The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-01-28

igan. The propeller Peninsula, put on
by the Mcknight line in the summer
OF 53 went ashore the same year at
Eagle River. She did not carry pas
sengers to any extent but was a
very large freight carrier. The
steamer Sam Ward, brought over by
Captain K. b. Ward in 1853, was a
very popular boat and paid for her.
self two or three times over in the
two years prior to the opening of
the canal.
When the canal was finished in
June, 1855, there came the large
steamers Illinois, Captain Wilson;
North Star, Captain J. b. Sweet;
Northerner, Captain Ed. Turner;
Lady Elgin, Captain Tompkins; the
old Superior, Captain Jones; also
the propellers General Taylor, Min
eral Rock, City Of Superior, Lac la
Belle. The last three were success
sively commanded by Captain John
Slaulding. Captain Ben wilkins,
who afterwards sailed the Winslow
for many years, first brought out
the propeller Ontonagon.
The Illinois was changed into
barge in 1868. Later the Mineral
Rock took the same course. The
North Star was burned at her dock
in Cleveland in 1862 The North
erner was lost on Lake Huron in
1858 by a collision.
+ The loss of the Lady Elgin was at
tended with the greatest loss of life
in the history OF the great lakes.
She was lost on Lake Michigan by a
collision with the schooner Colonel
Cook, then named the Augusta, and
among the more than 800 lost was
the gallant Captain Jack Wilson,
who had sailed SO many steamers on
the Lake Superior route. He was
in command and through his heroic
exertions many lives were saved.
He could easily have saved himself
but would not at the cost OF losing
others who had trusted themselves
to his care and skill.
The Superior was wrecked on the
Pictured Rocks on the night of
October 26, 1856. She was u very
old craft, fairly rotten at the time
OF her loss and should not have been
permitted to carry passengers.
Twelve of the passengers and four
OF the crew were saved. 1t is a
fearful story. Those who were
saved caught on q shelf OF the rocks
under high cliff, where they chung
with great difficulty for five days
without food A snow storm was
raging with great fury all the time
and the waves continually washed
over them. They saw Captain Jones
swim to the foot OF the rock below
them but were powerless to aid him
and he was drowned in their sight.
Eight of the strongest of the crew
clung to the paddle wheel, the last
remnant of the ship remaining above
water, and dropped of one by one
as their strength gave out and they
were unable to hold on longer. The
last one had the watches and other
valuables of the party on his person.
All this happened in plain sight and
within 200 feet of the party on the
shelf OF rock. When the news
reached Marquette hurried public
meeting was held, money and cloth
ing were given and relief party
was dispatched to the scene OF the
wreck to aid the survivors.
The opening OF the first ship canal !
at Sault Ste. Marie practically con-
cludes the history OF early naviga-
ton on the greatest of the great
lakes 1t gave lake commerce the
stimulus which has caused it to de-
velop to its present magnificent pro-
portions. Without it marine in
terests in this lake must have re-
manned much as they were in the
period WHICH has been described.