The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-09-08
rWENTY-sjx DROWNED.
Terrible Loss Of Lifo Reported ON Lal
- msa

= 90 80
Terrible Loss Of Life Reported on Lars
Superior. Sass.
SAuLr SrE. MARIE, Mich, Sept. A.
The large freight steamer Western Re.
serve has been lost off Sable banks,
near Deer Park, and of the twenty
seven persons on board only one has
been saved. Six of them were passen.
gers, one of the latter being Peter
Minch, Of Cleveland, o., the owner,
who recently became millionaire.
The other passengers were the wife,
son and daughter of Capt. Mineh and
Mrs. Mary Epgleberry and her daugh-
ter Bertha, of Vermillion. s..s
On the previous trip of the Western
Reserve its crew consisted of twenty.
two men. No new men were taken on
in Cleveland at the shipping Office for
this trip, so it is likely that most Of the
old crew were on board when the YES.
sci went down.
The, Western Reserve, bound from
Cleveland to Two Harbors, passed
Sault Ste. Marie Tuesday evening.
Although heavy wind was blowing
from the northwest the steamer paid
no attention to it and plunged
into the tremendous waves run.
ning.l No sooner had it passed out
of the protection of Point Iroquois
than it began to pound violently in the
sea, the gale continuing to increase in
force, When on the course from White.
fish point to Kewcnaw point the heavy
steel structure parted without warning
about amidships. The water poured
iuto the hold, and the crew and passen-
gers saw that their boat was doomed.
The crew managed to get both yaw]
boats down, but not without much diff.
ficulty. 1t was new work for them,
for this was the first time the yawls
had ever been lowered. Ii the one yawl
ware placed Capt. Peter Minch, his wife,
three children and his wife's sister. The
rest of the crew who We're not in the
first yawl manned the second one, and
they pulled away from the Western
Reserve, which sank ten minutes after.
ward. The yawl containing Mr.. Minch
and his family soon afterward capsized,
and the remaining boat took on board
all the survivors.
1t was a heavy load for the yaw]
boat. The wind had steadily increased
and the waves. wereslremendous When
within mile from shore it, too, cap.
sized, and all were thrown into the
water. Of the twenty-seven only one,
Henry Stewart, of Algonac. Mich,
reached the shore. Stewart walked IL
miles to the nearest life.saving station,
where he gave notice of the disaster.
The life-savers there began to patrol
the beach and Thursday morning found
two bodies. One of them was identi-
fed as that of Capt. Minch by his
watch. The other was that of dark
haired woman. Thursday night tele-
phone message to Newberry stated that
another body had come ashore.
Never was a jollier party on board a
steamer than on the Western Reserve
when it passed through the canal Tues
day night. Capt. Minch ana his three
children stood upon the bridge. and all
were in the best Of spirits. When the
news reached here that the Western Re.
serve had gone down in 600 feet of
water the report was generally dis
credited. 1t could no longer be doubted
when Henry Stewart, the only survi-
vor, reached here Thursday night on
the fish tug E. NJ. B. A. Mr.. Stewart
said:
Everything went well until about 60 miles
above Whitefish point when the first warning
anyone on board had OF impending danger
was a terrible crash about 9 a. H., caused by
the huge craft breaking in two and brcakn
the manmast about halfway up the rigging
She took in water fast from the start and the
yaWl boats were forward Capt Minch his
family and the officers and crew. to the numbc,
OF seventeen, got into the wooden yawl and the
others took to the metallic one.
1.-The Reserve sunk in ten minutes and before
she had hardly gone out Of sight the metal
lie yawl capsized The other went to he,
assistance, but only succeeded in rescuiae
two OF her occupants, Capt. Minch's son ani
the steward. The nineteen survivors
started for Whitefsh, 60 miles away. The
wind was about west when they started, but
veered to the north, making considerable sea
But the yawl weathered the breakers all night
and until the next morning, when. about Ii
miles from life-saving station No. 10 and about
mile from the Shore it capsizod.'
Stewart says that he saw none Of
the occupants after that. He struck
for the shore, but the cries of the chill.
dren, screams of the women and moan.
ing of men were terrible for a few mo.
nents. Stewart was in the water two
hours. He struck shore about IL miles
above the station and had to walk
there before reaching anyone to render
him assistance A search failed to find
trace of any other survivor OF the
wreck, and there is no question tha:
they were all drowned.
3 TheSWestern Reserve was built br
the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company
and launched October 20. 1890. She
was owned by the Il. G. Minch estate
and others of this city and was valued
at $s220,000 in L!oyd's Inland Register.
The Western Reserve was 300 feet long
and Al feet beam. She was considered
a thoroughly stanch and seaworthy
boat. :, ..
Capt. Minch was one of the best.
known vessel owners and masters on
the lakes. lie was about s. years old.
Tie was born at Vermillion. His father,
Philip Minch. was one of the most ex-
tensive owners of vessel property
in his time. 10 Capt. Minch sailed
from $, his boyhood until about
five years ago, when he came
ashore to manage his large vessel
interests. lie with others owned the
steamers Western Reserve, Oncko,
Philip Minch, Horace A. futile, A.
Everett, John N. Glidden, and schoon-
ers George H. Warrington and Sophia
Minch. The schooner Fred A. Morse,
which was lost few months ago, was
also owned by him.
a sTEPMoTHER's CRIME.
Wisconsin Woman Kills Child 10
sea, ,- x>.u.~4c cause, 1t Is Cross.
SrEvENspoRr, Wis, Sept. 2. -- Mrs
Martin Valishlxa, the stepmother of til G
little girl who so mystcriousiy disap-
pearea from her home in the town OF
Carson week ago, has confessed To
killing the child, and is now prisoner