The Dickinson press., 1890-07-19
A Crowded Excursion Boat on
Lake Pcpin Overturned
by the Wind.
One Hundred and Fifty Human
Beings Precipitated Into
the Water,
And Only Fifty.one Of That Number
Accounted for-The Others I'm.
d%oubtedly Drowned.
S%eyenty-6ye Bodies Have Been Recovered Sc
Far-Some Of the Horrible Details Of
the Disaster.

LAKE CITY, Mimi, July 14.-The most
disastrous cyclone that has ever struck
this community passed over this city at
9p. NJ, Sunday, intiicting the loss of life
of probably 100 Or $50 people and dam
aging property to ar extent that at this
writing cannot be estimated. About
dark a terrific wind struck the city. Trees
crashed against houses and missiles We're
flying through the air. The worst of
the storm was over in half an hour, and
soon after it was learned that
A Horrible Calamity
had befallen the community that has
not been equalled since the cyclone at
st. Cloud some years since.
People began to gather on the streets
and in a few moments the news was
scattered abroad that an excursion boat
With Over 200 People on Board
was capsized in the middle of Lake
Pepin. The boat proved to be the
steamer Sea Wing, which came down
the lake from Diamond Bluff, a small
place about seventeen miles north of
here, on an excursion to the encamp.
ment Of the First regiment, N. @. S. NJ,
A barge was attached to the side
Of the steamer. When about opposite
Lake City the boat began to feel the eff
fects of the storm. But the officers kept
on their way. The storm increased as
the boat continued up the lake, and in
fifteen minutes was ut his height.
Nearing Central Point, about two
miles above Lake City, the steamer was
At the Mercy of the Waves,
which were now washing over the boat
and all was confusion. The boat mo-
mentarily ran onto a bar and the barge
was cut loose, and the steamer again set
adrift in the lake. A number of those
on the barge jumped and swan ashore.
AS the barge also ioated again into the
deep water, those on the barge saw the
steamtC as it was carried helplessly out
into the middle of the lake, and as they
We're being tossed about on the raging
waters, they We're Mortified a moment
later to observe the steamer capsize and
its cargo of $50 people
Precipitated Into the Lake.
Those On the barge remained there
until they were drifted nearer the shore,
and they were all rescued or swan
ashore. There were about fifty in all on
the barge. The boat turned bottom
upwards, and only about twenty
five people were observed to he floating
on the surface. These caught hold Of
the boat and climbed up on the upturned
bottom, those first securing a position
assisting the others. Soon the. storm
began to abate, and in half an hour
lights We're observed fitting about the
pier at Lake City, opposite which point
the upturned steamer had been driven
before help could reach them. How
ever, the poor creatures who yet re-
NAMED to tell the horrors of the night
were again submitted to another battle
with the elements. With no word of
warning, and as they were just begin
ming to hope that they would be taken
off by the citizens Of Lake City,
The Boat Again Turned Over,
this time on its side, and again all of
the twenty-five remaining souls were
hurled into the wSter. Of these several
We're drowned before they could be
brought to the boat by those who sue
ceeded in remaining afoat and again
securing a hold on the boats side.
Capt. John, an ex-steamboat man, who
was an eyewitness Of the wreck from
the shore, says: II never saw a worse
sea on Lake Michigan than was running
along the middle Of Lake Pepin at that
time. 1t didn't seem as though the best
skiff that eve was built could live five
seconds after leaving the shore, but there
is no telling what can be done when
brave men stand willing to do it.
One Brave Man,
Corp. Perry, of Battery A, tried to get a
crew to man a boat for the first trip, but
it looked too much like throwing life
away, and the fellows didn't want to go.
At last one young man volunteered and
these two together saved sixteen lives,
and would have saved more but for the
fact that the boat got stove in against
the wreck and
Came Near Drowning the Resouers
themselves before they got ashore from
the last trip. Other rescuing parties
afterwards started out, and many lives
were sayeda at great risk"
AS soon as the word reached the camp
volunteers We're called for, and everyone
volunteered to assist in rescuing the liv-
ing or searching for the dead. Adjt.
Gen. Mullen Immediately took charge
of the regiment, and the search was
Systematically begun and carried on.
Body after body of men, women and
children-in some cases almost of whole
families-was taken from the water,
some of them alive, others unconscious
but not dead, and yet others from which
the breath of life had forever fed. And
so it went on. As fast as the bodies
were taken from the water they were
identified by mourning friends and rela.
tives and placed in collins for transpor-
tation to their homes.
BY 2 o'clock a. m fifty bodies had
been recovered, identified and sent to
Red Wing. By 8 o'clock eight more
had taken the same mournful journey,
and at 8 o'clock in the afternoon seven
Others Were added to the gruesome mum.
Red Wing.
The DEATH List.
Following are the drowned as far a
reported: Mrs. W. S. Blaker, Cens
BIaker, Kate Burkhardt, Minnie Fisher
Annie Snider. Fred Hottoman. Anna
Way, Charles Dinslage, Kate DALEY
Phoebe B%earson, Cord johnson, Georg
w. Nelson, Flora Smith, Mrs. +
Hemftling, Miss S%iebrasse, John Schoet
fer, two children Of John Schoef1e,
Q. A. Anderson, Wilmot, S. D.; Pete
Gerken, Melissa Ann Harrison, q
Hempftling. Myrtle Nero, Thomas Lee
son, Pearl Wethern, Emma Nelson, Mis-
Ida Green, Mrs. Ole Nelson
Anna Staiger, frankie Staigel
Edith Seavers, Mabel Bolten. Mrs. E
Larson. Hattie Scherf, Member Gerkir
Millie Niles, Mary Olson, Mrs. Sophi
Schulenberg, Johanna Humpert, E
/. Renders son, Mamie Adams, Lizzi
Hemftling, Fred Hemftling, Leo
CSreemer, Henry Gerken, Emmett Gle!
| ken, Alyina Gerken, George Gerke,
/. Irving Oskey, Anna Persig, Theodo,
Horwedel, Emil Gerken, Mrs. Ere
> Scherf, John Ingebritson, MART