Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-24
Fearful Sweep of the Storm
on Lake Michigan.
VESSELS WRECKED OFF CHICAGO
Heroic Work by the Life-Sav-
ing Station Crews.


the north for the past thirty-six hours.
Late tonight t is believed that twelve
or fifteen lives have been lost along the
shore off this city and its suburbs.
The only other poiht reporting loss of
life is Milwaukee, where six of the
schooner Cummings crew were drowned
this afternoon before they could be
rescued by the life saving crew.
Half dozen schooners and smaller
craft have foundered off this city during
the day; score or more are dismantled
and stove in, making an almost hopeless
fight against the gale and the huge
waves that every few minutes sweep
over them, endangering the lives of those
who are still on board.
ADAY OF HEROIC EFFORT.
II has been a day of heroic effort and
great suffering for the life saving crews
scattered along the shore. At least 80
vessels are anchored outside the harbor,
waiting for the storm to subside.
All are more or less damaged, and the
signals of distress that have appeared
among them from time to time during
the day have kept the life-savers busy.
Twenty-Five or thirty men have been
brought in, all exhausted and suffering
intensely from the exposure and cold.
In several cases help arrived too late,
and corpse was found among the half
conscious sailors, who, benumbed by
the cold and unable to protect them
selves, were almost beaten to death by
the furious waves.
All night the storm has not abated,
and every hour increases the peril of
those on board the numerous vessels
outside the harhor pulling at their an
chors and in imminent danger of being
brought into collision with each other
or of being pounded to pieces on the
beach.
SCENES OF HORROR ON THE CHICAGO
LAKE FRONT.
Scenes of horror that chilled the blood
of thousands of spectators were enacted
in the harbor for two miles below the
Illinois Central depot early in the even
ing.
AS the storm increased in violence
during the afternoon, the waves grew
mountain high, dashing over the Break
water, deluglng the tracks and envelop-
ing the passing trains with torrents of
spray.
Out in the harbor dozen three
masted schooners, heavily laden with
lumber from Michigan, were riding at
anchor. A few minutes after o'clock
three of the number hoisted signals of
distress.
A few minutes later the three.masted
schooner Evening Star, of this city,
parted her chains and came for the shore
like rocket. She struck the heavy
piling of the Breakwater and her tim
beers crashed in as though they were egg
shells.
AS the vessel struck the six sailors
aboard jumped for their lives. Five
landed on pile of scrap iron, going
down on all fours, but the sixth, Nor
wegian named Olsen, missed land by a
couple of feet and went down into the
waves.
The next moment succession of
monster waves mad cleaned the deck of
thousands OF pine planks, which covered
the surface of the water and made any
attempt to rescue the unfortunate men
impossible.
Hardly had she struck when there was
a shout from the throng of excited on
lockers, and it was seen that another
three-master had parted her ropes and
was coming ashore. This was the Jack
Thompson, also lumber laden.
She followed the path of the Star and
came helm on the previous unfortunate.
The shock precipitated into the water
the heavy timber on the starboard side
and upon which the five members of
the crew were standing. They were
finally rescued.
Shortly after o'clock the two.master
Murphy, lumber-laden, came ashore
within so yards of the Thompson. She
was driven SO close to land that the
crew had little difficulty in jumping
ashore.
Shortly after o'clock another big
three master, the LOOMS McLaren,
which had been riding at anchor about
a mile out, parted her chains and came
ashore. One of her crew was lost.
Ats o'clock another Of the lumber
fleet about two miles out was throwing
out distress rockets and was apparently
coming ashore. z... ..I
About the same time the schooner
Myrtle was seen drifting ashore near
Twenty-ninth street. Six half-frozen
men were clinging to the rigging. The
life-saying crew was busy mile away
and could give no assistance.
Forty lives were saved by the crews
of the life-saving boats and the tugs of
the Chicago companies during the day.
MEN on THE PIERS LOSE THEIR LIVES.
For several hours this morning
dozen fishermen who had gone out to
the government pier late last night chung
to the piles opposite Park row.
, Shortly before noon long surf boat
manned by the Hyde Park crew sue
ceeded in reaching the pier.
Ono corpse was carried back to the
lifc-saving station, one of the men
having succumbed to the beating waves
and the long exposure. His II COM
panions were little more than alive.
Late this afternoon tug rescued five
men from perious position on the
North pier. The sixth man OF the party
was washed into the lake and drowned
before the tug could reach the pier.
Loss OF LIFE AT MILWAUKEE.
MILWAUKEE, WIS.,, May 1S.-The
schooner M. ]. Cummings Of Oswego,
with grain from Chicago, is on the bot
tom near the harbor mouth in 20 feet of
water, where she struck at o'clock this
morning.
Two of her crew tried to come ashore,
a distance of 1000 feet, In yawl; but
the boat capsized and the men disap-
peared. The tug Hagcrman made an
unsuccessful attempt to carry line out
to Cummings, but was forced to give il
up.
Then the life-saving crew rowed out.
One OF the crew carried line on the
Cummings, but it broke, and the life
boat drifted away, capsized aud tloated
off southwark.
One of the life-saving crew and two
other seamen are dashed in the masts of