St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-07
A DANGEROUS VOYAGE.

A Grain Fleet En- Route from Chi-
cago to Buffalo Having a Tough
Time.
DETROIT, Dec. 6.-For a week the last
grain fleet of the season has been pushing
its way toward Buffalo. Chicago was left
In fair weather, but on Wednesday a cold
snap OF almost uneQualed severity attacked
them. and the feet was compelled slowly
to feel the way along, nothing being visi
Die. Every wave broke over the
decks freezing up the rigging and
delugng the sailors with spray which i'm
mediately frOze upon them. All through
i, the storm gangs of men mad to be kept at
work ON many of the boats, chopping the
ice off the decks and throwing it overheard
as fast as formed. 1t took nearly three
days to reach Manitowoc. that time usually
being sufficient to reach Buffalo. Early
yesterday morning they reached Lake st.
Clair, to find it impossible. The ferry
boats Excelsior. Arch and Fortune were
sent to their assistance. Up i'll the lake
the Excelsior found the tug John Owen and
her tow, the Michigan and Nicholson. fast
in the ice, and released them. 1t then took
the ice crushers all day to get the grain fleet
| down TO Detroit Here they were obliged to
STOP FOR COAL
and provisions. The propellers which had
arrived up to this morning were theSusque-
hanna, Rochester. Commodore, Idaho, Al
bany, Tacoma A. 4. Packard, Philadel-
phia, Oceanca and Tioga, the latter tow
Ing the ID. j. Jewett, which had lost the
rudder. The SusQuehanna has burned
nearly one hundred tons of coal and took
on fifty more last night. The entire feet
was Sheathed in ice from gangways to
trucks. In some places it was three inches
thick and occasionally covered the hatch
ways. Most OF the thick ice was
chopped off, but it was im-
possible to remove all. At 9
O'Clock this morning the..feet left the various
docks and moved down the yer together
with the three ferry boats ahead ready
to crush any heavy ice between the harbor
and Barp0int. The scene is described as
the most beautiful ever seen on the Detroit
river. The prOpellers are among the
largest on the lakes. and the ice with which
the rigging and bulwarks was incrusted
shone in Jhe sun like diamonds. The value
of the vessels and cargOeS is estimated at
81, 600, 900
THE CARGOES
are of grain, flax seed oil cake and flour.
First Mate Dunn, of the Tioga, speaking of
the storm said:
The storm struck us off Milwaukee Wednes-
day. We had the Jewett in tow, she having
lost her rudder. Talk about snowi 1t WAS
the worst / ever saw, and I've sailed across
Lake Michigan three winters. We had to run
under check much OF the time, for it was
Impossible 10 see anything ahead. every sea
dashed up over the deck and froze the snow
solid as fast as it fell. In the face
OF that the man watch had
to heave the lead regularly and with
spray falling on him, you imagine what
the work was. The weight of ice on the
decks began TO tell earl in the storm, and
we had to keep gang at work all through
the storm breaking ice into pieces and throw
ing it over board. The outside doors ex-
posed to the weather were frozen solid. and
we bad to break through the partitions to
get from my room to the Watchman S and the
wheelman's room.
The fleet passed Amherstburg in safety
this evening.