The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-02-07
WRECKED STEAMER
TO HAVE BEEN SIGHT
ED FROM CHICAGO
There are Those Who Think Iney s""
Plainly the Missing Chicora with
Persons Moving About on
Board, Signalling

c,iooco Feb 3-The report that, the
Nili,nT s+aomar Chicora was seen float
W. ~ tba Ioke today caused great excite
9 9 Tho fire boat was sent out carry
in the afternoon and Il NUMBER oI tuSS
among them the Morsard, left the mouth el
If the Chicago river and steamed us laSI
Nc nossible TO South Chicago to searcn
| FOR tho wreck. In the meantime an elo[l
was made to send out tugs from oouth
| Chicago. but it was unsuccessful On ac-
,nmnt of the ice. The fire boat Chlcaso
wos living in the Calumet, but between
| II and the omen lake over half mile ol
rirnr frozen from bank to bank, the ice
HANG several feet thick. The CMcago
could make no impression upon the ICE.
| II was afterwards joined by the tugs ilo1
| Day and Heisler, but the three conlDileII
we're unable to make any headWay anu
thn attempt to reach the lake was given
While these efforts were being maze
tbe snnpospd wreck had passed out OF
sight. When last seen 1t was III n iisI
of floating ice which was being carried
NV thr current toward the southern part
~ thn lake. its course being slightly to-
ward the east. a., poI
At ! o'clock in the afternoon the bal-
timorc and Ohio railroad offered to pace
- train mt the service of the authorizes
IA carry recruiting parties to the stallOlls
along lis line which are close to the lake
Confoin Jenkins and a detail OF ponce
mon and several iiremen from the South
Chicago companies awaited themselves OF
the offer. and shortly after o'clock an
engine and one car started for Mlller'
Ind. which lies close TO the lake. 1t was
believed from the directing i'll when the
wreck was drifting when last
seen from South Chicago that II Wouia
come ashore in he ncighbOrhood or NIL
Ter. Captain Powers i'll an interview ue-
scrbed the supposed wreck as u long
black line against the white held Oh zee.
Il do not say that it was the hull OF the
Chicora," he said, "but it had the appear |
ance of the half submerged hull of YES
sell 1t was about the length of vessel
like the Chicora, but l could not see 1t
distinctly enough to make it out. 1t ap-
Deared to be a hull with all the upper
works gone, and upon it could be seen
several black objects, which might be
taken for human beings, but there was no
sign of life. l thought at the time it was
he hull of the Chicora and think SO yet.
1t seemed to be drifting very fast when L
saw it first, it seemed to be out about
hree miles. l saw several persons today,
who saw it and declared that living men
,ould be seem on it, but l saw nothing to ;
Indicate that there was anything on it
hat was alive. Hundreds climbed to the
op of their houses in South Chicago in
rider to get view of what they believed
o be the wheck of the Chicora. Along
he Shore as far as One Hundreth street,
he crowds stood in the bitter cold wind,
md the blowing snow storm, which began
n the latter part of the afternoon. When
t began to grow dark q crowd of several II
hundred on the shore at Ninety-eighth h
treet built a huge beacon fire, in the
Iope of attracting the attention of the
'eople on the supposed wreck, if any of
hem were alive. All sorts of rumors
we're circulated throughout the town and I
cores of persons could be found who saw,
+ said they saw, living people on the
wreck and walking about on the ice, which
it. Some had counted the
len, but numbers varied from 10 to 80,
+ nine more than the crew and passengers
t the missing steamer. There were
ONE who said they had seen the men on
he wreck making signals, and had even
card shots fired as an appeal for help.
Ione of these stories could be verified and
hey were totally at variance with the T
estimony of the police and the tug men
nd others who had watched the floating
DJect through glasses.
Later-Captain Jenkins of the Vessel
'Wner's company, at $50 p. M, reported
lat the tug Perfection had just returned
rom the south, and, quoting Captain
words in making his report,
'aptain Jenkins said:
We found nothing at all; saw nothing
ut drift ice."
A report is, however, in circulation,
oming from Miller, Ind, to the effect
nat some persons at that place not only
aw the wreck, but could make out the
anne Chicora, but this was not varifed.