St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-21
TALES OF THE STORM
Told by the Captain of the Steam Barge
Matistiqua, Which Weathered
the Gale.
How the Ill-Fated ConsOrts, Marinette
and Menekaunee, Broke Loose and
We're Wrecked.
Thirty-Nine Lives and S639,0O0
Worth of Property Lost On
the Lakes.
A Fire of Serious Proportions at
Cincinnati--Severa Per-
sons Hurt.

FRANKFORT, Mich, Nov. 20.-The
missing steam barge Manistique, of the i'll
fated OScoda barge line, arrived here at 10
o'clock this morning. Hundreds of citi-
lens crowded the narbOr to see her. an
great excitement prevailed. She reports
the following crafts safe at South Manitou
island this morning: Baldwin and tow,
Colwell and bargeS, schOOnerS Alice b.
Morris, K. B. Hayes, Melvina Bacon and
the MyosotiS The schooner Libbie Nau
is ashore near the lighthouse. She is scut-
tied aud lies easy. The British schooner
r. Norwood, of st. GATHERINGS, blew away
her head stay and jibS.
CAPT. WALKER ASHLEY,
of the steamer ManIstiQue, said:
Wednesday morning at we had the Mani
tou abreast, wind east northeast; passed
Point Betsy at IL. The wind shifted to east,
and it was raining, blowing and showing.
We hugeed the shore and had the Point Au
Sable light abreast at p. nj. An hour later
the wind shifted to the southwest, blowing
lively gale. We made for the shelter of Two
Rivers point. We ran until a. M, pitching
and rolling at an awful "a E. About fifteen
miles from the Wisconsin shore huge waves
swept over the steamer, taking with them
part OF our deck load. We then squared away
for the Manitou. | have sailed the lakes for
years, but that was the worst storm ] have
times we could not see the masts of our con-
sorts. The barge Marinette, Capt. William
Mitchell, of Chicago, was the last barge and
SHE BROKE LOOSE
at about in the morning, when we were
about in mid lake. hoped she would be able
to sail and make the harbor, but it was i'm
possible for US to aid her during the hurri-
cane that prevailed. The Menekaunee broke
away at O'Clock Thursday morning. Her
steering appal atus was evidently out OF
order. They were taking in sail when We lost
sight of her. We steamed before the gale and
reached shelter at the Manitous. The crew
of the Marinette was eight all told.
James Schetfer, first mate of the Manis-
tique, corroborates the captains story. He
says:
was in charge of the steamer when she
rolled the deck-load off. AT 4 o'clock the
Marinette broke her eight-inch Lawser and
was lost to sight in a few minutes. The Meme
kaunee parted new nine-lnch cable at Z a.
m. We could not help them. We thought
the Menekaunee would 90 ashore, but not
with such d terrible loss of life.
Capt. Mathews of the Point Betsy
Life station, reports the coast clear up that
way. The schooner sophia Luf arrived
last night. She was out four days in the
gale and
WEATHERED IT OUT
in mid lake. The wind shifted around so
that she could not make any port for shell
ter. She reports passing through acres of
floating lumber and wreckage abreast of
Point au Sable. As far as can be learned
the crew Of the Memekaunee were: Captain,
James Cox, married. of Port Huron; mate.
John Hunting; Michael johnson, John
Davidson, cook, of Port Huron. John
Cotton. Dan Wheeler and an unknown sup
posed to be William Lowry, of Ch.cago.
No hing has been heard from the steam
barge said to have foundered near the
wreck of the Marinette. All kinds of ru-
mors are afiOat, but are nnreliaple. 1t IS
still too rough for a boat to visit the scene.
One rumor saws it is the Maud Preston, of
St. Joseph, but this is doubted. No
wreckage has washed ashore from her.
Active search is being made on the beac
for miles after the bodies Of the victims of
the storm.