The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-05-24
A WATERY GRAVE.
Nearly a Score of Ships Go Down
During an Awful Gale.
LUCKLESS SEAMEN PERISH
Eight Schooners Foundered Along the
shore Line of Chicago sad Scenes
Near Milwaukee.

today swept Lake Michigan was the
most disastrous of recent years. Eight
vessels were driven ashore within the
city limits, and out of their crews ten
men are known to be dro wned and In
every instance the boat and cargo are
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
hundreds Of people who lined the boule-
ward walks or watched the awful storm
fiom the windows of the big hotel.
which overlook the harbor. The wrecks
extend from Glencoe on the north,
where the L'ncolndale went to pieces,
to South Chicago, an air line distance
of 40 miles.
Following Is a list Of the wrecks so
far as known up to 10 o'clock tonight;
Schooner Llrcolndale, driven ashore
at Glencoe, Is miles north of Chicago
Schooner Myrtle, wrecked at the foot
of Harrison street,
Schooner j. Thompson, wrecked off
Twenty-hfth street.
Schooner Evening Star, wrecked off
Twenty-seventh street.
Schooner hurry, of Grand Haven,
wrecked off Twenty.seventh street.
Schooner J. Loomis McClarin, wreck
ed off rwentyssventh street.
Schooner Rainbow, wrecked of
rwenty-second street.
Schooner c. j. Miner, wrecked off
One Hundreth street.
Unknown schooner ashore near South
Chicago.
The first vessel to 60 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 the pump work
ing. A tug made its way to her side
and offered her a line, but the captain
refused it, intending to sail into the
J harbor. The task was too much for
, him, however, and before he was fairly
into the harbor he lost control of the
vessel, which crashed into the Rainbow,
carrying away the bow of that boat and
smashing a great hole under her bow
spirit, and, with her foremost gone, she
r drifted rapidly south, pitlable wreck
J 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 ineffectual and again the
| Thompson swept toward shore, broad
D from shore. The men were rescued by
line thrown by the life saving crew
The schooner Mercury of Ludington
s Mich, was wrecked Off Twenty.seventt
e street. An effort was made to tow hei
r into harbor, when she neared the break
] water but the wind and waves were
too strong.
| The Evening Star and Jack Thompson
were already grinding to pieces on the
r breakwater and thousands of people
y stood on the beach watching them. A.
o the Mercury came nearer, her crew
e could be seen huddled together Ia the
bow ana they were frantically waving
r their arms 10 the people on shore
When the schooner finally stuck an at
l. tempt.was made, but in vain, to get
e seamen on board the Tom Thurstoi
n jumped from the vessel to some foatin,
y lumber, and after several times goini
o under the heavy breakers took him T.
4 shore. Two others took the sam
u chance and got safely ashore. A lin
v \ .bo ~
h vessel and made fast. The crow
ashore held 1t, and one by one four me
almost exhausted climoed to safety
and the last man, Ed Sterling, wa
!, about halfway down the line when tn
= rope broke and he dropped into tn
- water. Several persons rushed to th
!. rescue and he was carried ashore.
The schooner Llncolndale was drive
=. ashore at Glencoe, and Anton Guncer
:. one of the sailors, was swept overboar
:. and drowned. After several hours
- waiting the rest of the crew were re
a cued by the Evanston life-savipg GREY
The wreck of the Rainbow, 4 lumb,
schooner from Racine, occurred late
:. the afternoon, and was marked
"A heroic rescue of the crew, when abo
~ all hope of saving them had be-
-, abandoned. At 3 o'clock she began
drift rapidly southwark dragging h
anchor. Seeing her destruction was
evitable, the life-saving crew loaded t
We life line apparatus upon a flatcar clio
md to the waters edge and kept pace wi
If the doomed vessel and the wind dro
md her southwark. Of the foot of Har
at son street the cannon was fred and t
ad, life line missed the boat by 80 fe
ion Several unsuccessful attempts we
,ut made between Harrison and Tween
lso fifth street. The men were finally T
cued and the vessel drifted ashore Z
was ground to piece.
an
eld