The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-04
but No Signals Given or Anything
Done That Would Indicate the
Supposed Men Were Alive.
TUGS SENT TO THE RESCUE
UNABLE TO REACH THE HULL ON AC-
COUNT OF DELAY AND DARKNESS.
Last Seen Drifting Towards the In-
diana Shore-PeopIe of Benton Har-
bor Excited Over the Reports.

CHICAGO. Feb. 3.-On Jan. q, at $50
o'clock in the morning, the steamer Chicora.
with of twenty-one men and one
passenger, left Milwaukee for Benton Har-
bor Mich, across the lake. A storm sprang
up soon after the sailing of the steamer.
and she did not reach Benton Harbor. The
eastern shore of the lake was lined with ice.
and IT supposed the vessel had been
crushed and foldhdered, Wreckage was
found imbedded in the ice. Though the
lake had been searched every day for al.
most two weeks bodies We're discovered,
and all hope of seeing the crew alive was
long ago abandoned.
To-day a rumor that the hull of the
Chicora had been sighted off South Chicago
caused the greatest excitement In this city.
Tugs were sent out in pursuit of what a
number of observers had declared was the
floating hull, and when darkness came on
this evening 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 medium OF the fire department.
| 1t was telephoned to Chief Sweenie's of
| fee from South Chicago by Capt. NJ. T.
Powers of engine company No. "a, which is
located at South Chicago.
shortly before IL O'clock in the forenoon.
| the attention of Captain Powers was called
| to dark object far out in the lake, and
opposite the mouth of the Calumet river.
| The object, long black line like the hull
of a vessel, rose and fell with the swell
of the sea. The rumor spread in South
| Chicago that the wreck of the Chscora
| in view, and in very short time crowds
| gathered along the shore and glasses were
| focused on the dark object, which was
| drifting rapidly toward the southeast. Capt
| Powers sent message to the chief OF
| the department. The fire boat Calumet was
/ sent out early in the afternoon, and a
| number of other tugs, among them the
| Protection and the Morford, left the mouth
| of Chicago river and steamed as fast as
possible to South Chicago to search for the
wreck. E
| VALUABLE TIME LOST.
| In the meantime an effort was made to
send out tugs from South Chicago, but it
/ was unsuccessful on account of the iee
| The fire boat Chicago was lying in the Cali
uInet, but between 1t and the open lake
| was over half a mile of river frozen from
/ bank to bank, the ice being several feet
| thick. The Chicago could make no impress
| sion on the ice. it 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 be-
| ing 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 Baltimore
| & Ohio railroad offered to place train al
/ the service of the authorities to
| carry rescuing parties to the sta
/ tions along it's line in Indiana
which are close to the lake. Captain Jen-
| kins and a detail of policemen and several
| firemen from the South Chicago companies
| availed themselves of the offer of the rail-
| road company and shortly after o'clock
| an engine and car started for Miller
/ Ind, which lies close to the lake and Is
about ten miles east of Whiting. 1t was.
| believed from the direction in which the
| supposed wreck drifting when last seen
| from South Chicago that it would come
/ ashore in the neghborhood of Miller
Captain Powers, in an interview, described
| the supposed wreck a long black line
| against the white field of ice. Il do not
| say that it was the hull of the Chicora,
| he said, but it had the appearance of the
| half submerged hull of vessel. 1t was
| about the length OF vessel like the Chi
| cora. but could not see it distinctly enough
| to make out definitely what position 1t was
| in. 1t appeared to be a hun with all the
| several black objects which might be taken
| for human beings but there was sign of
| life. L thought at the time that 1t the
| hull of the Chcora, and think so yet. 1t
seemed to be drifting very fast and when
| saw it first it seemed to me to be about three
, miles out / have seen several persons this
/ afternoon who saw it and declared that liv-
| ing men could be seen on it, but saw moth
| ing TO indicate that there anything on
| it that was alive
FLOATING WITH THE ICE.
Marshal Smith, of the South Chicago fire
department, watched the supposed wreck for
| long time through field glass 1T was
| not far out of the water he said. "but it
| could be plainly seen when ii rose on the
| waves. Through a glass il had every ap-
| pearance of the black hull of vessel aud
| it was surrounded ly the ice. 1t looked &c
| me as though the hull was embedded in
| big cake of ice and was floating with IL.
| There appeared to be an exDanse or clear
| level ice ell around it. The thing was about
| eight miles OUT. near as l could judge
| There were dark objects ii, but / could
see no signs of life and there were no in
/ slications that the dark objects were human
| beings Ii they were, and they were aliye.
| they were making so signals and doing
| noting TO attract attention from the shore.
| I believe the mass was the huh of a vessel
| tut 1 would not say it tire chicora-'
A. j. Davenport. 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 1t was the hull Of a
vessel or not He said: AT the time of the
! year when the lake is filed with ice it often
| happens that mass of dirty and biaek-
| ened snow floats by ON an Ice foe Some-
| times snow which is taken from the street
OF the city and dumped into the river doat2