The herald., 1897-11-08
Went Down When the
Idaho FOundered
A STIRRING TALE OF RESCUE
TOLD BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE
MARIPOSA
Two Men Taken From Spar All That
Were Saved of Grew and
Cargo
associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Nov. 1.-THE follow
ing are the names of sixteen of the nine
teen men who lost their lives on the
steamer Idaho, which sank during the
gale on Saturday morning above Long
Point, on Lake Erie:
ALEXANDER GILES, captain, Buff
falo
GEORGE GIBSON, first mate, Buffalo.
VIM. CLANCY, chief engineer, Buf-
falo.
JOHN D. TAYLOR, steward, Buffalo.
NELSON SKINNER, first assistant
engineer.
LOUIS GILMOR, watchman.
RICHARD MCLEAN, wheelman.
ROBERT WILLIAMS, wheelman.
A. J. RICHARD, lookout.
HENRY THOMPSON, lookout.
CONRAD B. LANKER, fireman.
VIM. GREGORY, fireman.
JOHN HOLLY, assistant steward.
| FREDERICK MIFFORT, oiler.
| EDWARD SMITH, deck hand, Roch-
ester, N. Y.
M. BELL, deck hand.
The names Of three men drowned are
unknown. One man was a fireman, an
other deck hand and a third porter.
The names of the two men saved are:
| Louis Laforce, junior second mate,and
VIM. Gill, a deck hand, living at 1877 Kent
street, Rochester, N. Y.
| 1t is not known at the Office of the
Western Transit company 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. Af-
ter her overhauling she was placed at
the disposal of the Naval Veterans as
sociation, and by that organization used
as a flagship during the G. A. r. en-
campment in August. At the close of
the encampment she was put into COM
mission again as freighter.
The captain of the ill-fated steamer,
Alexander GILES, was one Of the most
widely known Of lake seamen. He was
Al years of age and knew the lake waters
like book. His brother, Donald GILES,
is captain of the steamer Harlem.
When the steamer Mariposa arrived in
port, about midnight last night, with the
news of the disaster to the Idaho, and
having on board the two surviving men,
bers Of the crew. Captain Root said re-
garding the storm on the lake and the
rescue of the two men: ut 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 a fight with
the storm and thought once or twice
of putting in somewhere until it blew
over. I am glad l did not, for fear if
had these two men who came down with
me would have Joined their mates by
this time
"It was about 1890 o'clock in the af-
ternoon when 1 first learned Of the
wreck Of the Idaho. was on deck when
my first mate, Myron Chamberlain,
came to me and told me that he had
sighted spar off to the north and that
he thought there was couple of men
clinging to it. He pointed it out to me
and when I got the glasses on it could
distinguish the men plainly. We were
running under a good head of steam at
the time and I put on more and headed
for the spar.
when nearing it I was puzzled how
to help the men off, for could not lower
a boat in such a storm. Finally I circled
about the spar until ran alongside, and
my men picked the poor fellows off. They
had to drag them away from the spar
by force for the men had been there so
long that their arms had become numb
and were twisted about the mast and
almost frozen to it.
"When we got the men on board we
MI ir1th hrIv,
warm food and soup and had them feel
ing pretty good physically when we
reached harbor.''
GILES STORY
William Gille, the rescued deckhand.
a swarthy, well-built man, 23 years Of
age, has sailed the lakes since he was
youth. He is more intelligent that the
average seafaring man and his story Of
the disaster as told early this morning
is thrilling one.
I'VE left here Friday night bound for
Chicago with a cargo of general mer-
chandise," said he. Everything was
all right until we got outside the break
water, and then we were struck by the
worst storm ever saw. When the first
big breaker struck us we were tossed
up in the air like top, and a second
later big roller came over the port bow
and rolled down amidships. The wind
howled but we did not pay much atten-
ton to the storm. We had felt wind be-
fore. The captain consulted with the
mate and decided that he could weather
it, and 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
wind and sea, and when we were we'll
up the lake we found that the boat was
making water.
"It kept coming faster and faster.
and the bilge pumps were put to work.
but the water gained and every minute
| the shin lanf xaftine Lass huosnn M n III