Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-28
Story Told by the shipwreck
Grew of the whaleback
Barge No. n5.
DAYS SPENT In SNOW.
Raft Finally Built From 1Imbers q
Old Shanty-Reduced to Making
Supper or Candles One
Man Frostbitten.

Cleveland, o., Dec. 2s.--Members Of
the crew of the wrecked barge lis,
which Went aground on Pie Island,
Ont. on the northern shore of Lake
Sunerior, tell a thrilling story of
their experiences after the ill-fated
craft broke away from the steamer
Colgate Hoyt. Captain Royce did not
accompany his men to Cleveland. The
balance of the crew are NJ. j. Lynip,
mate; Al Frost, A. Weber, Roy Stowell,
I. S. Graham, f. X. Babcock, seamen;
and Oscar Buckner, steward.
The Hoyt and barge 115 left Cleve-
land on Sunday. Dec. TO- and eSper-
fenced no heavy weather until Monday
evening. The wind freshened constant-
ly, and on Tuesday it began showing
shortly after the vessels left the 500.
About o'clock Wednesday morning
the tow line parted. 1t was still snow
ing and the weather was thick, with
heavy sea running. The barge stood
the storm well, but lost its life boat,
deck pump, spar, and fence.
steamer Hoyt Dlsappears.
The Hoyt disappeared, although its
whistle was heard at intervals all day
Wednesday. That day and night, and
for four succeeding days, the barge
rolled heavily in the seas which swept
the craft from end to end. There were
provisions in plenty when the barge
left Two Harbors, but when the Hoyt
was seen in the distance headed for the
500 Capt. Boyce put his crew on two
meals per day:
Story OF the Mate. i
/ Mate Lynip and his men tell the
following story of subsequent events:
about II O'Clock on Monday morn
ing the barge drifted ashore on what
we afterwards found to be Pic Island.
Where the barge grounded the land is
extremely bold and rises from the wa
ter's edge 500 to 600 feet, and even
higher in places.
''rhe barge began to pound heavily,
and we We're afraid it would knock
hole in the hull. There was little
life raft on top of the after turret, and
we used this to get ashore. First two
of the men went ashore and made a
landing. and then sent the raft back
and forth until we We're ashore.
There were some provisions left
aboard the boat, but we had no time
TO get these and could not have carried
them if we had, as the snow was so
deep on the land. We landed in q
small cove and began to climb up the
steep bluff. We caught hold of roots
and stones and the small evergreen
trees which grew among the rocks, and
at last reached the top.
we Thought at this time that we
were ashore on the mainland. The
snow was about three feet deep. but
the weather was not as cold rs on the
water. The first night we camped in
the woods and the next day we started
alone the shore line.
Find Deserted Cabin.
'.It was then we found that we were
on an island. Aswe followed the shore
we came across Il log cabin about }
O'Clock i'll the afternoon. 1t was with
out 4 roof and had a part of an old
sheet iron stove. We had taken ashore
fror, the barge an aN and some match.
es, and we all started 20 cut some
boughs and make Il roof on the shanty
and to make a fire in the stove. We
stayed in the shanty Tuesday night,
and it was here that the stewards fees
We're so badly frozen.
"Wednesday morning we could see the
mainland about three miles away. We
ripped the old shanty down and made
q raft with which to get ashore on the
mainland. The raft was not large
enough to hold all of the men, and
sank knee deep in the water when we
ali boarded it, but we started out, and
after drifting couple of miles down
the shore, making our trip about five
miles in all, we landed.
Raft Goes TO Pieces.
AS soon as the raft struck the shore
it went 10 pieces. There was lots OF
snow on the maitland. but we built
fire and camped in the bush all night.
On Thursday morning we started out
and walked all day along the shore to
the west. Our provisions were giving
ont, and we had about half slice OF
wet bread and two ounces of raw ham
each.
Make supper on Candles.
"Some of the boys chewed the cand-
les which they had taken with them
from the barge. That night We camp
ed in the bush again, and on Friday
morning, after walking until II o'clock,
we struck the tracks of the Canadian
Pacific road. Here we ate the last of the
provisions we had with us.
At last we met two section hands,
who told us that the nearest town was
Aiiddletown, a mile and half away.
We reached the railroad station at Mid
dletown about noon on Friday"
The Queen at Osborne.