The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-11-19
LAKE oTEANlGR

-. l..A 80
d. on the Assss at Csna.su., o.-rwe
& tetoyed By Fire 5sa v
CLEvELANDs o., Nov. l4.-The steam.
q Wallula, ore laden from Ashland,
VIA. to Conneaut, o., went ashore
While trying to make the latter port
during the storm Friday forenoon.
When 1t appeared as though she was
going to miss her pier, the crew scut-
tied her, hoping to make her right up.
The effort was q failure and she went
on to the rocks. She pounded Heavily
and 1t was with the greatest difficulty
that part of her crew were rescued
Two seamen were drowned. Just as
the last man was taken off the ship
burst forth in blaze and Friday night
was still burning.
Shortly after eight o'clock the big
steamer was first noticed from shore
coming in. She was laboring hard in
the heavy seas and as she bore down
toward the harbor she sent up signals
of distress.
Two tugs tried to get out to her, but
were beaten off by the seas and pally
were forced to return within the
breakwaters. So heavily laden was
the Wallula that she rolled and rocked
and finally the crew entirely lost con.
troll of her. A rudder chain broke and
the big vessel became the plaything of
every sea that rolled in. All efforts to
steer with the wheel were in vain. A
big crowd gathered on shore and
watched the ship as she tossed about.
It became evident that nothing could
save her from going ashore, but the
captain resorted to heroic measures to
get her ashore as safely as possible.
He ordered the sea cocks opened in orr
| der to let in water. In this way he
thought to steady her in her
fierce battle with the seas. The
ship was accordingly scuttled.
Either the captains orders were
mis- understood or else the sailors acted
with too great energy. for too many
sea cocks were opened and one was
broken. The result was that the wa.
ter rushed in in great volume and the
steamer rapidly settled. She was in
great danger of going down more than
one-half mile from shore. The crew
were called to the pumps and ordered
TO pump for their lives. 1t became
almost impossible to work the pumps,
\ but the men clung to their
! work like grim death. She rollsd and
filed, the water gaining rapidly. At
this juncture life-saving crew put of
from the shore The captain gave or.
ders to the men to abandon the pumps
and look to their personal safety. The
Nfe-savers neared and wild scramble
for their lives ensued among the mem
bers of the crew. Lines were sent
aboard and ten of the l2 men were
taken off. Two others, seamen, whose
full names could not be learned, were
lost overheard. The missing men were
known as Wilson" and "Pat."
After the ship was abandoned she
remained up longer than had been am
ticipated and did not sink, but was
driven hard ashore. Immediately after
she strucl spiral flame shot up from
her. This broke into fierce blaze,
which mantled her fore and aft.
From the shore the fire appeared to be
largely in the vessels interior, and
continued to burn until darkness fell.
The rescued seamen were cared for on
shore.
The Wallula was owned by Thomas
Wilson, of this city, and was valued at
$9O,O 900. She carried an unusually large
cago Of ore, the value of which is not
known. The vessel is insured for $75,.
600. She was in command Of Capt.
Holmes. Capt. Holmes said Friday
evening that the storm was the worst
he had encountered for many years.
The fact that the Wallula was so
heavily freighted made her unweildly
and it became impossible to navigate.