The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-07-17
TRYING to Raise the Bodies.

Trying TO Raise the BOuleS.
LAKE CITY, Mimi, July l5.-The lake
shore was made to reverberate this MORN
ing with the thunder of dynamite, which
was brought into requisition in the hope it
uncovered bodies to the surface. The
country people, who drove in from all di-
rections yesterday, were again on hand,
and residents of this place were also there
at an early hour watching the workers.
The military guard was kept up all night
at the beach, and kept back the spectators
today as they had done yesterday. The
coroner will begin the inquest today.
Nothing new developed aong the lake
shore. No bodies have been recovered up
to noon. A close watch was kept up along
shore, but nothing was found. 1t is
probable no more bodies will be found for
two or three days and the hope at Lake
City is that not over dozen more are in the
lake, but the Red Wing number has been
placed at two or three times that number
Capt Wetbern who has not been seen
since yesterday told citizen of Red Wing
that the number on board at the time of
the accident would not exceed 10. The
Red Wing man was very much excited and
denied the captains figures as over 80 be-
low the truth and accused both the captain
and crew of being drunk and unfit to have
charge of boat at such time.
The meeting was of course soon known
about town and will in part explain the
charge of drunkenness that had been made.
There is no proof of such a state of af-
! fairs. There were those on the barge
| among the passengers who had been drink.
ing and whose actions drove
the women and children to
the cabin and this fact may be another
ground for the rumor. Another rumor that
| caused great indignation was that which
accused the captain of ordering the cab n
door locked and kee ping the people inside.
The captain was blamed for penning the
| people up. where death was sure to come.
Miss Aggie Barton, of Lake city who was
one of those rescued from the barge when
| it drifted near the shore says all the women
| and children were ordered into the cabin
| from the barge. 1t would be a natural
thing for captain to do this as was
| intensely dark and the rain and hail
| falling made it extremely disagreeable to
remain or the barge at the mercy of tn e
elements.
On the other hand, the engineer told
City MarshaliTim Foley that the captain
thought the barge safer than the steamer
and sc 1t an order down to the cabin f the
women and children to go on the barge.
Instead of carrying the order correctly the
man tod them TO stay in the cabin and
lock the door, which they did.
Previous to that most of the women LETT
| the barge for the steamer, telling the engi-
neer that party of men on the barge were
drunk and had been acting in an objection
able manner and they would not stay
there.
Whether these are the facts or not it is
when the Iescuers reached the steamer and
everything indicated they had been closed
| throughout the gale The entire sobriety
Of the engineer is unquestioned by
an old fisherman named Cook
who escaped from the wreck
| The engineer further says that when the
steamer turned over he was on the barge,
from which he stepped upon the upturned
hull and looked on all sides without discov-
ering anyone, however.
! Frank Way of Trenton says he and twenty
| five others clung to the steamer after she
| turned over and that he swan to a
place of safety from there but
his lady companion, Miss Matte Flynn,
sank and has not yet been recovered. Two
of his sisters also went down and only one
| body has been recovered.