi after his To died
s"nE to his an sn HS sAsE tT I've
constantly before me for days i had Borne cup up
with u nerve worthy OF one with more years
, than eG"s stand T. not Of
melt heart OF stone. but twas the sight OF
h hi. father his
down his own check, from eyes, hollow and
Of GsG" ar ns asra w hs e 81
s"ma be deck s eona
noor mans body into the Jake. Two Of the
lag .xo2 were taken in charge by other kind
& Ssa ssss s sss N' ss
dseaie but on thu. day the second cook died
m Tsss ,hs s?1s ssf
aSag Th9 sGek had not
ana on tho wav me. the ensineer: had neSsr
spoken to him, and had seen him but tive or
ward in horror. He started in the same man man
as.,SN ny SodFF~f esslaimod. You've got that
oeafh i2 p2sa IN YoS hs Ssns. to bs han, ~,
turned turn deadly pale andthen. pointing to my
It'd I'd must have flown up the steps. I rushed
VIII ceremony to the Captains room and
LOOK Was enough Yhe holow nS va saea stare ns
wat mai sss y in so many OF he sYedss
hours and hall to live Wal ked to the su deck sHo
"a. sd as ss ,T INTO h sat aasr
snq ba s' msgt SON be my am no.
that knew. was certnin when some one caught
Who WAS the Clerk Of the pr prop el Hs han
glass III led with some sort of liquor. 1t was New
had fcnnH amoS sk the s Was e
t, me that he had given the engineer some,
re iepsst idea that it would do us any GOOD but
Se no If trea it,
tues IF tn the LIQUOR we're and why they counter
one else ever knew, did not die, the engineer
M,B Bill Curtis ~ was his nams-did not do and
were saved by using the rum. About the same
What IN. proba ss5ySs
malay was. Iis found among the stores Of the
:, I'VE reached Milwau keo in in the evening. and
Se asna
clans Ia The physicians iecided that the disease
where passengers We're closely ,nuartered, hut
Its eSaft nature thy could not deermne, The
and no one, not even tho. officers would be
we're driven back to the melancholy surround
lnSs on board Next morning the authorities
dock. This was done. new element then
appeared In the unfortunate situation which
swedes living in and about Milwaukee, were
made acquainted with affairs. and they came
tho Captain Of the propeller that II he would
run his vessel in to the dock they would pre-
4 while riot seemed Inevitable. but it was
na!y agreed between the Captain and tho au-
scows which We're towed to an old storehouse
On 3n the outskirts OF the city. Three other
they were finally permitted to have their free
ION. Out Of the l5U Swedes that left UufIeIo
only G5 raachad thair destinafinn NM