Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-11-19
LAKE STEAM Err
Goes on the Rocks at Connesut. Owe
of the Crew Drowned-Ths Vessel pe-
stroyed by Fire

Goes on the Rocks at Connesut. Owe
of the Crew Drowned-The Vessel he.
stroyed by Fire
CLEVELAND, O., Nov i4-The steam.
er Wallula, ore laden from Ashland,
Wis, TO Conneaut, o., went ashore
while trying to make the latter port
during the storm Friday forenoon.
When it appeared as though she was
going To miss her pier, the crew scut-
tied her, hoping Ia make her right up.
The effort was n failure and She went
on To the rocks. She pounded heavily
and II was with the greatest difficulty
that part of her crew were rescued
Two Scamcn were drowned Just az
the last man was taken of ihc ship
burst forth In blaze and Friday night
was still burning,
shortly after eight o'clock the big
steamer VAS first noticed from shore
coming In. She was lahoring hard in
the heavy seas and as she bore down
toward the harbor she sent up signals
nf distress.
Two tugs tried TO get out To her. but
were beaten off by the seas and finally
we're forced tn return within the
brraLwatcrS. 80 heavily laden was
the Wallula that she rolled and rocked
and finally the crew entirely lost con-
troll of her. ruddcr 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
pig crowd gathered on shore and
IL 4, IL.
II became evident that nothing could
save her from going ashore, hut the
captain rCsorted t. heroic measures To
get her ashore rs safely as possible.
He ordered the sea cocks opened in or
der to let in water. In this Way he
thought 10 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
onc-half mile from shore. The crew
were called to the pumps and ordered
To pump for their lives. II became
almost impossible to work the pumps,
but the men chung To their
work like grim death She rollsd and
filled, the water gaining rapidly. At
this juncture life-saving crew put off
from the shore. The captain gave or
ders TO the men to abandon the pumps
and look To their personal safety. The
lifc-Savers neared and a wild scramble
for their lives ensued among the mem
bers of the crew. Lines were sent
aboard and ten of the II 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 mp longer than had been an
ticipated and did not sink, but was
driven hard ashore. Immediately after
she strucl- a spiral flame shot up from
her. This broke into a fierce blaze,
which mantled her fore and aft.
from the shore the fire appeared To be
largely i'm the vessels interior. and
continued to burn until darkness fell.
The rescued seamcn were cared for on
shore.
The Wallula was owned by Thomas
Wilson, of this city, and was valued at
500, 900 She carried an unusually large
cago of ore. the value of which is not
known. The vessel is insured for SI5,-
COO 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 fac: that the Wallula was so
heavily frcighted made her unweildly
and it became impossible to navigate.