The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-08
Nineteen Of Crew Of Schooner Idaho
Perish.
BOAT SPRANG ALEAK IN A TER
RIBLE GALE.
Two Men Chung to a Spar "A Hours and
Are Finally Picked Up by the Mari
posa-Terrible Scenes Attending Sink
ing of the Ship.

posa-Terrible Scenes Attending Sink
ing of the Ship.
Buffalo, N. Y. November 6.-The West
ern Transit oompany's steamer Idaho
which left Buffalo yesterday afternoon for
Chicago laden with package freight
foundered off Long Point on Lake Erie
during furious gale at 4o'clook this
morning. The first mate and one sailor
who succeeded in reaching the rigging
were rescued by the steamer Marip posa late
this afternoon and brought here. The
balance of the crew, numbering 10, were
undoubtedly drowned.
Buffalo, N. Y, November 1.-THE fol-
lowing are the names of sixteen of the
nineteen men who lost their lives on the
steamer Idaho, which sank during the
gale on Saturday morning above Long
Point on Lake Erie: Alexander G1llies,
captain. Buffalo; George Gibson, first
mate. Buffalo; William CLANCY, chief
engineer, Buffalo; John D. Taylor,
steward, Buffalo; Nelson Skinner, first
assistant engineer; Louis Gilmore, watch
man; Richard Mclean, wheelsman;
Robert Williams, whoelman; A. j..
Richards, lookout; Henry Thompson,
| lookout Conrad Blaner, fireman; VIM.
Gregory, fireman; John Healy, assistan t
steward; Frederick Miffort, oller; Edward
Smith, deck hand, Rochester, N. Y; M.
Bell, deck hand.
The names of three of the men drowned
are unknown to the steamship company.
One was q fireman, another a deck hand
and third porter.
The names of the two men saved are
Louis La Force, Jr., a second mate;
William Gill, deck hand, 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 summer
she was thoroughly overhauled, after
| which she was placed at the disposal of
| the Naval Veterans association and by
| that organization used as the flagship
during the 6. A. R. Encampment in
August. At the close of the encampment
she was put into commission again as a
freighter.
| The captain of the i'll fated steamer,
Alexander Gillies, was one of the most
widely known of the lake seamen. He
was forty one years old and knew the
| lake waters like a book. His brother,
Donald Gillies, is captain Of the steamer
Harlew.
| When the big steel steamer Mariposa
L in c0OEQ on tn m Id nj0ht 1oc CT
night with the news of the disaster to the
Idaho, and having on board the two sur
| viying members of the crew, Captain
Root had this to say regarding the storm
on the lake and the rescue of the two
men: "It was one of the worst gales
ever experienced in all my years on the
lakes. We started from Chicago wit b a
load of oats. All the way down the lakes
we had to fight with the storm and l
thought once OF twice of putting in seme-
where until it blew over. l am glad that
did not, for I fear that If had these
| two men would have Joined their mates.
| 1t was about 80 yesterday afternoon
when first learned OF the wreck l was
on deck when my first mate, Chamber
| lain, came to me and told me that he had
| sighted spar off to the north and he
thought there was a couple of men cling
| ing to 1t. When I got my glass on it l
could distinguish the men plainly. We
were running under good head of steam
and I put on more and headed for the
spar. When got near 1 was puzzled how
| to help the men off, for I could not lower
| q boat in such storm. Finally circled
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 al
most frozen fast to it. When we got them
| on board we put them In hunks and gave
them feeling pretty good physically when
we reached harbor.
| William Gill, the rescued deck hand has
sailed on the lakes for many years. His
story of the disaster is thrilling one.
He said:
| "We left here Friday night bound fo,
Chicago, with cargo of general mer
chandise Everything seemed to be al
and then we were struck by the wors,
storm that / ever saw.
"As we headed up the lake. deaG
against the gale, 1t appeared to be getting
worse every minute. The waves were
running high and the wind threw the
tops from the breakers like dust.
fsWe were near Long Point at this time
and the captain started to put in there
with the intention of beaching her. Bu
the water gained so rapidly that it wa
too late. She was already laboring, ant
the. two men at the wheel could do moth
ing A couple of more men went to work
with them and finally they brought he
around and headed towards land.
Captain Gillies started the pumps, or
dered the men to the fire buckets, and we
formed line and began to bail, but II
was no use. The water gained on tn,
pumps and the buckets and soon the
water put the fires out.
"When it was found that the power hat
gone and that she could not move, We
knew we could not live in the trough o
the fearful sea and the only hope left u
J was to run out the anchor and bring he
head up to the sea and le ther ride ou
the gale.
Livery seaman realized the danger o
attempting to do that in the face of 1
hurricane and when Captain Gillies de
oided to do 1t he ordered the lashings OF
the boats cut and told the men that the,
were forced to take one last chance TO
their lives.
cat the word the anchor dropped from
the bow, but it went too slow and the
shin simply tumbled into the trough o