The Progress., 1896-11-14
SCHOONER WRECKED.
OUT OF A CREW OF SEVEN BUT
ONE SAVED.
1t Had Anchored, but tbs Gale wps 40
Great that it Dragged this Anchor ind
was Beat to Pieccs-The Vessel and cargo
Total Loss

Muskegon, Mich, Nov. g. The
schooner Waukesha went to pieces OF
this port yesterday morning. Five men
were drowned and one rescued. The
vessel and cargo are total loss.
The Waukesha broke up while try
ing to ride out the gale at anchor near
here Saturday night, and only one sur
viyor of her crew of seven has been
rescued He is still too weak to talk.
The vessel had load Of salt and ap-
pies, which were taken on at Manistee
Saturday morning. AT o'clock Satur-
day afternoon she was sighted running
with the gale under torn mainsail.
An attempt was made to enter Muske-
gon harbor but the schooner drifted a
mile south of the piers and then an
Choir was dropped. She was riding
three-quarters of a mile from shore at
dark. The engineer and fireman OF the
city pumping station watched the lights
until o'clock Saturday night, when
they disappeared. Shortly afterwards
wreckage began coming in and yester-
day nothing could be seen of the lost
boat above the water where she anchor
ed.
The names Of the dead cannot be
learned, as nothing about the clothing
will identify them. The surviving
sailor was washed ashore unconscious
and nothing can be learned from him.
The Waukesha is one of the old fleet
of "Canalers," and true to all tradition,
she has taken almost her entire crew
down with her in her last disaster.
She was owned by f. H. Head OF Chi
cago, and was formerly known as the
Nabob She was built in Manitowoc
In 1864 and rated 295 tons. She had a
valuation of $4,000, and was given an
insurance rating of Bl. She had been
engaged in the salt trade between
Ludington and Manistee and Chicago
Tor Joy, Morton & Co., all season.
This evening Frank Delach, the 0lly
survivor of the wreck, made affidavit
to the effect that there were seven men
aboard the Waukesha-Captain Dun,
can Corbett, the mate, four seamen
and a colored cook. When they arrived
of Muskegon, Delach said the captain
mate and some of the sailors were very
drunk. They signaled for a tug bu,
showed no distress signals, and no tug
under these circumstances, started ou
in the heavy sea. The captain anchor
ed mile south of Muskegon harbor
The craft began leaking badly. but thu
captain refused to light the torch tt
make known their condition to the life
saving crew. The crew dCnned life
preservers. their yawl boat having
been washed away. They let go thu
large anchor cable and the schooner
drifted towards shore somewhat. will
the smaller anchor dragging gradually
all hands taking to the forward rig
ging. The craft, however, began sink
ing rapidly, and a sudden lurch threw
some Of the men from the foremost
AS part of them chung to the riggin,
the main topmast broke off and fel
upon them, striking some of them AM
sweeping all into tho lake. Delacl
said he contrived to get together raj
from the wreckage, to which fiv
of the men hung for awhile. The.
dragged the captain with them. but h
was too hopelessly drunk to hold Of
and they had to drop him. Delach an
one other sailor stood it until 5 o'clocl
in the morning, but finally the othe
man gave it up and sank and Delacl
was shortly afterward taken off by tn
life-saving crew.