The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-08
CAPTAIN OVER CONFIDENT
Mountainous Waves Mate the YES
sci Unmanageable.
WENT DOWN WITH lo MEN.

Buffalo, Nov. s.-The Western Transit
company's steamer Idaho, which left
Buffalo Friday afternoon for Chicago.
laden with package freight foundered
on Lake Erie during furious gale. The
first mate and one sailor. who succeeded
in reaching the rigging. were rescued
by the Mariposa Saturday afternoon,
and were brought here. The balance of
the crew. numbering 10, were undoubt-
edly drowned.
Captain Root had this 20 say regarding
the storm on the lake and the rescue of
the two men. who are Louis Laforce and
William Gil: 1T was one Of the worst
gales I ever experienced In all my years
on the lakes. We started from Chicago
with load OF cats. All the wey down
the lakes we had to fight with the storm,
and l thought once or twice Of putting
in somewhere until Il blew over. ] an
glad ] did not. for / fear that If l had
these two men would have joined their
mates.
1T was about so Saturday afternoon
when first learned OF the wreck. was
on deck when my first mate came TO me
and told me that he had sighted spar
off to the north, and he thought there
was a couple Of men clinging to II. When
got my glasses on IL l could distinguish
the men plainly. We were running un-
der a good head OF steam, and / put on
more and headed for the spar When /
got near was puzzled how 10 help the
men off, for / could not lower a boat in
euch a storm. Finally 7 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. they had been there So long
that their arms had become almost
paralyzed and were twisted about the
mast and almost frozen fast TO il. When
we got them on board we put them i'm
hunks and gave them warm food and
soups. and had them feeling pretty good
physically when we reached harbor."
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 @. A. r. encampment in Au-
gust. At the close OF the encampment
che wes put into commission again as a
freighter The captain Of the ill-fated
steamer. Alexander Gillies. was one OF
the most widely known Of the lake sea-
men. lie was Al years old and knew the
lake waters like book.
The lost comprise tre following: Alex
onder Giles, captain, Buffalo; George
Gibson, first mate, Buffalo; William
C'ancy. chief engineer, Buffalo: John D.
Taylor. steward. Buffalo: Nelson Skin
rer. first assistant engineer; Louis Gill
more, watchman; Richard Mclean,
eheelsman; Robert Williams. wheels
man: ]. J. Richard. lookout: Henry
Thompson, lookout: Conrad Banker.
fireman; William Gregory, fireman; John
Iealy assistant steward Frederick
Miffort, oiler; Edward Smith. deckhand.
Rochester, n. Y; Mr.. Bell, deckhand.
The names OF three OF the men drowned
are unknown to the steamship company
one was a fireman, another a deckhand
aad third porter.
A Thrilling Recital.
William Gill, the rescued deckhand,
has sailed on the lakes for many years.
HIS story OF the disaster is a thrilling
one. He said: I'VE left here Friday
night bound for Chicago with a cargo
OF general merchandise. Everything
seemed to be all right until we got out
hide the breakwater. and then We were
struck by the worst storm that / ever
saw. When the first big wave struck
US we were tossed into the air like a top
end a second later big roller came over
tie port bow and rolled down amiGshps
foot deep. The wind shrieked and
towled, but we did not pay much atten-
ton 10 the storm. We had felt the wind
before. The captain consulted with the
mate and decided that we could weather
1t, and he kept on his course.
AS we headed up the lake dead
against the gale, II appeared to be getting
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 well up the
lake we found the boat was rnaking
water. kept coming faster and faster.
end the bilge pumps were put TO work.
but the water gained, and every minute
the snip kept getting less bucyant a~d
ehe big cornbers kept breaking over her.
I'VE were near Long Point at this
time, and the captain started to put in
there with the intertion Of Bleaching her.
but the water gained so rapidly that Il
was too late. Sine was elreaGy laboring.
and the two men al the wheel could do
nothing a couple more men went u
work with them, and brought her around
end headed her towards land.
Captain Ciiies started the pumps
and ordered the men 20 the fire buckets.
We formed r line and began 10 bail. but
Il was no use. The water gained on the
pumps and the buckets. aud soon the
water put tfe fires out. When II was
found tfat The power had gone and that
she could not move. we knew we could
not I've In the trough OF the fearful sea.
snl the only hope left us was TO run ont
The anchor and bring her head up TO the
sea and let her ride out the gale Every
scsGan realiyes TIE danger OF attempt
Ing TO do that IN the face of hurricane
and when Captain Cfllies decided o do IL
ne ordered the lsshngs % the boats cut
and told the men that they we're forced
G. take one II 81 chance for their lives.
At tho word the anchor dropped from
the bow and the chain began to paw ont.