Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-11-19
WENT ON THE ROCKS.
A Race Of Destruction Between
Fire and Water.
Loss OF the Steamer WaIIuIa-TWeIveO of
Her Crew Taken on by Life-saverss
but Two were DroWned-Ownership
of the Vessel and Insurance.


CLEVELAND, O., Nov. Il. The
steamer Wallula, ore-laden, from Ash
land, Wis, to Conneaut, o., went
ashore while trying to make the lat
ter port during the storm yesterday
forenoon. When it appeared as though
she was going to miss her pier, the
crew seuttled 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 as the last man was
taken off the ship burst forth in a
blaze and last night vas still hurn-
ing.
Shortly after eight o'clock the big
steamer was frst noticed 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 finally
were forced to return within the
breakwater. 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 play
thing of every sea that rolled in. All
efforts to steer with the wheel We're in
vain. A big crowd gathered on shore
and watched the ship as she was
tossed about.
AS it became evident that nothing
could save her from going ashore, the
captain resorted to heroic measures to
get her ashore as safely as possible.
He ordered the seacocks opened in or
to let in water. In this way he
thought to steady her in her fierce
battle with the seas. The ship was
accordingly scuttIed- Either the cap
tain's orders were misunderstood, or
else the sailors acted with too great
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.
1t became almost impossible to work
the pumps, but the men chung to their
work like grim death. She rolled and
filed, the water gaining rapidly.
a this juncture life-saving crew
put off from shore. The captain gave
orders to the men to abandon the
pumps and look to their personal safe
ty. The life savers neared and a
wild scramble for their lives ensued
among the members of the crew.
Lines were sent aboard, and ten of
the II men aboard were taken off.
Two others, seamen, whose full names
could not be learned. were lost over
board. The missing men were known
as "Wilson" and Pat"
After the ship was abandoned she
remained up longer than had been an
ticipated and did not sink, but was
ter she struck 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 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
100000 She carried an unusually
large cargo of ore, the value of
which is not known. The vessel is in
sured for 5000. She was in COM
mand of Capt Holmes. Capt. Holmes
said yesterday afternoon that the
storm was the worst he had encoun-
tered for many years.
The Wallula was of wooden construc-
ton, and was built ten years ago.
A dispatch received here at ten
o'clock says that the ship was entirely
destroyed by fire.