The morning call., 1894-05-19
UNDER THE WAVES
Loss of Life on Lake
Michigan.
WORST GALE EVER KNOWN.
Good Sailors Found Their Craft
Beyond Control.
WORST GALE EVER KNOWN
MANY VESSELS DRIVEN ASHORE
Not for Many Days Will the Number
of Wrecks Be Accurately
Known.

CHICAGO. May 1S.-The storm which to-
day swept Lake Michigan was the most
| disastrous of recent years. Eight vessels
were driven ashore within the city limits
! of Chicago, and, out of their crews. ten
men are known to be drowned, and in
| every instance boat and cargo were utterly
! lost One schooner. the Myrtle, was
wrecked just outside the Government pier,
within half mile of Michigan boulevard,
and six men of her crew went down to
death in plain view OF the hundreds Of
! people who lined the boulevard walks OF
watched the awful storm from the win
| dows OF the hotels which overlook the
| harbors. The wrecks extend from Glen
! cOe on the north, where the Lincolndale
went to pieces, to South Chicago, an air
! line distance of forty miles. Foll0w wing is
| the list Of wrecks as far as known MP to 10
| o'clock tO-night:
! Schooner LincOlndale, driven ashore at
| Glencoe, eighteen miles north of Chicago
Schooner Myrtle, wrecked at the foot of
Harrison street
| Schooner Jack Thompson Of Chicago,
wrecked off Twenty fifth street.
Schooner Evening Star, wrecked off
TweDty-seventh street. Crew rescued.
Schooner Mercury of Grand Haven.
| wrecked off Twenty-seventh street. Crew
rescued.
Schooner j. Loomis McClarln, wrecked
off Twenty-seventh street.
Schooner Rainbow of Milwaukee,
wrecked of Twenty-second street. Crew
rescued.
Schooner J. c. Miner of Chicago, wrecked
! of One Hundredth street. Crew saved.
Unknown schooner ashore near South
Chicago.
| The fatalities are:
Anton Guncers of Manistee, seaman on
the schooner Dale. drowned while trying
! to reach shore.
Charles Gautiers, cook on the schooner
Jack Thompson, resided In Chicago.
washed from a rope while trying to reach
shore.
Joseph Spollan OF Sturgeon Bay, mate of
the j. LOOMS McClarin. struck and killed
by the towpOst torn out when the vessel
broke away from tug.
The entire crew of the schooner Myrtle,
six men,
Thomas Kelse. fisherman, washed off the
Government pier and drowned.
The first vessel to 90 ashore was the two
masted schooner jack Thompson. The
boat came from Garden Bay, Mich. and
arrived off the breakwater early in the
! afternoon without a pump working. A
tug made its way to her side and offered
her line, but the captain refused II. in
tending to sail into the harbor. The task
was too much for him, however. and he
fore he was fairly into tie harbor he lost
control OF his vessel, which crashed into
ha I1h hNx 1or -trT,.r
boat and smashing a great hole under her
own bowsDrit, and with her foremast gone
she drlited rapidly south, pitiable wreck.
The anchor was thrown out and for a time
held fast, but breaking out of the soft
bottom of the harbor this only hope proved
Intellectual, and again the Thompson
swept toward the shore broadside on. She
struck bottom fifty feet from shore. The
men were rescued by line thrown by the
life-saying crew.
The schooner Mercury of Ludington.
Mich, was wrecked off Twenty-seventb
street. An effort was made TO tow her
into the harbor when she neared the
bTeakwater, but the wind and waves were
TOO strong. and the Evening Star and
Jack Thompson were already grinding to
pieces on the breakwater, and thousands
Of people stood on the beach watching
them. AS the Mercury came nearer her
crew could be seen huddled together in
the bow, and they were fraDtically waving
their arms to the people on shore. When
the schooner finally struck an attempt
was made. but in vain. to get line to the
crew. and then one Of the seamen on board
Tom Thurston, jumped from the vessel to
some Hoatlng lumber, and after several
times going under the heavy breakers was
finally taken ashore. Two others took the
same chance and got safely ashore. A
line was finally thrown from the shore To
the vessel and made fast. The crowd
ashore held it taut, and one by one the
four men, almost exhausted. climbed on
and slid TO safety, and the last man. Ed
Sterling, was about half way down the line
when the rope broke and he dropped into
the water among the lumber floating
about Several persons rushed to his
rescue and he was carried ashore amid the
wild cheers Of the crowd.
The schooner Lincolndale was driven
ashore at Glencoe and Anton Guncers, one
OF the sailors. was swept overheard and
drowned, Alter several hours of weary
wal ting the rest of the crew were rescned
~ s'N'HSNAo VI bhp 1lNdHSlOWU ilIe-caVlnO
crew. When the life-saving crew finally
arrived the wrecked sailors were well
nigh exhausted. The lifeboat was fi,sIIy
dragged down the steep bluffs which line
the lake at Glencoe and the men brougbr
off.
The wreck OF the Rainbo lumbar.
laden schooner from Racine, occurred late
in the afternoon. and was marked bv the
heroic rescue of her crew when ahont all
hope of saving them had been abandoned
She had thrown out her anchor and triad
to ride out the storm from position inst
south of the Government pier. Tba eaIs
was too strong for her. however. and AT 2
o'clock she began to drift rapidly sonth-
ward, dragging her anchors as tbouph
they were nothing but fsh-hooks. Seeing
that destruction was inevitable. the. life
saving crew loaded their lifeline an
paratus upon 6atcar close to the
waters edge and kept pace with the
doomed vessel as the wind drovs her
southwark. OFF the foot of Harrison conrt
(streeD the car was stopped. the cannon