Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-24
DRIVEN ASHORE.
Three Vessels in the Lake
Michigan Breakers.
TWENTY-FIVE SAILORS RESCUED.


Covers Itself with Giory-A wild Sea
and a Thick Fog Nearly Produce Fatal
Di.astsr-Opportune Arrival OF the Life
Boat-Ths Splendid Record Of the Stu
dent Boatmsn.
CHICAGO, Oct "a Tuesday night, about
300 yards out in the lake, just on the oiuns
living between Winnetka and Wilmette,
TWEEN ty nine persons suddenly found them
selves face to face to face with what seemed
certain death. They were the crews OF the
steambarge David Balentine, the schooner
Irontou and the tug Protection, the three
being driven aground by the terrific storm
that evening. gale had been blowing all
the afternoon, and as evening approached It
grew IN violence until the waves rolled TO
an awful height and each billow threatened
to engulf the boats, which were tossed and
tumbled about as though they were chips.
Fog as Black as Ink.
When night fell a dense fog arose and
added TO the peril Of the boats. The inky
blackness all around, the screaming Of the
wind through the rigging and the titanic
blows of the waves as they fell upon the
struggling vessels filled the sesmen with ter
soon found that he could not handle his
schooner in the terrible sea, and the barge
was Compelled to take it IN Tow. Capt
Bowen, with tue tug Prot 'clion, had been in
the wake OF the other boats all the way
down from Racine, Tut just before the
crash came he was requested by Capt
Gsorge Da Wis, OF the Ballentlne, to go ahead
as pilot.
All Three in the Breakers.
Hardly had the tug got ahead of the YES
sells on the land side when it crashed against
the bottom The next wave picked it up.
Carried it on ard, and threw it with a shiv-
ering violence against the rocks As wave
after wave rolled in the tug was pounded
against the ground until it promised TO go to
pieces at any moment. The tugmen were
terror stricken and barely saved themselves
from being swept overheard by the pillows
which now rolled completely over the strick-
on tug. Capt Bowen frantically caught the
whistle rope and chung to it, sending a shrill
whistle OF distress through the envelopins
darkness Tbs sound warned the Ballentins
and Ironton- But too late; a few minutes
later Q gigantic wave lifted the barge far up
above the foaming breakers, and then threw
her straining at every seam on the bottom.
The lronton went ashore m ment later.
Life-Ssvsrs to the Rescue.
A farmer living near Uy on the DUN nau
heard the wbistling of the tug, and, lantern
in hand had rushed TO the shore. Instantly
realizing the si,ustion, he started mes
ssnger TO spprise the Evanston life-saving
crew of the wrecks Capt Lawson and his
crew of life-savers at once loaded their boat
on a wagon and hauled it to the spot The
lifeboat was at once launched, and after a
hard struggle the tug was reached and its
crew taken of Atteutiou was then turned
to the schooner and two trips were made to
it through the roaring waves before all were
safely landed. One woman, the cook, was
among the first taken from the Irouton The
captain Of the barge at first declined to have
his crew taken ashore, but after little more
experience with the pillows he weakened.
and be and his crew were taken off.
An Awful Scene.
Capt Lawson, the gallant keeper OF the
life-saving station, described the scene as
one OF the most awful that he had ever wit
messed. When be and his brave crew ar
rived with their boat at o'clock Tuesday
night, only one hour after the vessels struck,
| the whole face Of the lake seemed to be a
great wall of impenetrsble blackness. Save
for the few lights twinkling spasm odically
aboard the doomed craft and lantern
swung in the hand Of a woman ON the bluff,
| not q thing could be seen The surf broke
on the shore VITA the sound of thunder and
occasionally q faint cry from the stranded
vessels was borne in by the screeching gale
| Under such difficulties as these the work Of
the life-savers seemed TO reach to heroism.
| The barge will be a total loss but the other
| two vessel will be saved
Personnel OF tho Lifs-saving Crew.
Including the twenty mine men Rescued
Tues lay night, the Evanston hfe-ssving sta
| he's n,-H .,f li,raa
| storms since its establishment in 1876. a
record OF which the good people of Evanston
and the 'boysr are justly proul, and which
is hardly surpassed by any station along the
chain Of lakes The crew is made up of uni
versity students, and consists at present Of
the following: g. E Crosby, F. NJ Ktndig,
W. NJ. Ewing, Jacob Lpining, W L. Wilson,
Z. B. Fowler, and Capt Lawson, the veteran
| keeper of the station.
Steamer burned aud Five Lives Lost
KINGSTON, Ont, Oct "a The passenger