Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-19
Wreck of the M. j. Cummings.

MILWAUKEE, May 19.-Hanging to the
rigging of the schooner NJ. j. Cummings,
just south of Milwaukee lighthouse, are
the bodies of woman and a man, the for
mer the stewardess and the latter sailor.
Four others, including the captain, have
been drowned, and one, Robert Patterson,
sailor, is saved.
1t was the fiercest storm that has swept
the west shore of Lake Michigan since the
crib disaster two years ago, when IA lives
were lost.
The Cummings and the schooner G.. G..
Barnes tried to enter the harbor early in
the day, but failed to make the piers and
were soon drifting toward the beach on
Jones island. An unsuccessful effort was
made by the life saving crew to rescue all
of the crew of the Cummings, but they
were nearly drowned in the attempt the
lifeboat being overturned and the crew
escaping almost miraculously. The crew
of the Barnes escaped, and the vessel can
be released, as she is light and on sandy
bottom.
Five men and woman persisted in the
wreck of the schooner before the life saving
crew reached the wreck. One of the crew
and life saver were rescued. The men
who persisted fell from their perches in
the crosstrees to the water and sank out of
sight like pieces of lead. The body of a
woman was still dashed to the rigging, to
which she escaped when the vessel began
to sink.
Six thousand people lined the piers, the
shores of Jones island and the mainland
when the tug Knight Templar, towing a
scow bearing the life savers left the pier
to make the rescue Of the crew. One hun
dred feet of line separated the tug from
the scow, and back of the scow was towed
the empty surfboat. With bow to the
waves the Knight Templar permitted the
scow to drop down toward the wreck.
When the surfboat was within SO yards
of the wreck, a human figure that had
been clinging to the rigging of the mizzen-
mast was seen to throw up its hands and
fall backward into the boiling waves, be-
ing instantly lost to sight
A short time before another of those
clinging to the ropes had also let go his
hold and persisted. A groanwent up from
the crowd as each body was lost to sight,
and then all eyes centered on the surfboat
as it dropped back beside the sunken YES
sci. Two figures slowly descended the
shrouds of the mizzenmast and chung to
lines but few feet above the waves Five
minutes passed as attempt after attempt
was made by the life savers to swing the
lifeboat near the waiting men. A cry went
up from the crowd on shore as one figure
was seen to leap from the rigging and land
in the boat. Two minutes later a man
sprang far out, and as the boat assembled a
wave it was seen that there were five fig
ures in the boat. Then a cheer that drown
ed the roaring of the breakers went up
from the throats on shore.
Slowly the long line that held the surf.
boat was paid out, and the two rescued
| men were permitted to drift toward the
4hOra-Ona mo emf Loot n Sioht 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 is
land crowd ran to meet the rescued men,
and willing hands were stretched out, and
they were dragged to a place of safety,
The dead are
Captain John Mccullough, Marine City.
Mate Timothy Bosour, Buffalo.
Thomas Tuscott, sailor, Marine City.
Unknown sailor.
Sailor named Jim, Marine City
Cook "a woman), name unknown, Buff
falo
The saved are Robert Patterson, King
ston, Ont, and Frank Goordes, surfman
[ No. 66, Milwaukee life saving station.
| Surfman Goordes, as soon as he boarded
the schooner, proceeded to lash the mem
| bers of the crew to the rigging, but it is
supposed they loosened the ropes to change
! their positions, hoping to escape the force
| of the blizzard of pelting snow and rain,
but were so stiff that they could not make
new fastenings, and he could do nothing
| for them.
Captain Mccullough was the second man
| to fall, shooting down into the water as
hundreds of fieldglasses were trained on
| the scene from shore. Tuscott fell first
and the others soon after the captain.