The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-18
FIFTEEN MEET DEATH.
Forty Ore Handlers Thrown into
the River.
ACCIDENT OCCURS AT CLEVELAND.

i.
While Number OF Men Are Crossing a
River I'm . Flat s-sotto,ned Perry Boat IL
Capsizes and an Are THROWN into the
Water-Those Who Can swim Manar.
to Reach the shore but Fifteen Others
Find watery Graves.
CLEVELAND, July lS-A terrible acci.
dent took place Thursday night In the old
river bed, near Whisky island A gang of
ore handlers We're unloading the schooner
transfer, and finished their days work
about o'clock. A small flatbottomed
Terry was in waiting TO take them across
the river. 1t was being handled by a boy
IL years of age, named Bernard Patton
The lad had broken his oar and was try
Ing to navigate the ferry with pair of
sculls The boat was crowded with about
Forty men. In the middle Of the stream
those on board saw coming the tug Cush-
ing, with big vessel in tow. The com
ing tow began to make big waves, and a
collision seemed imminent. The labor
erers became frightened and called to the
boy to go back. Those in front of the
boat took it for instructions for them to
step back In the boat and obeyed.
Everybody Thrown into the Water.
The result was that the boat capsized,
water rushed in and all hands were over
turned into the river. Tho shouting and
hallooing was fearful. Nothing could be-
done, rs the thing happened so quickly
and it was so late i'm the evening that al
most every one had gone home for the day
IhOSp of tho marty who pntld
reached the shore, and most of them started
home to change their clothes How many
of them escaped drowning cannot well be
determined at this time, but so far fifteen
bodies have been recovered by the life
saving crew. The boy, Bernard Patton,
managed to swim ashore, and tells the
story of how il happened. So does Will
lam Gerlach, whose father was among the
drowned William was another of those
who We're fortunate enough TO reach the
shore by swimming. He searched among
the morgues till ne found his fathers
body.
In Gallngher's Morgue.
There was a pathetic scene In Gallagh-
er's morgue. Lynchs aged parents came
and identified him, and his mother, while
sobbing, leaned over him and kissed his
cold lips Chris Bartel identified one
brother, and mistook corpse in Heffron's
mOrgue for another brother, but the body
proved to be that of Erke. The strange
thing about the whole affair is that there
was no collision, and probably would not
have been any, even had the ferryboat
maintained its course. Ambulances went
To the river front and secured the bodies.
There was one disgraccful contention be-
tween the anlbulanee proprietors over n
body, and the police had TO interfere, At
IL o'clock Thursday night large crowd
was surging around the morguc doors,
and four bodies were still unidentified
There are supposed to- be others in the
water,
The List of Dead.
The identified dead are: William Saund-
ers, ID years, married, leaves one child;
August hasten, Gauge street m"rried,
several children; Michael Lynch, 96 Han.
over street married. no children; Fritz
Bartel, 1886 Rim street 81 years old, single;
Chris Gcrlach. i6 sheldon avenue, i5
wife and two children; NJ. Propup mar
ricd, about 40 years old; Carl Bohrmcis
ter, u Selden avenue married only three
or four months ago, aged about 30 years;
Julius Erkc 5 List court, married; Christ
Gcrhren married, leaves several children;
Charles Kraus, widOwer. leaves several
children; William Buclow, pressman.
Buclow went down To the river to see the
excitement fell of the Detroit boat land
ing and was drowned He was married
and was well known I'm labor circles