The sun., 1893-11-09
PRICE TWO CENTS.
AFLOAT ON A BURNING BOAT.
7TEN7r- ONE IIrES lost IN A LIrILB
CINIDI.iN LAKE.

The Engineer AMI wbceim,n Were Drivsa
from Their Posts and the whcr, Drove
the Eont Ten Mile. mn Hour WIN, She
Was All AbinEe-Ilcip Came, hut the
Steamer Sped Past I,-An Lost hut seven
NORTH BAY. Canada Nov. SIT is now known
that twenty one lives were lost by the burning
o; the steamer John fraser on Lake Nipissing.
eight miles from here. at | o'clock Last night
OF the twenty eight persons on board only
seven were saved.
At the time OF tho fro the ST eamor was carry
ing lumhermen and supplies from Callinder to
Davidson and the lumber camp at tho western
end OF Lake Nipissing
Tho Fraser. owned by Davidson & Hay OF
Cache Fay. Ont. and engaged III carrying IN en-
to tho luml or woods, left North Bay about o
O'Clock last night with twenty-ihrre lumbcr-
men. Stotekeeper Douglas. and four men in
the crew.
When about three miles from Coos, Island.
between IL and u o'clock. the steamer was
discovered to bc on Gre. 1t is-thuuglit to have
originated from some oil in the engine room.
for the engineer was driven from III. post i'm
mediutey, without having had time To stop
tho engine
Pursued by the flames hc rushed from the
engine room. his clothes On fire. and the lie
soon filed the whole space between the boil-
ers md machinery.
From there il communicated to tho cabin
and completely surrounded the ho.r. Tho
wheelhouse caught ire next ani drove tho vi
lot from his station.
Forging ahead at full speel with no one at
the helm and big scow dragging hehhd
the ill-Iated craft pursued her course away
from and n OF toward the shore.
The crew. who had been aroused from sloen
saw that they must take to the boats and
hurriedly launched one Of tho lifeboats and
eight men jumped in.
As soon as tho small craft struck the water
sho was torn loose from the steamer which
was going over ten miles an hour 1t was
caught under the stern and broken to pieces
by the wheel. All who were In the boat went
down.
Several men tried to rench the scow behind
them. but were run down 10y it and drowned.
All the time the fire was eating its way through
the boat. and the remaining men saw that
they would soon be forced to take to the water.
II 1t had been possible to stop the engines
tho men could have drawn the scow up to the
Fraser and saved their lives. tut the speed Of
the steamer made this i'm possible
About this time Capt BurretL and an Indian
saw the burning steamer and started to tho
rescue in small sail boat. They laid their
course to intercept tho vessel. but the speed
Wus too sEout' anu tuoy bdW Tic UuTuluE UOhG
run away from them.
She was more than half burned then. ami
few minutes later hiss and a cloud OF steam
showed that the water was pouring into the
hold Then she slowed up little. and. giving
q lurch. stood on one end and sank.
The few Of the crew remaining on deck
leaped into tho water before the steamer sank.
and swan for the scow. The tow ropes were
broken and seven mon succeeded in reaching
the scow. where they were picked up by Capt.
Burrett.
Tho only thing that m marks the scene Of the
sinking is a small part OF the steamers stack
above the surface Of the water. which Is
twenty five feet deep there. William Carr.
who lost his life. commanded the boat .and was
well known among Canadian lum mbermen.
Alexander Douglas. who is also among the
lost. was storekeeper for the company.
searching party left North Bay this morn
ing to pick up what bodies could be found. A
li'eboat belonging to the steamer has been
found drifting with hole In one side The
seven men who were saved. including Fire.
man John Adams and Cook William Mcintosh.
reached here to-day.