St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-10
Thirty-Seven Lives Believed to Have Been
Lost - List Of Those Who
Were Saved.
A Terrible Night on the Lake-Graphlc
Account Of the Disaster by One
of the Rescued.
Disastrous Cyclone at Selma Alsi'' III
Which a Number of PERSONS
Were Killed.
wrecIing of Passenger Train AT
Little Falls, \ Y.--Taber Gets
a Divorce.
Wrecked in the Lake.

PORT ARTHUR, Ont, NOV. 9.-lne
steamer Algona was coming into Port Ar
thur at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon and
was wrecked just off Isle Royal, just at
the outside of Thunder bay. The steamer
left Owen sound last Thursday after
noon with thirty passengers,
principally Canadians, but there were some
few Americans. All went well during the
early part of the voyage and the vessel
passed up ST. Marys river and Sault Ste
Marie, where she coaled. 1t was Friday,
about noon, when she passed the
latter place, and soon after steamed
out into Lake Superior. The weather was
calm, but, as evening advanced, signs OF
storm were brewing and carried the great
waves to pound the vessel. which was tossed
about like feather. AS night
wore on the storm seemed to increase
in violence. Some retired to their berths'
but the majority, who were suffering from
nausea, kept watch. At the time when
day should, under ordinary circumstances,
have broken, darkness continued, for the
snow storm had not abated and the air
was terribly dense. The steamer still
held on her way, and as fair progress had
been made, it was thought that the Isle
RovaI. which is located a short distance
outside of Thunder bay and about forty-tive
miles from Port Arthur, must be
NEAR AT HAND.
The island is a long, but comparatively
narrow, rocky one, and its vicinity is
treacherous, owing to the large number of
bouIders which exist about it. The chan
mel by which the bay is entered runs close
to the island, and Capt Moore realized
the necessity of progressing with the ut
most care. Fog horns were blown and sig
mails of distress sounded. The speed of
the boat was reduced, but as the storm con-
tinued to rage it was impossible
to determine absolutely what course
the boat was pursuing. Suddenly
great crash was heard, and the
vessel rebomded and quivered like an
aspen leaf. Crash, crash, the stout vessel
pounded the rocks. The cracking of the
timbers and the swaying of the vessel
warned ali that death in a terrible form
was upon them. Its no use to
describe the scene," said one in
formant. ''Nothing worse ever occurred
on earth. In their madness number threw
themselves into the foaming pillows; others
were swept into the sea like feathers.
Even the crew seemed powerless, so
stricken were they with the awful sudden
ness and stupendous character of the disas-
ter. Meanwhile the boat
RAPIDLY WENT TO PIECES,
dashing against the rocks. The crew man
aged. during slight lull in the storm, to
place themselves in a lifeboat, cut the
fastenings, and in an instant wave swept
them from the Inflated wreck. Two of the
passengers had managed to place themselves
in the boat before it was cut away from the
wreck. Any efforts that had been made to
launch the boats during the early confusion
and horror had failed. Meantime the life
boat and its occupants had terrible eXper-
ience on the open. storm-tOssed lake. Ali
who could bound themselves to the boat,
while the remainder held to the sides.
Once the boat was turned over and one of
the crew washed away, but the craft righteo
itself and was swept on in the comparative
darkness. After half an hour,
the boat suddenly struck some
rocks The inmates feared all
was over with them, as the craft capsized.
but to their surprise when thrown out, the
water was only few feet deep, and they
discovered they were on land. After re-
naming there an hour or more, exposed
to elements, the storm abated and
the sky cleared 1t was then
discovered that they were On the Isle Royle,
and that the vessel had been wrecked about
mile from shore. on the great boulders
that exist near the channel. 1t was about
10 o'clock in the morning, and the
HAJF-DEAD CREW
remained there until late in the afternoon,
when the Athabasca, from Owen Sound,
bound to Port Royal, came along and picked
them up. The full list of the missing
has not yet been ascertained. A
dispatch from Winnipeg says Mrs. E.
Dudgeon and two children of Owen Sound
John g. Brown of Winnipeg, Purser Mae
kenzie. nephew of Hon. Alex Mackenzie,
and Capt Moore, commander of the i'll
fated craft, are known to have perished.
The Algona was a thoroughly-built,
splendidly-equipped, Clyde-built, steel
steamer, lighted by electricity. The gross
tonnage is 1,7SO, length 270 feet, breadth
IS feet. It was complete in every detail,
the furnishing being as luxurious as that
of the finest ocean steamers. The
vessel cost $3.50, 900 and is under
stood to have been insured for
100000. 1t is one of three steamers, the
Alberta, the Athabasca and the Algona,
purchased two years ago by the Canadian
Pacific railroad for the lake traffic. since
which time it has been plying steadily be-
twen Owen Souno and Port Arthur, doing
big business. The steamers gave the
greatest satisfaction.
THIRTY-SEvEN LIVES LOST.
Special to the Globe.
PORT ARTHUR, Ont, Nov. 9. = The
steamer Athabasca, which arrived this
evening, reports that the steamer Algoma
was wrecked on Isle Royal. She went
ashore one mile north of Rock harbor light
house in binding snow storm about 4:3O
Saturday morning, when on the up trip.
The boat is a total wreck. All that re-
mains of her is from the boilers aft. The
Athabasca picked up the following persons
who are all the survivors so far known:
Capt. Moore, First Mate Hastings, Second
Mate Simpson, Wheelsman Henry Lewis,
Watchman John McNabb. Fireman P. Nc
Calger; deckhands, r. Stephens, James
Bolton and Daniel Laughlan; walters. John
McLane George Mccall and John McKen-
Zie: passengers, W. j. Hall and A. B. Nc
Arthur of Medford. Capt. Moore is badly
hurt. The tug Siskiwit has gone to pick
up any bodies that may wash ashore and
secure wreckage. Thirty-seven persons are
supposed to be lost.
Fatalities of n Cyclone.