St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-04
HULL OF THE CH|CORA
Several Dozen South Chicago
People Say They Surely
Saw 1t.
TUGS PUT OFF TO SCENE.
They Discover Nothing Ex-
eept Seagulls and Drift
lee.
TUGS PUT OFF TO SCENE.
WHAT INDIANA PEOPLE SAW
Job Lot Of Yarns by Various
People With Overwopked
Imaginations.

AAA&GS . 4AAh bAShS
the hull of the lost steamer Chicora has
been sighted off South Chicago caused
the greatest excitement today in this
city. Tugs were sent out i'll pursuit of
what a number of observers had de-
clared was the floating hull, and when
darkness came on this evening the lake
was being searched in the hope that the
story will prove true. The report that
the wreck of the missing steamer had
been seen reached the city through the
medium of the fire department. 1t was
telephoned to Chief Swenie'S Office
from South Chicago by Capt. NJ. j.
Powers, of Engine Company No. n,
which is located in South Chicago.
Shortly before II o'clock the attention
of Capt. Powers was called to dark OBJ
ject far out in the lake and about oppo-
site the mouth of the Calumet river.
The object. a long black line. like the
hull of vessel, rose and fell with the
swell of the sea. The rumor spread In
South Chicago that the wreck of the
Chicora was in view, and in a very short
time crowds gathered along the shore,
and glasses were focused on the OBJ
Ject, which was drifting rapidly toward
the southeast. Capt. Powers sent a
message to the chief of the department.
The fire boat Calumet was sent out early
IN the afternoon, and q number OF other
tugs. among them the Protection and
the Norford. left the mouth Of the Chi
cago river and steamed sfast as pos
sible
To South Chicago
to search for the wreck. In the mean
time an effort was made to send out
tugs from South Chicago, but it was un-
successful on account Of the ice. The
fire boat Chicago was lying in the
Calumet, but between it and the open
lake was over half mile of river
frozen from bank to bank, the ice being
several inches thick. The Chicago
could make no impression upon the ice.
1t was afterwards Joined by the tugs
Holiday and Heisler, but the three
combined were unable to make any
headway, and the attempt to reach the
lake was given up. While these efforts
were 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 being slightly toward the east
At o'clock in the afternoon the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad offered to place
train at the service of the authorities to
carry resculng parties to the stations
along its line in Indiana which are
close to the lake. Capt. Jenkins and
detail of policemen and several tiremen
from the South Chicago companies
availed themselves of the Offer of the
railroad company, and shortly after
o'clock
An Engine and One Car
started for Miller, Ind. which lies close
10 the lake and 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 i'll
the neighboIhood of Miller.
Capt. Powers. in an interview, de-
scribed the supposed wreck as long
black line against white field Of ice.
Il don't say that it was the hull of the
Chicora," lie said, but it had the ap-
pearance of a half-submerged hull of q
vessel. 1t was about the length of
vessel like the Chicora, hut l could not
see it distinctly enough to make out
definitely what position it was in. 1t
appeared TO be 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 the hull of the Chicora, and l think
so yet. 1t seemed TO be drifting very
fast. and when l 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 liv-
ing men could be seen on it. but | saw
nothing to indicate that there was any
thing on it that was alive"
Marshal Smith, of the South Chicago
fire department, watched the supposed
wreck for long time through glass.
ut was not far out of the water" he
said, ''but it could be plainly seen when
| it rose on the waves. Through a glass
it had every appearance Of the
Black Hull of Vessel.
and it was surrounded by ice. 1t looked
to me as though the hull was embedded
in a big cake of ice and was floating
with it. There appeared to be an ex-
panse of clear level ice all around it.
The thing was about eight miles out
as near as l could judge. There were
dark objects Oh it but l could see no
signs of life, aud there were no iudica-
tions that the dark objects were human
beings. If they were. and they were
alive, they were making no signals and
doing nothing to attract attention from
the shore. Ibelieve the mass was the
hull of a vessel, but would not say it
was the Chicora."
A. j.. Davenport. the keeper of The
lighthouse at the mouth OF the Calumet.
! watched the object for more than an
hour. but he was unable to say whether
/ it was the hull Of vessel or not. He
! said: "At this time Of the year, when
| +hn Lake is filed with ire it often han