The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-08
Nineteen of Crew Drowned Including Captain Giles
 and Mate Gibson.
WAS STRUCK BY A FURIOUS GALE
Second Mate La Force and Will jam Gill, a Deck Hand, Saved.


 the Worst He Ever Experienced-His Mate First Sited the Two Sailors a Spar-Their Arms Were Paralyzed and They Had to be Forced Of-Thrilling Story Told by Surviving seamen.
 Buffalo, N. Y, Nov. 1.-The Western Transit company steamer Idaho, which left Buffalo Friday afternoon for Chi cago laden with package freight, foun- dered off Long Point, on Lake Ontario, during a furious gale at o'clock Sat urday morning. The second mate and one sailor, who succeeded in reaching the rigging, were rescued by the steam CT Mariposa and brought here. The bal ance of the crew, numbering nineteen, were drowned
 Following are the names of sixteen of the ninteen men who lost their lives: Alexander Gillies, captain Buffalo. George Gibson, first mate, Buffalo.
 William Clancy, chief engineer, Buff falo.
 John D. Taylor, steward, Buffalo.
 Nelson Skinner, first assistant engi- neer
 Louis Gilmore, Watchman.
 Richard Mclean, wheelsman.
 Robert Williams, wheelsman.
 A. J. Richards, lookout.
 Henry Thompson, lookout.
 Conrad Blanker, fipeman.
 William Gregory, fireman.
 John Healy, assistant steward.
 Frederick Miffort, oiler.
 Edward 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 9 deckhand and third a porter.
 The names of the two men saved are: Louis LaF'orce, jr., second mate.
 William Gill; deckhand, Rochester.
 It is known at the office of the Vest ern Transit company where the great CT portion of the dead men hail from.
 The Idaho went out of commission three or four years ago. but this sum- 1ner she was thoroughly overhauled, af- ter which she was placed at the disposal of the Naval Veterans association and by that organization used as the flag ship during the G. A. R. encampment in August. At the close of the encamp- 1nent she was put into commission again as freighter.
 The captain of the ilI-fated steamer, Alexander Gillies, was one of the most widely known of the lake seanen. He was forty-one years old and knew the lake waters like book. His brother, Donald Gillies, is captain of the steam CT Harlem.
 Wner the big steel steamer Mariposa arrived i'll port close on to midnight last night with the news of the disaster 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:
 Tt was one of the worst gales I 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 I thought once or twice of putting in somewhere until it blew over. I am glad I did not, for I fear if I had these two men would have joined their mates. It was about 1130 yesterday afternoon when I first learned of the wreck. I 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 were a couple of men clinging to it.. When I got my glasses on 1t it could be distinguished plainly. We were run ming under a good head of steam and put on more and headed for the spar. When I got near I was puzzled how to help the men off, for could not lower 9 boat in such 9 storm Finally I circIed about the spar until I ran alongside 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 become almost paralyzed and were twisted about the mast and almost frozen to it. When we got them on board we put them in hunks and gave them some warm foods and soups and had them feeling pretty good physically when we reached the harbor"
 William Gill, the rescued deck hand, has sailed on the lakes for many years His story of the disaster is a thrilling one. He said:
 ''We left here Friday night bound for Chicago with @ cargo of general mer- chandise Everything seemed to be all right until we got outside the break water and then we were struck by the worst storm that I ever saw. When the first big wave struck us we were tossed into the air like g. top and a second later a big roller came over the port bow and rolled down amid ships a foot deep. The wind shrieked and f1owled, but we did not pay much attention to the storm. We had felt the wind before. The captain consult ed with the mate and decided that we could weather it and he kept on his course.
 "As we headed up the lake, dead against the gale, it appeared to be get ting worse every minute. The waves were running high and the wind threw the tops from the breakers like dust.
 we moved slowly against the heavy