The times., 1900-12-31
STORMS ON THE GREAT LAKES.
Veteran Ohio skipper Details Some
of His ExncricnceS.


of His Experiences.
GENEVA, Ohio, Dec. 30.-"This has
been rough year" remarked Captain
Clifford. of Geneva, as he glanced over the
statistics of deaths from shipwrecKs for
the season just closed on the Great
Lakes, and then wound up his story by
recalling the days of nearly fifty years
ago. when large ships were brigs and ircn
ore ports were naught Capt. n. Clifford
is authority on all subjects pertaining to
early and late lake traffic. He is the
oldest captain in active service on the
lakes. In his seventy-fft year, he de-
clares he will sail next season as in half
a century past, life and health permit
ting.
We were riding as high as 4 house
above the ordinary level of the lake and
yet the waves washed high over our pilot
house." said Captain Clifford 'as he re-
ferred to his experiences on the Ahira
Cobb west of Erie, in the recent severe
storm. The Ahira Cobb is the schooner
of which Mr. Clifford is captain. The
storm on Lake Erie referred to is the
one in which the steamer John B. Lyons
went down with most Of the crew.
THE Lyons, / believe, was caught by a
tidal wave" continued Captain Clifford
THE Cobb lost her mainsail and our cook
stove left its moorinss and became a scrap
pile on the opposite side OF the kitchen. ="
On this occasion Captain Clifford stood at
his post from Tuesday morning till We'd
nesday night. The wind was blowing at
the rate of seventy-eig miles an hour.
The storm, as witnessed from a point
near Miles Grove, Pa, was regarded as
the most unusual that had ever been seen
on that part of the lake, The peninsula
between Elk Creek and the lake, meas
uring in width about 100 feet, was COM
pletely submerged. William Daggett, one
Of the men who helped rescue the few sur
vivors from the wrecked vessel John 3.
Lyons lives in a house which stands On a
bank more than sixty feet above the lake.
On that night he says that the spray
thrown by the high seas, assisted by the
heavy winds, reached the side OF his resi-
denee and ran down the window panes like
water in a severe rain storm
Concerning the recent discovery that in
storm a whirlpool is formed near Long
Point. which, together with the strong
current toward the head of the lakes, is
responsible for the many shipwrecks
which have occurred in the vicinity where
the Lyons and Foster recently went down,
Captain Clifford expressed considerable in
terest. He stated that many times in
years past he had noticed the peculiar
condition of The water there, but had
never thought of II in the light of this
recent scientific investigation before.
Captain Clifford said that he began to
sail the lakes in 1910, when but fifteen
years of age. ard up to the present ne has
missed but two seasons-tbose of IS and
GO. When he MAS a young sailor there
was no such thing as a greatest iron ore
receiving port or, in fact. any ore re-
eeiving port at all. The carrying of gra n
was engaged in 10 such an extent as the
vessels of that day would admit, but their
eargoes were 5000 to 10000 bushels. COM
pared with 2G0, eco bushels the average big
cargo Of today. Among the great number
of new craft on the lakes today few YES
sells forty years old can be found. Mr.
Clifford about a year ago heard of one,
the L. z. Shepard running near Chicago,
On which he was mate forty-hve years
ago.
Captain Clifford remembers bringing
down his first cargo OF iron ore in 1863,
and il actually did not aggregate more
than GOO tons. The best record made this
season was in September, when the steam
eT William Edenborn brought down LAG
gross or S.539 net tons. to Conneaut. The
barge Johu Smeaton brought to Cleveland
the same sized cargo. But the future viii
see scr.e greater cargoes.' said Captain
Clifford. They could have been carried
during the season OF 1900 had the maiuten-
ance OF uniform twenty -one-foot channels
been possible"
Captain Clifford is acquainted with Capt.
J 3. Andrews of Eden Fla, who, it will
be remembered. brought the first cargo OF
iron ore down the Great Lakes. Captain
Andrews. who is now working a pineap-
pie plantation, is but seventy-tTo years Of
age. SO that Captain Clifford holds the rec
ord.
For thirty years Mr. Clifford has held
the position of captain. Before that time
he held different Offices within the pro-
vince of his ship while working his way
up to the highest position. In all the
thirty years, although in many a storm.
he has had but one shipwreek, and even
then not member of his crew perisned.
This one occurred about fifteen years agO,
when he was sailing the schooner George
Sherman. Fourteen miles from Mar
ouette, after running hard aground in
one of the severest windstorms that ever
swept the lakes, the life-b boats were sue
cessfully launched, and in the raging seas
the crew, under the command of Cap
tain Clifford reached shore. Then for
fourteen miles along the shore and
through the woods they walked until they
reached Marquette, @here theg were ied
and cared for.
The cargo of Canadian iron ore which
was recently brought to Ashtabula has
generally been regarded as the first ever
delivered In America. However, Captain
Clifford remembers distinctly in 73 and "a
of bringing from the old Canadian mines
near Kingston a cargo tc the port of Erie,
Pa He also delivered one cargo to Cleve
land Harbor. Port Hope at that time was
a Canadian ore shipping point.
Representative Cummings Improving
NEW YORK, Dec. 0.-Representative
Amos J. Cummings. who was brought
homo from New Haven on Saturday with
a broken ankle. as result Of fall from
his bicycle is still suffering good deal
from the pain, but is improving. He went
away for a months outing, and although
he had been away only since Christmas,
his general health is better, in spite Of