The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-05-19
THE LOSS OF THE CUMMINGS.
Five Men and Woman Drowned, Do
spite the Rnorta of Life Savers.

Five Mon and . Woman Drowned, Do
spite the Rnorta of Life Savers.
MILWAUKEE, May IA fierce gale
from the northward ragged on Lake Mich
tRan Yesterday, and tremendous sea Is
sweeping into the bay. The schooner NJ. |
J. Cummings entered the bay at about 8
O'Clock and dropped her anchors of Mich |
iRau avenue, but they failed to hold, and |
the vessel drifted southwark and shore |
ward until she reached the breakers, when |
she evidently filed 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
ical moment when the men might
have been rescued a huge wave swept
along and carried the lifeboat, with its
brave crew, towards Bay View, where
they were swept into the breakers. The
life saving crew managed to reach shore
safely 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
saving crew reached the wreck. One of
| the crew and a life saver were rescued.
| The men who perished fell from their
| perches in the crosstrees 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
whom the tug Knight Templar towed a
scow bearing the life savers left the pier
to make the rescue of the crew.
When the surf boat was within fifty
yards Of the wreck human figure that
had been elinging to the rigging Of the
I minEenmast was seen to throw up its
I hands and 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. A groan went up from the
crowd a. each body was lost to sight, and
then all eyes csntered on the surf boat as
IL dropped back beside the sunken vessel
Two figures slowly descended the shrouds
Of the mizzenmast and elung to the lines
but few feet above the waves.
Five minutes pas sed as attempt after
attempt was made by the life savers to
swing the lifeboat near the waiting men.
One figure was cen to leap from the rig
RinR and land in the boat. Two minutes
later 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
J 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 a crowd ran TO meet the rescued
men, and willing hands were stretched
out to them, and they were dragged to
place of safety,
The dead are: Captain John McCul
Tough, Marine City; Mate Timothy Bosour
Buffalo; Thomas Tuscott, sailor, Marin
: City; unknown sailor, Marine City; sailo
/ named Jim, Marine City; cook (womanl
. unknown, Buffalo
. Saved; Robert Patterson, Kingston
: Ont; Frank Gordes, surfman, Milwaukee
|. life saving station.
Gordes, as soon as he boarded tn
!, schooner, proceeded TO lash the member
I Of the crew to the rigging, but II is SUI
e posed they loossned the ropes 70 chang
Their position, hoping 90 escape the fore