Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-21
NIGHT OF TERROR
Fearful Experience in a Lake
4 Erie Tempest.
SEVEN HUNDRED PEOPLE 40 WILD.

The Heavy Seas Flood the Decks with Six
Feet Of Water and the Passenger Be-
como Frantic with Fear-Men Lose
Their Manhood and Women Swoon,
While Everybody Wears Life-Preserv-
ers, and Looks Out for Number One.
DETROIT, Sept 2l.-Seven hundred panic
stricken passengers on the steamer City of
Detroit passed through period of peril
Thursday night whf0 they will never for
get Men and women ran back and forth in
terror as the water poured through openings
in the ship and rose with fearful rapidity,
and all tied on lfe- preservers In anticipation
OF desperate battle for life in the angry
waters. When the boat left Cleveland for
this port Thursday evening there was but
little sign Of the terrible storm raging over
the lake.
Attack of the Mad Waters.
No sooner had the boat passed the break
water than she was struck on the port side
by heavy wave that fairly lifted the great
craft out of water. A moment later one of
the windows on the port side of the main
deck was battered in by the angry waters,
spring and small stream oozed in around
them The passengers by this time were
very much frightened, and the more timid
took down life.preservers and put them on.
The news of the bulkbead springing soon
reached the saloon deck, and when the bulk
head gave way with a crash a few minutes
later, scene of terror followed
The Decks Flooded.
The Matar WAS forced into tho hoat with
every motion of the paddles, and rose rapid
ly IN the after saloon on the main deck The
officers apartments and the ladies' saloon
was quickly flooded. Very soon after this
the stsrboard paddlebox gave way, and the
height of the water increased materially AL
though holes were cut in the gunwales to
let the stream run out, it was impossible TO
stay on the main deck. The water rose un-
til IL was fully six and half feet deep and
swept back into the after cabin in solid
wall.
The Passengers Frenzied.
During this terrible situation the passen :
gers were clustered in the saloon panic
stricken. One man rushed up and down the
cabin shouting at the top of his voice: ave
are lost; the boat is sinking" This made
the passengers even more terrified, and the
officers Of the boat were finally compelled to
confine the excited man. The male passen-
gers seemed TO be more frightened than the
women, but many of the latter lay about in
swoons on the cabin floor.
An Eyewitness Talks
j. Shea, whose home is in Youngsf sven.
o., said: at was terrible / never expected
to reach shore alive A number of us stood
on the stairs leading from the saloon to the
main deck and watched the water rise foot
by foot until we were driven back upstairs
We thought that it was only a questi on of
time when the water would reach the fires,
and we would be at the mercy Of the storm
The boat plunged and groaned horribly, and
one passenger, q large man, went crazy wi tn
fear, and ran hither and thither yelling, and
adding greatly to the terror of the rest
of us
Every One for Himself.
Every man and woman had on a life pre-
server, and in some cases persons would put
on two or three of them Many of the pas
sengers lost all self-possession and did moth
ing but walk up and down the cabin, sobbing
and crying. Every one seemed looking out
for himself, and gave no thought to his
neighbor, except in isolated cases, where two
persons might be seen in each others arms,
with their faces blanched with fear. The
officers did all they could to quiet the pas
sengers, and il they were themselves afraid
they did not show it much beyond set lips
The Captains Comments.
Capt d. H. Mclaughlin, who was in COM
mand Of the boat, shows plainly the effects
Of his trip. He said: THE boats crew be-
haved splendidly. The force of the waves
drove in the bulkheads on both sides and
caused the water to rise in the after part of
the vessel The storm was terrific and the
waves higher than ever saw BEFORE
The marks on the paint Of the lower cabin
show that the water at times was over a
mans head Great holes were knocked in
the side of the boat to let the water run out
Two days, however, will suffice to remove
all traces of the terrible storm which placed
no lives in peril