The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-28
DISASTER ON THE LAKE
The City Of Duluth Grounded
Upon Sandbar.
CREW AND PASSENGERS RESCUED.

One OF the Latter, Woman, Dying from
the Effects of the Exposure-The Vessel
Struck at 10 O'clock at Night and Those
on Board Were Not Taken on Until I'm
the Morning-The Boat Pounding to
Pieces ON the Bar.
st. Poseph, Mich. Jan. 2S.-The City
of Duluth lies 800 feet from shore,
grounded high upon the sandbar which
Is supposed to have sent the lost Chic
ora to her doom three years ago. The
waves are running riot through the
hull Of the ruined vessel. and each
fresh onslaught o. the water tears the
old and battered planks of the time
worn ship from their rusted fastenings.
Mrs William Tryon, a passenger on the
luckless boat, is dying. frozen fatally
while passing through the splashing,
chilling surf and the icy morning air
on the trip ashore. Otherwise all of her
thirty people, passengers and crew,
have been rescued safely from the shat
tered boat.
For seven hours the frightened pas
sengers faced the death which seemed
every moment certain to sweep them
at 10 o'clock at night, terrific gale and
the heavy seas making good seamna-
ship impossible and carrying the ves-
sci, despite the utmost efforts of the
crew, full upon the sand For few
minutes after the beat struck there
was panic on board. Then as the
surge carried away every thing nova
bic and began to rip off the planking,
hA aftan1 hot, nd
set about the work OF saving themselves
and their passengers.
Three Women on Board.
Three women, one rs years of age.
and another cripple. were among the
passengers and Captain Donald McLain
ordered every care to be given them.
The waves were running too high 10
risk the launching OF a boat, even with
the shore but 900 feet away, and 1t soon
became evident that the people of the
City Of Duluth would have to cling to
the wreck as best they could till help
came from the land.
Every moment increased the horror
OF the situation. The cargo Of oats in
the hold, soaked with flying spray, be-
gan to swell and force apart the wood
en- partitions. Every succeeding high
sea carried off more or less Of the wood
work of the boat Under the bottom
the sand could be heard grating and
growing, crunching at the d5omed hull.
Memories of the Chicora e. OF the 9TH
or boats Which went fc-ti- oon the in
land sea never to r T. / reech the
shore came thick and - he dark
ness and the crash o. rnics. Lights
CLEANED through the ST, ~ from st.
Joseph and II was evident II the peo-
pie of the town were asti. ard doing
everything in their power 10 dave the
victims Of the storm. Tugs PIT out from
the harbor. The rush Of waves over
whelmed them. and they had to put
back or go down in the deep. The life
saving crew, with all their apparatus
for just such emergencies, gathered
along the shore and worked for hours.
The boat Split Lcngthwise.
Again and again they struggled to
reach the boat, but had to abandon
each attempt and retire to the friendly
beach. Hour after hour went by and
the boat was split lengthwise, through
and through. as by giant wedge driv-
on with great power. At o'clock when
Il seemed as II the wreck must soon fall
asunder and send all the thirty hapless
ones aboard TO death. a life line fell
upon the decks and a breeches buoy
followed. No time was to be lost and
none was wasted. The women were
FIRST placed in the buoy. Then, with In
finite labor, but with superb success. the
crew and passengers were sent ashore,
and the thirty were saved from the
grip of the water.
The boat now lies in fragments on the
bar and Is pounding to tiny pieces be-
meath the fury of the storm. The boat
was leased by the Graham & Morton
company from the Lake Michigan and
Lake Superior Transportation company.
and was twenty-four years old. It's
value was probably not over 100000. full
ly insured, while the cargo was insured
for 10000 Both boat and cargo. Of
course will be a total loss.