The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-16
A RACE FOR LIFE.
Steamer COnestOga Sinks as
She Reaches HarbOr.

Chicago, Nov. 16-The steamer Cones
toga of the Anchor line, sank at the
mouth of the harbor early this morning
after having a race for life. The steam
boat bound into Chicago from Buffalo,
in the dense fog that hung over Lake
Michigan ran into the halfway crib,
q mile and a half out from the harbor
entrance and great hole was stove
in the bow.
Panic seized the crew.
The boat commenced to fill with va
ter fast and there was a disposition to
rush for the boats But the captain
gave orders to turn on all steam and
make quick run for the harbOr and
commanded the men to stand at their
posts The engineer had the steam on
at full head and the timbers of the
vessel grOaned under the unWOnted
strain and there was danger of an ac-
cident from the extreme pressure of
speed But Captain CrOn&hite felt that
lEeS depended upon the qulcknesS with
which he could reach the shallOWer va
ter of the harbOr entrance.
The COnestOga was settling fast and
her speed was diminishing greatly be-
fore half the distance to the piers at
the mouth of the harbOr had been ira
Versed.
Everybody showed the feverish eager
eagerness of men who were fighting
against death. A few hundred yards
from the harbOr entrance it looked as
if the boats would have to be resOrted
to after all. On the freighter there are
only two of these. cumbrOus and not
often used, and it was a question to the
crew whether they would be safe. As
the mouth of the harbOr was gained
floods of water poured into the fire hold,
drove the stOckers up the ladders to
the deck and at last eXtinguished the
fires IN the boilers The steamer was
then dragging on the bottom.
Fears of going down in deep water
We're then abandoned by Captain CrOnk-
hite and the crew only to be replaced
by apprehensions that the boilers might
explode.
However, although cTouds of steam
came pouring from the hold. there was
no explosion and soon the water had
cooled the boilers. The COnestOga came
to a stop as her keel rubbed hard in the
mud at the bottom of the haTbOr en-
trance and she settled fast.
The steamer was loaded at Buffalo
and carried freight from eastern points
It is thought that the loss on the cargo
alone will be in the neighborhOod Of
500, coo.
PASSENGERS KICK.
Dover, England, Nov. 16-There seems
to be general complaint among the
passengers of the Hamburg American
line steamer Patria. Capt. FrOhlich
which caught fire of this port yester-
day while on her way from New York.
November 4, for Ham burg, that they
were kept in ignorance of the outbreak k
of the fire for about five hours. The
passengers who We're landed here as
sert that if they had been notified in
time their baggage could have been
saved A saloon passenger says.
The passengers were not informed of
the fire until IL o'clock Wednesday V
morning and there is good reason to
believe that the officers knew of the
outbreak of the fire at 6 in the morn
ing. I was standing on deck and saw
smoke curling up behind the smoke
stack and forthwith informed my com
panions. The officers then ordered all
on deck, putting the women and chill
dren in the boats first They were safe
" lowered -
The passengers leave here this after
noon for Southampton when they will
embark on board the Kaiser Frederick
for Hamburg
There is a discrepancy between the
foregoing and the statement made in
the cable received last night that the
paSsengers We're ordered on deck at 6
O'Clock Wednesday morning when they
We're informed that a disastrous fire
had broken out among the general
cargo.