The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-04

Chicago. Feb. 3.-The rumor that the
hull OF the lost steamer Chfcora had
been sighted off South Chicago, caused
the greatest excitement today in this
| City. Tugs were sent out in pursuit OF
what number Of observers had de-
eIared was the hull of the lost Chicora.
and when darkness came on the lake
was being searched in the hope that the
story would prove true. The report that
! the wreck of the missing steamer had
/ been seen, reached the city through the
fire department. 1t was telephoned to
Chief SWenie's Office in Chicago by Cap
tain II. ]. Powers, of Engine Company
No. "A, which is located at South Chi
cage. Shortly before IL o'clock in the
forenoon, the attention of Captain Pow
ers was called to a dark object far out
in the lake. and about opposite the mouth
of the Calumet river.
Long Black Line.
The object. {, long black line like the
hull of a vessel, rose and fell with the
swell of the sea. The TumOr spread in
South Chicago that the wreck of the
ChicOra. was in view and in a very short
time crowds garDered along the shores
and glasses were focused on the object,
which was drifting rapidly toward the
southeast.
Captain Powers sent a message to the
chief of the department. The freboa5
Calumet was sent out early in the after
noon, and d number of other tugs among
them the Protection and the MOrfOrd.
left the mouth Of the Chicago river and
steamed as fast as possible to South Chi
cago to search for the wreck. In The
meantime. an effort was made to send
out tugs from South Chicago, but ii was
unsuccessful on account of the ice. Inc
fFFebOat Chicago was lying in the Calu-
met, but between it and the open lake
was over a. half q mile of river frozen
from bank te bank, the ice being several
feet thick.
DcGed BY the zee.
The Chicago could make no impression
upon the ice.
II WAS afterwards Joined by the tugs
Holiday and Heisler, but the three COM
bined were unable to make any head
way. and the attempt to reach the lake
was given UP. While these efforts We're
being made the supposed wreck had
passed out of sight. when last seen, it
was in a mass of floating ice, which was
being carried by the current toward the
southern end of the lake, its course be-
ing slightly toward the east.
At + O'Clock in the afternoon, the B. &g
. o. railroad offered to place train at the
service of the authorities to carry TeSCu-
ing parties to the stations along its line
in Indiana, Which are close to the lake
Captain Jenkins and a detail of police
men and several ftremen from South Chi
| caSo companies awaited themselves of the
offer of the railroad company. and short
ly after 4 o'clock an engine and one car
started for Miller, Ind, which lies close
TO the lake ana is about ten miles east
of Whiting 1t was believed from the
: direction in which the supposed wreck
was drifting when last seen from South
Chicago. that it would come ashore il
: the neighbOrhoOd of Miller.
= A HaIf-Submerged Hull.
Captain Powers. in an interview. de-
/ scribed the supposed wreck as long
? black line against the white fields or ice
Il do not say that it was the hull OF
the Chicora,'' he said. but it had the
, appearance of the haIf-Submerged hull
Of Is-7s al he q
D d vessel like the ChicOTa, but could NOT
t see it distinctly enough to make out def
Y nitely what position is vas in; 1t aP-
Deared to be Il null with all the upper
: works gone, and upon it could be seen
several black objects which might De
t taken for human beings but there was
, no sign of life. I thought at the time
that it was the hull Of the ChicOra and
I think so yet 1t seemed to be drifting
very fast, and when 1 saw it first it
seemed to me to be about three miles out
l have seen several persons this after
noon who saw it and declared that liy-
Il ing men could be seen on it. but saw
nothing to indicate that there was any
y | thing on it that was alive.
:, A J. Davenport, the keeper of the
= lighthouse at the mouth of the Calumet
L watched the object for more than an
q hour, but he was unable to say whether
n it was the hull of a. vessel or not. Dur
= ing the day, there was great excitement
lin South Chicago Hundreds climbed to
the tops of their houses in order to get
a view of what they believed to be the
> as far as One HundTedth street, the
!, crowds stood in the bitter cold wind and
5, the binding storm, which began in the
q latter part Of the afternoon. When it
= began to grow dark. q crowd of several
+ hundred on the shore at Ninety-eightn
n street built a huge beacon ire In the
p people on the supposed wreck if any Of
q them were alive.
: Saw Living Men.
= All sorts OF rumors were circulated
= through the town, and scores of persons
could be found who saw. or SAID they
ing about ON the ice which surrounded
y it. Some had counted the men and the
= number varied from 10 TO ., or nine
d more than the crew and passengers Of
: the missing steamer. There fWere some
n who said they had seen the men on the
J. wreck making signals, and had even
: heard shots fired as an appeal for help.
5 None of these stories could be verified,
e and they were totally at variance With
/ the testimony of the police and tug men
> and Others who had watched the floating
o. object through glasses.
Captain Consaul, of the tuS5oaS Pro
lection. which went in search of tEt
blackensd object seen two " three
miles out in the lake eff South Chicago
I. said that when the tugblse naC
h reached a, point about six miles from
lie the shore, off the Hyde Park crib. the
l. crew sighted an object about three
% miles further into the lake which he
u Thought might be the hull CT the III
- fated steamer. They proceeded q boH
Y. two miles towards the object when +
In twas seen that what had the appear
m ance of the hull of a, boat was only Z
drift of ice. Hundreds of seagulS were
zee flying about the iceberg, and these from
"a a distance looked like human beings
= moving about.
"a The Protection then changed st.
course southeast and for over two hour