Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-03
Is On THE BOTTOM
Steamer w. n. GiIcher Given
Up as Lost.
HAD A CREW OF EIGHTEEN MEN
Wreckags Coming Ashore at North
Msngtou Believed 20 Be That of
the ul-FAtcd Boat

CLEvELASD, Nov. Z.-There - now
little doubt that the steamer W. III.
Glcher nas gone down with All hands.
aud that the wrscksge found floating
near North Manitou island ia Lake
Michigan - all thai is left OF the once
maxnificsnt vessel. j. {. GilchrisI.
one OF the principal owners OF the
Oileher. has gwen heF up Tor lost
He said today; II am now convinced
that the reason We have not heard
from the 0lleher Is because there Is
none OF the crew alive 10 tell the tale.
There we're eighteen men aboard. with
Capt. l.. h. Weeks of Vermilhon ia
command. Ills first mate was Capt.
Ea Porter of Lorain. Sidney Jones OF
Marine City, Mlch.. was chief engineer.
There was a wheelman named King
who formerly lived IN Nermillion. but
has lately made h.s home IA Chicago.
The only sailor known by me was n
yOuag man named Thompson. who
Iied from Nermilhon. Former
ly nearly the entire crew were from
NeTmillIon. but about a month ago
Captain Weeks, while IN Buffalo, dis
charged most OF his old men aud
shipped new sailors, whose names have
never bOen reported TO the general
Office"
yaiaed 100000.
The Gilcher was put into service
year ago last May. she was valued st
sZ0O. .01 aud was insured tor $50 900
she had a cargo OF 5000 tons o. coal
and was bound from Buffalo 10 Mil
h.. at
when she pzs ssed Macknaw last Friday
IL - the general surpositIcn here that
she must have struck upon the South
Fox reef during the storm OF Friday
night and had u hole knocked IN her
bottom. The builders of the Gllcher
clam that the wreckage now being
washed ashore does not tally with any
part OF the work on tins boat Her
owners are convinced, however. that
she has gone down with all on board.
She vas provided with . large metallic
hfe-ooat and enough small boats to
carry about thirty men. As far as is
known here there were no passengers
on the Gilcher when she left Buffalo.
Mr.. Gilchrist's office has been filed
all day with leading vessel owners.
Nearly all OF them are Interested in
steel vessels, and this second disaster.
which now seems certain. ma. caused
intense excitement. Nothing of
definite nature has teen heard by the
owners of the boat since she passed
Msckinaw just previous To tue storm
OF Friday, but Mr.. q llchrist, as well as
all other owners here, agree that the
fact that the Gllchsr should have been
IN Milwaukee by sunday at the least is
sufficient evidence that she has gone
down, and description OF wreckage
corresponds IN general to the upper
works Of the Gilcher.
Believe Their. Was . Collision.
Most of the vessei owners here be-
l.eye the Gilche. must have colhded
with some other vessel. Captain Bar
tow's theory that she must have struck
upon reef Is not considered tenable,
except on the ground that she was tar
out OF ner course. The idea that she
deve oped structural weakness, as did
the Western Reserve. IS held 10y some.
but it : hardly likely waen her heavy
load of coal = considered. No particu-
lars are Obgaiuabl cre "a yet. and yes
scimeu seem paT.ilyzed by SO great u
disaster following that OF the Western
Reserve the latter part of August. The
ttlicncrs engines we're not as large as
those OK most othe. steamers OF her
size, They were triple expansion. cyl
Inders 20-55-lt inches aud 4O-lnch
stroke. with two Scotch boiIers. II feet
inches diameter aud l3 feet long.
Buiit at Cleveland.
The Gilcher was built at the yards of
the Cleveland snip Building company
At the order Of J. L. Gilcnrlst OF Yer
million. O.. aud others. She was an
sSsct duplicate OF the fsted Western
Reserve, which recently broke IN two
and vent % the bottom IN Lake Supe-
rior. The ts,lchsr WAS a we'll construct
ed vessel aud recently carried ll3,ss5
bushels Of wheat from Chicago To Buff
fsiO. thus breaking the record for large
carg0ss by fOrty-gx bushels. The di-
menssons of the vessels hull were
go feet over al. 80 feet keel. Al
feet beam and - feet nodded deptn.
iEer engines were Of the triple ex-
pansion type sud she WAS fitted with All
modern equipments. In construction
the 01cner represented one of tue
Strongest modern STEEL steamers siioat.
Tier side sud sister ksels0ns raa con-
tlnuousiy up sao whole length of the
stem from floors To- top of turtle back
a0d we're spaced four feet apart from
center. thus forming heavy breast
hooks. AL OF her frames forward of
the collision buikEesd were spaced
twelve inches between eentsrs aud her
top-gsliant forecsstle was built up with
steel Thar frames two feet between
centers and plsited 81 rail, thus Afford
ing extra strength aud STABILITY IN what
- considered tne most important struc-
fur.t mart ~ a vs4sei