The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-05-19
THE Loss OF THE CUMMINGS.
Rive Men and Woman Drowned, De-
spite the Efforts of Life Snyera.

Efve Men and a Woman Drowned, De-
spite the Efforts of Life Savers.
MILWAUKEE, May ia fierce gale
from the northward ragged on Lake Mich
tgan yesterday, and tremendous sea is
sweeping into the bay. The schooner NJ
J. Cummings entered the bay at about
ssock and dropped her anchors Off Mich
&Eghn avenue, but they failed to hold, and
the vessel drifted southward and shore
ward until she reached the breakers, when
she evidently filled through her cabin and
forecastle, and went down in twenty feet
of water
The crew took to the rigging, but peo-
pie on shore say they saw two men swept
over the stern of the schooner when she
went down. The life saving crew went
out into the lake and drifted down to the
wreck of the Cummings, but at the crit
fcal moment when the men might
hays been rescued n huge wave swept
along and carried the lifeboat, with its
brave crew, towards Bay View, where
they were swept into the breakers The
hfe saving crew managed to reach shore
aafely at Bay View. They returned to the
station Immediately and made another
effort to rescue the crew of the Cummings
Five men and a woman perished in the
wreck of the Cummings before the life
1hNluB GFHh Tedtileu lHe wreck. One of
the crew and life saver were rescued.
The men who perishod fell from their.
perches in the rosstrees to the water and
sank out of sight. The body of the woman
Is still lashed to the rigging.
Six thousand people lined the piers and
shores of Jones Island and the main land
when the tug knight Tenplar towed a
scow bearing the life savers left the pier
20 make the rescue of the crew.
When the surf boat was within fifty
yards of the wreck human figure that
had been clinging To the rigging of the
mizzenmast was seen to throw up Its
hands aud fall backward into the boiling
waves, being instantly lost to sight. A
short time before another of those cling
ing to the ropes had also let go his hold
and perished. groan went up from the
crowd as each body was lost to sight and
then al eyes centered on the surf boat as
It dropped back beside the sunken vessel.
Two figures slowly descended the shrouds
of the mi2zenmast and clung to the lines
but few feet above the waves
Five minutes pas sed as attempt after
attempt WIS made by the life savers to
swing the iifeboat near the waiting men.
One figure WAS + cen to leap from the rig
ging and land in the boat. Two minutes
later q man sprang far out. Slowly the
long line that holds the surfboat was paid
out and two rescued men were permitted
TO drift toward the shore-one moment
lost to sight in the foaming breakers and
again alive and sure of rescue as the boat
rose on the top of some mighty billow.
Along the beach at the foot of Jones
Island crowd ran to meet tho rescued
men and willing hands were stretched
out 70 them, and they were dragged to a
place of safety.
The deHd are: Captain John McCul-
Tough, Marine City; Mate Timothy Bosour,
Buffalo; Thomas Tuscott, suilor, Marine
City; unknown sailor Marine City; sailor
named '',lim,n Marine City; cook (woman),
unknown, Buffalo.
Saved: Robert Patterson, Kingston,
Ont; Frank Gordes, surfman, Milwaukee
life saving station.
Gordes, as soon as he boarded the
schooner, proceeded TO lash the members
of the crew to the rigging, but it is sup
posed they looseaed the ropes to change
their position, hoping to escape the force
of the blizzard OF pelting snow and rain.
bat were 80 stiff that they could not make
new fastenings, and he conld do nothing
fer them.
Captain Mccullough was the second
r1an to fail, shooting down into the water
- hundreds Of .ield glasses were trained
on the scene frc,n shore. Tuscott fell
first and the others soon after the cap
tain