The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-06-21
A LADY ELGIN STORY
Lost With -Four Hundred Passen-
gers on Lake Michigan.
IT OCCURRED MANY YEARS AGO
calls the Day when SO Many Per
sons Went Down.

ng Company found 1t In the lake of the
DOT of Addison street, Chicago. 1t was
loisted, loaded on the scow and finally
Jumped In the yards on Goose island.
There 1t lies now, surrounded by old
ron, hardwood timber, Touring mills,
coal docks, elevators, stone
yards, soap works, varnlsh factories
and a large and varied assortment of
smells. It is old iron itself, but 1t is
also relic of one of the worst disasters
ever known on the great lakes, a dis
after that strewed sorrow all along the
shore from Chicago TO Milwaukee.
This rusty relic was one of the boilers
of the Lady Elgin.
The wreck Of the Lady Elgin was dis
cussed from one end of the country to
the other In Its day. 1t was even made
the subject of lugubrious ballad. But
the greater memories of the war came
to ovcrshadow 1t in the public mind.
The average person remembers 1t only
as { historic fact fast merging into a
traditions but up and down the Rialto
facing the river and In the big offices
one occasionally meets an ancient mar
liner or old tug master who can 60 into
all the details of the awful night when
hundreds went to the bottom OF Lake
Michigan.
The Lady Elgin was a sidewheel pas
senger boat plying between Milwaukee
and Chicago and touching immediate
points. 1t was about the size of the
Goodrich sidew heelers which new
travel the same course. William Har-
man, of the Chicago Towing company,
remembers the boat distinctly. 1t was
in September, 1860, he says, that it
went down.
Some sort of convention or tourna-
ment of iremen was being held In Mil
waukee. 1t ended with lake excur-
sion to Chicago. The Lady Elgin was
chartered for the occasion. 1t took \
good-sized load from the Milwaukee
dock and picked up other portions Of
human cargo at Racine and Kenosha.
It arrived at the dock in Chicago q
little before noon and tied up, while
the excursionists rambled over the then
Young but wonderful city.
It was along In the evening when the
Lady Elgin loaded up for the return
trip to Milwaukee. Mr.. Hartman re-
members 1t distinctly because his Sis
ter.In-law and a couple of friends
we're to 90 back on the boat, but we're
impelled by the threatening weather
and the crowd already aboard to go
back by train. When the Lady EIgin
left the Chicago dock that night she
was carrying between 700 and 800 pas
sengers. While the Lady Elgin was
tied to her dock the wind had begun to
blow hard from the northeast and the
lake was rough.
The captain OF the Lady Elgin was
not afraid, however. He had confidence
in himself and In his boat He pushed
cut into the lake and headed for the
north. The big paddle wheel pounded
the waves and gave the craft fair head
way against the wind. The excursion
lists on board were not alarmed. They
had been having such good time al
day In Chicago that the bit of rough
weather was almost welcomed as an
other of the days interesting expert
ences.- The Lady Elgin had reached {
point about six miles OF Crosse Point
to the northeast, without mishap Of
suspicion OF danger. Then another
boats hull doomed up in the darkness
the steamer Augusta, bound for Chica
60. 1t was said afterward the August;
had become manageable In the storm
Anyway 1t was In the Lady Elgin
path and so close that collision wa
unavoidable and the Lady Elgln turnet
and and swung half out of her course
The Augusta pushed straight on, driver
by the gale almost dead astern. Tn,
Augusta caught the Lady Elgin amid
ships and cut the boat almost through
the hull from side to side. The excur
sion steamer reeled and sank before
boat could be dropped over her side.
Waves rolled up by a fierce gal,
swept over and around nearly 500 mel
and women. Some fioated and swan
until bits of wreckage could be lashe,
into RATS and were finally rescued
Some were lost In making their wa
ashore on these Impoverished RATS, an,
among them was captain Wilson, of tn
Lady Elgin, but more than half o
them did not rise after the collision TO
several days.
: AS near as Mr., Hartman can remem
Der 400 people were lost In the wrecl
of the Lady Elgin. The tug Waite
Mcqueen was busy every day for week
| picking up bodies near the scene of III
disaster, and used to steam back I
Chicago daily with from half a doze
to twenty-five bodies on board.
couple of weeks after the wreck hal
the hull OF the Lady Elg.n noated t,
the TOP and discharged cargo of dead
Many Of the bodies were never ideu
tilted.
Uncarthed a Parlor Car.