Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-11-17
BIG SHIPS LOST.
Ore Carrying Steamer wallula
Goes Ashore OF Conneaut o.
HER CREW HASASTRUGGLE FOR LIFE,
Two seamen Are Drowned-The Wreck
Takes Fire and Is Totally Destroyed
Propeller Acadia Lost-Her
Crew Safe.

Two seamen Are Drowned-The Wreck
Takes Fire and Is Totally Destroyed
Propeller Acadia Lost-Her
| Crew Safe.
| Cleveland, O., Nov. 14.-The steamer
Wallula, ore laden from Ashland, Wis,
to Conneaut, o., went ashore while try
ing to make the latter port during the
storm Friday forenoon. When it APP
penred as though she was going to miss
her pier the crew scuttled her, hoping
to make her right up. The effort was a
failure and she went ON to the rocks.
| She pounded heavily, and it was with
the greatest difficulty that part of her
crew were rescued. Two seamen were
drowned. Just us the last man was
! taken off the ship burst forth in blaze.
Story Of tho Disaster.
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
10 her, but were beaten off by the seas,
and finally were forced to return with
In the brealtwaters. So heavily laden
was the Wallula that she rolled and
rocked, and finally the crew entirely
lost control of her. A rudder chain
broke and the big vessel became the
plaything of every sea that rolled in.
a big crowd gathered on shore and
watched the ship as she was tossed
about. She drifted helplessly about for
half an hour. The wind blew at the
rate of SO miles an hour and the ship
reelcd like drunken man under the
strain.
The Vessel sonttled.
As 1t became evident that nothing
could save her from going ashore the
captain resorted to heroic measures to
have her go ashore as safely as possible.
He ordered the sea cocks opened in or
der to let in water. In this way he
thought to steady her in her fierce bat
tie with the seas. The ship was accord
ingly scuttred. Either the captains or
ders were misunderstood 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
water 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. It became almost
Impossible to work the pumps, but the
men chung to their work like grim
death. She rolled and filled, the water
gaining rapidly.
Two Seamen Drowned
At this juncture life saving crew
put off from shore. The captain gave
orders to the men to abandon the pumps
md look to their personal safety. The
life savers neared, and wild scramble
for their lives ensued among the men,
bers of the crew. Lines were sent
aboard and ten of the twelve men
aboard were taken off. Two others,
seamen, whose full names could not be
learned, were lost overheard. The miss
ing men were known as Wilson and
"Pat." After the ship was abandoned
she remained up longer than had been
anticipated and did not sink, but was
driven hard ashore.
Wreck Takes Fire.
immediately after she struck spiral
fame shot up from her. This broke into
fierce blaze, which mantled her fore
and aft. From the shore The fire APP
peared to be largely in the vessels in
terror. 1t would shoot up at intervals,
the ship being momeptarily mass of
flames. Again it would die out. It
continued to burn until the ship was en-
tirely destroyed, Her cargo will be re-
covered.
The Wallula was owned by Thomas
Wilson, of this city, and was valued at
100000. She carried an unusually large
cargo of ore, the value of which is not
known. The vessel is insured for $7O,-
900. She was in command of Capt.
Holmes. Capt. Holmes said that the
storm was the worst he had encoun-
tered for many years. The fact that the
Wallula was SO heavily freighted made
her unweildy and it became impossible
to navigate her in the high seas.
Loss of the Acadia.
Sault Ste Marie, Mich, Nov. a.
Capt, John Clifford, Of the propeller
Acadia, which left Fort Williams, Ont,
November 4, and which was long over
due at this port, reached here in sail
boat late Friday afternoon. He reports
that the Acadia went ashore on Michi-
pieoten island in binding snowstorm
and heavy gale on Thursday, November
s, when she was about "a hours out from
| Fort Williams. All of the crew reached
shore in safety and Capt. Clifford re-
ports all well. The Acadia is total
wreck, however. She had a cargo of 49,
600 bushels Of wheat, besides some mis-
cellaneous freight. She was valued at
$4,000 and both vessel and cargo are
insured.
Barred from the Badger State.
Madison, Wis, Nov. 14.-The applica-
ton of the Assurance Lloyds Associa-
ton of America for license to do a
fire insurance business in Wisconsin
has been denied by Insurance Commits