St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-16
BITTERNESS DISPLAYED.


BITTERNESS DISPLAYED.
A Disposition to Censure Capt.
Wetheren.
RED WING, July 15.-Sad it is to wit
ness the funeral of but one, and inde-
scribably sad is it to see the young and
strong and happy stricken down in their
vigor, but much greater is the sorrow and
mourning over city of dead. Under
all the stern sorrow of the men and the
Wailing of the women is feeling of
bitterness, not so mach at the fate that
has robbed them of their loved ones, as
at the supposed careleSSness and in
competence which they consider was
shown in the management OF the ill
fated Sea Wing. Strong words and bitter
thoughts are on the lips and in the
hearts of almost every one that is to be
met with around town. Capt. Wether-
en-, who commanded the Sea Wing, and
his crew are denounced vigorously, and
If all that is said were true they would
surely deserve speedy justice. Even
though conflicting stories are told of
the crew and of the orders of the cap
tain, enough seems to be established to
bring upon them some pretty strong
and well-deserved cenSureS. The mild
est and best view of the whole sad affair
would seem to indicate wOeful
lack of judgment on the part
of the captain in leaving shore
to 60 out into such storm.
Dynamiting has been kept up during
the day, but nothing new has developed
in the search for further victims of the
disaster, and consequently the people
have had ample opportunity to hear and
tell and discuss the events of that awful
night, and the alleged poor management
has been gone over repeatedly, ,eacn time
with more vehemence and indignation.
The feeling against Capt: Wetheren
was vigorously and plainly stated to
of Red Wing who met him at Lake
City and asked fol statement as to the
number of people on the boat at the
time of the disaster. The captaid said:
I'VE sold 147 tickets; there were
three of my family and eight of the
crew. and a number of invitedguests
and friend, making altogether not more
than ITO people," This answer served
to arouse the citizen to high pitch of
Indignation. and he began strong
denunciation of the captain and crew
by stating his opinion that the
number of tickets sold was
1877, instead of LAT, and that
the total number on board exceeded
200. He concluded by accusing both
captain and crew Of ignorance, incom-
petence and drunkenness. and stating
that he considered them responsible for
held accountable. This was but the
expression of what many have
been feeling and saying, and
it greatly affected the captain,
whose loss of wife and son and vessel
had already well nigh crazed him. And
the charges are probably not wholly
founded on fact. Judge l.. S. Bayrell,
of Argyle, was on the boat and he gives
positive evidence against the charge
of drunkenness. He says the cap
tain was not only sober, but he
was fully conscious of the presence
of storm, although not fully appre-
clatlng its gravity. The captain walked
through the cabin, quietly trying to
calm the excited passengers. telling
them he did not think there was any
danger, but if any wished to do so they
could put on life preservers and pre-
A few minutes later he went into
the cabin again and once more made the
same suggestion. The charge against
the crew probably originated in the be-
havior of some of the male passengers
on the barge. They had been drinking
and began to sing when leaving the
wharf. Soon their songs changed
in character, and the ladies were
compelled to seek refuge in the
cabin. The engineer asked them to be-
have, and for while they did so, and a
few ladies returned to the barge and
were saved from it when it drifted to
shore after the boats broke apart. See
ing the severity of the storm. the cap
tain wished those who were on the
barge at the mercy of the wind
uge in the cabin, but later
he considered the barge the safer place
and ordered the women and children to
remove there. His order was miscar-
ried, or at least such seems to have
been the case. Miss Aggie Bartram. of
Lake City, who was one of those res
cued from the barge, says all the
women and children were ordered
into the cabin from the barge.
She refused to go and was saved.
Lawyer A. j. Greer, of Lake City, be-
lieves that If the people had known that
part of the lake great many or them
could have escaped, and cites as a
proof of his belief the experience of
Harry Mabey. of Lake City. Young
Mabey was on board the Sea Wing and
when she drifted around below the
point she grounded for a short time
on the bar. Knowing the water there
was rather shallow, he jumped over
board and reached the land easily, MAX
ing his way around the shore and TAX
ing the first news of the disaster to Lake
City. From that bar the steamer drifted
along the shore, keeping about forty
or fifty yards out, and all along the
bottom slopes very gradually down, so
that many could in that way have
reached the shore had they known this