The record-union., 1897-11-08
One Of the Worst Gales He Ever Expe'
rienced on the Lakes.
Was Tempted to Put Into Port, but
Was Glad He Did Not, as He
Saved the Only Two Survivors
of the III-Fated Vessels Crew
They Were Floating on a Mast
and Almost Frozen to It.

BUFFALO IN. ", Nov. 1.-THE fol-
lowing are the names of sixteen OF the
nineteen men who lost their lives or
the steamer Idaho, which sank during
the gale on Saturday morning above
Long Point, on Lake Erie: Alexander
Giles, Captain, Buffalo; George Glib
son, first mate, Buffalo; William Clan
cy. chief engineer, Buffalo; j. D. Tay-
lor, steward, Buffalo; Nelson Skinner
first assistant engineer; Louis Gilmore
watchman; Richard Mclean, wheel
man; Robert Williams, wheelman; A
J. Richard, lookout; Henry Thompson
lookout; Conrad B. Lanker, fireman;
William Gregory, fireman; John Holly
assistant steward Frederick Miffort
oiler; Edward Smith, deck hand
Rochester; NJ Bell, deck hand.
The names of three men drowned are
unknown. One was a fireman, another
a deck hand and third porter. The
names of the two men saved are: Louis
Laforce junior second mate, and Will
lam Gill, deck hand, living at 13'
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 hailed
from
The Idaho went out of commission
three or four years ago. but this sum-
mer she was thoroughly overhauled.
After her overhauling she was placed
at the disposal of the Naval Veterans
Association and by that organization
used as a flagship during the G. A. Il.
Encampment in August. At the close
of the encampment she was put into
commission again as a freighter.
The Captain of the Inflated 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 a book. His brother, DON
aid GILES, is Captain of the steamer
Harlem.
When the steamer Marchesa arrived
in port about midnight last night with
the news of the disaster of the Idaho,
and having on board the two surviv-
ing members of the crew, Captain Root
had this to say regarding the storm
On the lake and the rescue of the u. .
men:
1T was one of the worst gales 1 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
am glad / did not, for / fear if l had
these two men who came down with
me would have to join their mates by
this time.
1t was about II O'Clock in the after
noon when l first learned of the wreck
OF the Idaho. 1 was on deck, when
my first mate, Myron Chamberlain,
came to me and told me that he had
sighted a spar off to the north, and
that he thought there was a couple ot
men clnging TO it. He pointed it out
to me, and when l got the glasses on
1t / could distinguish the men plainly.
We were running under a good head
OF steam at the time, and l put on more
and headed for the spar.
When nearing it 1 was puzzled how
to help the men off, for / could not
lower boat in such a storm. Finally
l circleG 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 fast to il.
When we got the men on board we
put them in hunks and gave them
some warm food and soup. and had
them feeling pretty good physically
when we reached harbor."
William Giles. the rescued deck hand.
a swarthy, we'll built man, % years of
age. has sailed the lakes since he was a
youth. He is more intelligent than the
average sea-faring man and his story
of the disaster as told early this morn
ing is a thrilling one.
I'VE left here Friday night, bound for
Chicago with cargo of general mer-
chandise," said he. Everything seemed
all right until we got outside the break
water and then we We're struck by the
worst storm / ever saw. When the
first big breaker struck US We Were
tossed up in the air like a top and q sec
ond later. a big roller came over the
port bow and rolled down amidships.
The wind howled, but we did not pay
much attention to the storm. We had
felt wind before. The Captain consulted
with the mate and decided he could
weather IL and he kept on his course.
AS We headed uD the lake dead
against the gale it appeared to be get
ting worse every minute. The waves
We're running high and the wind threw
the toDs from the breakers like dust.
We moved slowly against the heavy
wind and sea and when we We're we'll
up the lake we found that the boat was
making water. 1t kept coming faster
and faster and the bilge pumps were put
40 work. but the water gained and every
minute the ship kept getting less buoy
ant and the big rollers continued break
sng over her.
I'VE Were near Long Point at this time
and the CAPTAIN started to put in there
with the intention of beaching the ship.
But the water gained so RAPIDLY that il
was too late. She was already laboring
end the two men at the wheel could
do nothing with her. Two more men
went to work with them and finally they
brought her around and headed her to-
ward land.
Captain Gillen started the pumps,
ordered the men to get the fire buckets
and we formed a line and began to bale,
but IL was of no use. The water gained
On the pumps and buckets and soon the