Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-16
LAKE PEPIN'S DEAD.
Dynamite Used to Raise the
Bodies.
Only One More Victims Re-
mains Recovered.
Sensational Stories Circulated About
the Disaster.
The Captain and Crew Charged With Be-
ing Drunk-Captain Wetheren Placed
Under Arrest.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.l
LAKE Cry, July 15.-The lake shore
was made to reverberate this morning
with the thunder of dynamite, which
was brought into requisition in the hope
that it would be of help in bringing
some Of the as yet unrecovered bodies to
4he surface. The country people, who
drove in from all directions yesterday,
were again on hand, and the residents
were also there at an early hour watch
ing the workers. A military guard was
kept up all night at the beach, and they
kept back the spectators today as they
had done yesterday. The smiling sky
in no way reminded one of the great
horror that had come upon this whole
section of the state.
No more bodies were recovered today,
and it is probable that no more will be
found for two or three days, and the
hope at Lake City is that not over a
dozen more are in the lake, but at Red
Wing the number IS placed at two or
Cnree times CnaC amount.
Charges Against the Captain.
Captain Wetheren, who has not been
seen here since yesterday noon, told a
citizen of Red Wing that the number on
board at the time of the disaster would
not exceed 170. The Red Wing man
denied the captains figures as being over
thirty below the truth, and accused both
the captain and crew of being drunk
and unfit to have charge of the boat at
such time. There is no proof of such
state of affairs. There were those on
the barge among the passengers who
had been drinking, and whose actions
drove the women and children to the
cabin. This fact may be the ground for
the rumor.
The Cabin Door Locked.
Another rumor that caused great in
dignation accused the captain of ordering
the cabin door locked and keeping the
people inside. Miss Aggie Barton, OF
Lake City, one of those rescued from the
barge, says all the women and children
were ordered into the cabin from the
barge. 1t would be natural for captain
to do this as it was intensely dark, and
the rain and hail made it disagreeable to
remain on the barge. On the other
hand, the engineer says the captain
thought the barge safer that the steamer,
and sent an order down to the cabin for
the women and children to go on the
barge. Instead of carrying the order
correctly, the man told them to stay in
the cabin and lock the door, which they
did. Previous to that most of the wo-
men left the barge for the steamer, tell
ing the engineer that party of men on
the barge were drunk, and had been act
ing in an Objectionable manner, and
they would not stay there. Whether
these be the facts or not, it is certain the
doors were shut, if not locked, when the
rescuers reached the steamer, and every
thing indicated that they had been closed
throughout the gale.
The Captain Was Not Drunk.
Judge Bayrell, of Argyle, who was on
the boat, gives positive evidence against
the charge of drunkenness. He says the
captain was not only sober, but fully
conscious Of the presence of the storm,
although not fully appreciating its grav-
ity. The captain walked through the
cabin quietly, trying to calm the excited
passengers, telling them he did not think
ohOiO Woo any udlSCI, UuI IL any WiolioO
they could put on life-preservers and
prepare for the worst possibility. A few
minutes later he once more made the
same suggestion. The charge against
the crew probably originated in the be-
havior Of some of the drunken male pas
sengers on the barge.
Seeing the. severity of the storm, the
captain wished those who were on the
q of q Of ho in,
and hail, to seek refuge in the cabin,
but later he considered the barge the
safer place, and ordered the women and
children to remove there. His order
was miscarried, or at least such seems
to have been the case.
All Might Have Escaped.
Lawyer Greer, of Lake City, believes
that if the people had known that part
of the lake, many could have escaped,
and cites the experience of Harry Ma
bey. 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 shallow, he jumped overheard
and reached the land easily. From that
part OF the bar the steamer drifted along
the shore, keeping about forty or fifty
yards out. All along there the botto m
slopes very gradually down, SO nearly all
could have reached the shore, had they
known this fact.
The Inquest Held.
This evening the coroner's jury assem-
bled and were about to begin the in
quest, when County Attorney Wilson
said the statutes provide that the
coroner shall hold an inquest only
where there are marks of violence on
the body. AS there were none such in
the present case, no inquest could be
held He said further he believed,
taking into consideration the frame OF
mind the community is in, it is advisa-
BILE not to hold an inquest now, even if
it could be held. He assured the jury
men as citizens that the matter would
be laid before the grand jury at once,
and rigid investigation be had. The
jury acted on his opinion and the cor
oner dismissed them.
This evening one more body was
found, that Of Rita Vieths, aged 13.
Wetheren Under Arrest.
Captain Wetheren, of the ill-fated
craft, went across the river to his home
at Diamond Bluff, Wis, this afternoon,