Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-11-10
Only Two Out of a Crew Of Twenty
Survive a Shipping
Disaster.

shipped big sea. which quenched the
fires in the engines and the boat was
helpless. The captain and crew were
lowering the lifeboat when the vessel
gave a lurch and went down on her side
stern first.
Two OF the crew. a deckhand named
William Gill of Rochester and the second
mate, Louis La Force managed to reach
the top OF single spar that stood above
the water. There they chung until eight
hours later, when they were discovered
by the outlook on the Mariposa of the
Minnesota line, and rescued.
The List of Victims.
were drowned:
ALEX GILLIES. captain.
GEORGE GIBSON, first mate.
WELk I'm ErASGR engineer
FRED MIFFERT, oier.
JOHN TAILOR, steward.
5oHR hEA RR asS list steward
= RICHARDS, fireman.
WILLIAM GREGORY, fireman.
LOUIS GILMORE, AL. RICHARD, HEN
KY SHANNON, watchmen
RICHARD MLEAN, ROBERT WILL
LIAMS. wheelmen.
EDWARD SMITH, II. BELL. deck hands
DECK HAND, name unknown.
The Mariposa arrived in port little
after midnight Sunday morning. with the
survivors III pretty good condition. for
they had been put in hunks and fed on
soup and warm food.
Deckhand Gills Thrilling Story.
William Gill. the rescued deckhand, told
a thrilling story of the disaster as fol
lows:
cage with cargo of general merchandise.
said he. Everything seemed all right until
we got outside the breakWater, and then
we were struck by the worst storm | ever
saw. When the first big breaker struck us
we We're tossed in the air like top. and
second later biz roller came over the port
bow and rolled down amidShips Il foot deep.
The wind was terrific. The captain con-
suited with the mate and decided that he
could weather the gale and kept Oh his
course
AS we headed up the lakes dead against
the gale, ii appeared to be getting worse.
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 were wei! up the
lake we found that the boat was making
water. 1t kept coming faster and faster,
and the bilge pumps were put to work, but
the water gained. and every minute the snip
kept getting less buoyant and the big COM
ers kept breaking over her. We were near
Long point at this time. and the captain
started to put in there with III the Intention
rapidly that ii was too late. She was
already laboring, and the two men at the
were set al work with them. and finally they
brought her around and headed her toward
land.
Capt. Gillies 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 found that the power was
gone and that the Idaho could not be
moved we knew We could not live III the
trough of that fearful sea, and the only
hope left US was TO run out the anchor ana
bring her head up 10 the sea and let her
ride out the gale.
l.
tempting 10 do that in face Of Il hurricane
and when Capt Gllies decided to do it, he
ordered the flashing of the boats cut and
told the men they We're forced to take one
last chance for their lives.
AT the word the anchor dropped from the
bow and the chain began to pay out. but
the sea was too heavy and instead Of the
anchor catching with firm grip and bring
ing the steamers head up to the sea 1t
dragged with the drift of the steamer.
Went Down Stern First.
From port to starbOard the great
mountains of foaming water poured, roll
ing into the hold and adding to the
quantity already weighing her down. The
load was too much and after a moment
when all felt that we were lost the ship
keeled over to the starboard and went
down stern first.
What became of my mates. | don't
know. | remember that the boats had
been loosened and that some of the men
were ready to take to them if the vessel
went under but no boat could have lived
for minute in that terrible and if
any of them did get i'll a boat. it was
simply swamped as soon as the first
wave struck it. May be they did not
leave the ship at all.
| was near the spar and when the
stern of the vessel began to go under l
went for the rigging and went up as fast
as | could Another man went with me
the second mate-and thank the Lord
that he was with me or | should have
gone mad during all the long hours that
| was up there hanging on and trying to
keep off the frightful cold that was slow
~ killing us both
There was rolling to and fro as
the vessel struck the bottom and slowly
righted to an even keel and then q sec
ond later she rolled over to one side |
thought she was going all the way down.
but she did not She settled on the bot
tom and though the waves rolled her
from port to starboard the spar remained
out of the water with my mate and my
self clinging to it.
Hail in Binding Sheets
All this time the hail and sleet was
coming down in a cutting sheet and we
were covered with ice in a few minutes,
for though the top of the spar on which
we were hanging was twenty-five feet
above the water. the big waves struck
us ana broke over us ana the hail cut us
like shot. | know it was about 3 O'Clock
when we went down and it seemed to me
that daylight would never come. When
daylight came we could not see q sail
anywhere near us and the sea was as
bad as ever. Hour after hour we >aited
there and then we saw the Marposa
coming. For long time we did not
know if she would sight u.s.
When she finally sighted us and we
saw her head for us | tried to tell my
mate. but | could not, and he looked at
me with happiness expressed in his face
Ii was a terrible time to us before she
came up. and then / knew we were not
safe yet. for the sea was running noun
tain high and the big steel boat was rcll-
ing like skiff. Every wave sent her up
in the air until we could see her white
bottom under her water line. We knew
at once that her captain would not at
tempt to lower boat, for it would baxe