The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-08
NINETEEN MEN DROWNED.
THE STEAMER IDAHO FOUNDERS IN
GAL ON LAKE ERIE.

THE bTEAM Eh IDh6tO HOCNDDNS ~N
GALE ON LAKE ERIE.
or the Grow or Twsnty-one REen, Two Mon Only
were Reucucd. and These were Uncovered
ClinEinE TO the single Spar That Marked
the Spot where the steamer Wont Down.
BUFFALO, Nov. 7.-The steamer Idaho. caught
in the fierce Southwestern which swept over Lake
Erie on Friday night, foundered In eight faith
oms Of wator at A:3o O'Clock yesterday morning.
twelve miles above Long Point, which juts into
Lake Erie from the Canadian shore. sixty.five
miles west Of Buffalo. OF her crew of twenty
one men two were saved. Eight hours after the
disaster the steamer Mariposa sighted the single
spar which marked the grave OF the Idaho.
Clinging to that spar, hardly out OF the reach OF
tho ferce sea. were the two survivors OF the
wreck. almost frozen from the long exposure In
their wet garments. Ono Of them had been
made insane temporarily by his suferings. 1t
was no light task to rescue them from the spar.
Tho Captain of the Mariposa ordered his small
boats down, but they could not live In the sea-
Then he tried throwing lines to the mon. but the
men were too stifP and cold to bold onto them.
After two hours maneuvring he worked the
Mariposa around to the spar and dragged the
sailors aboard.
The rescued men were William Gill, a deck
hand, whose home Is in Rochester, and Louis
La Force. Jr., the second mate.
The list of tho drowned 10 as follows: Capt.
Alex Gillies. Mate George Gibson, Engineer
William Clancy. Assistant Engineer Nelson
Skinner, Waterman Louis Gilmore. Wheelmen
Richard Mclean and Robert Williams. Look
outs A. J. Richard and Henry Thomson, Fire
men Conrad Banker and William Gregory,
Deck Hands Edward Smith, a man named Bell
md Frad Mumfnrd. Sta-ard Jobp n Tavlor
Assistant Steward John Leahy, and ono fire.
man, one deck hand and one porter. names un-
known.
The Idaho was owned by the Western Transit
Company. She was built more than thirty years
ago, and had been out Of commission for four
years, but was rigged up for business late this
season. This was her second trip. and except
ing the Captain and fremen tho crew was prao-
tically new. Sailors did not fancy her for traffic
30 late in the year. She left Buffalo on Friday
afternoon. laden with package freight for Mil
waukee. The wind was then high, and when
she hove Off Long Point at 10 o'clock
on Friday night the Captain talked OF
running under tho lee of the point for
shelter. After inspecting the boat Capt. Gillies
decided to 60 ahead, and 1t was twelve miles be-
yond the point that he saw his mistake. The
Idaho began to ship water. and part Of the crew
was ordered to the pumps. Soon afterward the
water got into tho engine room and then into
the FIRE hold. Then the Captain attempted to
head her around to get back under Long Point.
As she veered q great roller swept over her.
throwing her into the trough of the sea and
sweeping half a dozen Of the crew of the deck.
The Idaho began to fill up and all hands were
ordered to the pumps except one Waterman and
the wheelman. One of the pumps broke and
the Captain organized a line OF fire buckets.
Inch by inch the water crept up until 1t was
bubbling around the edge of the fires. In ten
minutes the fires were Quenched and the ship
was at the mercy Of the sea. All went on deck
to lower the anchors in the hope that the ship
would right herself. While the men were Civ.
ing more line to the port anchor the stern be.
gan to sink and every wave dashed over 1t.
Suddenly tho moon broke through the clouds
and the crew got the first light they had seen
since the engine fires went out. Gill saw the
Captain running forward. A wave swept him
far from the ship. and as it passed the clouds
closed over the moon and the night was black
again.
Gill and La Force found themselves on the
end Of the deckhouse and up into the
rigging as the Idaho went down. They scram.
blcd to the crows nest. where the Mariposa
found them in the morning. While working at
the pumps Gill and La Force had stripped them.
selves to shirt and trousers. and as they chung
to the spar they were sprayed by every wave.
Others Of the crew tried to launch one of the
small boats and were swamped with it. Looking
about them Gill and LaForce saw that all their
companions had been lost. La Force. who was
above Gill, sighted a vessel just at daybreak
and signalled frantically for 1t. but it steamed
by, and La Force went mad with despair. He
beat his head against the mast and prayed and
sang.
1t was past noon when the Mariposa came in
sight. The men were too stiff to signal her.
They saw the Mariposa change her course and
come toward them. Her Captain lowered q small
boat, but it was wrecked instantly. Three times
he tried it. Finally he brought the Mariposa
right up against the spar and her crew lifted
the men aboard. Gill was 30 cold that he could
not unfasten his hands. Early this morning the
Mariposa brought the survivors into port. La
Force says that he was in tho hold when the
stern began to sink. The crew made q frantic
dash for the deck, and one man was trampled to
death by his companions, madly eager to escape
The Idaho has broken up, and the sea where
she foundered is covered with wreckage. She
was 900 feet long. with a net tonnage Of 90s and
q gross tonnage Of LILO. During tho G. A. r
encampment the Idaho was used as headquar
tiers for tho naval veterans.