Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-11-09
10 LIVES LOST.
The Steamer Idaho Founders,
Saturday, On Lake Erie.
Nineteen Men Perish--Two SURVIVE
Picked Up from Spar.
Ship Jon" 1eLeod Wrecked, Saturday, on
coast-ot Nova Scotia.

Buffalo, N. Y.,sNov. THE following
are the names Of 16 of the 10 men who
lost their lives on the steamer Idaho,
which sank during the gale of Satur-
day morning, above Long poin on
Lake Erie: Alexander Gillies, captain,
Buffalo; George Gibson, first mate, Buff
falo; William Clancy, chief engineer.
Buffalo; John D. Taylor. steward, Buff
falo; Nelson Skinner. first assistant en-
gineer; Louis Gilmore, watchman;
Richard Mclean, wheelsman; Robert
Williams, wheelman; A. j. Richards.
lookout; Henry Thompson, lookout
Conrad Banker, fireman; VIM. Gre
CORY, fireman; John Healy, assistant
steward; Frederic Miffort, oiler; Ed
ward Smith. deckhand, Rochester, N.
Y. M. Bell, deckhand.
The names of three of the men
drowned are unknown to the steamship
company. One was fireman, another
a deckhand and a third porter.
The names of the two men saved are:
Louis La Force. Jr.. second mate; VIM.
Gill, deckhand, Rochester.
1t is not known at the Office of the
Western Transit Co. where the greater
portion of the dead men hail from.
The Idaho went out of commission.
three or four years ago. but this sum
mer she was thoroughly overhauled,
after which she was placed at the dis
posal of the Naval Veterans Associa-
tion and by that organization used as
the flagship during the G.. A. r. en-
campment in August. At the close of
the encampment she was put into COM
mission again as d freighter.
The captain of the Inflated steamer
Alexander Gillies, was one of the most
was Al years old and knew the lake
waters like a book. His brother. Dom
aid Gillies, is captain of the steamer
Harlew
When the big steel steamer Mariposa
arrived in port, close on to midnight
last night. with the news of the dis
aSter to the Idaho and having on board
the two surviving members of the crew,
Captain Root had this to say regarding
the storm on the lake and the rescue of
the two men:
1T was one of the worst gales 1 ever
experienced in all my years on the
Lakes. We started from Chicago with
a load of oats. All the way down the
Lakes We had to fight with the storm
and thought once or twice of putting
in somewhere until it blew over l am
glad l did not for 1 fear that if l had
these two men would have joined their
mates.
1T was about 1890 yesterday after
noon, when irstofearned of the wreck.
was on deck when my first mate,
Chamberlain, came to me and told me
that he had sighted a spar off to the
north and he thought there was a
couple of men clinging to it. When l
got my glasses on it l could plainly
distinguish the men. We were running
under a good head of steam and 1 put
on more and headed for the spar. When
1 got near 1 was puzzled how to help
the men off for could not lower boat
in such a storm. Finally circled about
the spar until l ran alonside and my
men picked the poor fellows off.
"They had to drag them away from
the spar by force for they had been
there so long that their arms had be-
come almost paralyZed and were
twisted about the mast and almost
frozen fast to it. When we got them on
board. we put them in hunks and gave
them some warm food and soups and
had them feeling pretty good physi-
cally when we reached harbor."
William Gill, the rescued deckhand,
has sailed on the lakes for many years.
His story of the disaster is thrilling
one. He said: I'VE left here Friday
night, bound for Chicago. with a cargo
general merchandise. Everything
semed to be all right until We got out
side the breakwater and then we were
struck by the worst storm that l ever
saw. AS we headed up the lake, it
appeared to be getting worse every
minute. The waves were running high
and the wind threw the 1ops from the
breakers like dust.
I'VE We're near Long point at this
time and the captain started to put in
there with the intention of beaching
her. But the water gained so rapidly
that it was too late. She was already
aboring and the two men at the wheel
could do nothing. A couple more men
went to work with then and finally
they brought her around and headed
aer toward land. Captain Gllies
started the pumps. ordered the men to
the fire buckets and we formed a line
and began to bail. but it was no use,
The water gained on the pumps and the
buckets and soon the water put the
fires out.
when it was found that the power
had gone and that she could not move,
we knew we could not live in the trough
of the fearful sea and the only hope
left us was to run out the anchor and
bring her head up to the sea and let
her ride out the gale. Every seaman
realized the danger of attempting to dc
that in the face of a hurricane. and
when Capt. Gillies decided to do it, he
ordered the aashings of the boats cut
and told the men that they were forced
to take the one last chance for their
lives.
''At the word the anchor dropped
from the bow, but it went too slow
and the ship simply tumbled into the
trough of the seas, which broke over
her in torrents. In an instant she was
as helpless as a log as she was tossed
here and there and taking every wave
aboard. The load was too much, and
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