Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-06-01
STEAM BARGE GOES
DOWN WITH CREW
Twelve Persons Are Drowned In an
Accident on Lake Huron
Yesterday.
rwo SUCCEEDED IN ESCAPING
rhe Engineer Of the Vessel and . Deck
Hand Are Rescued, All the Others
Going Down with the Boat
How IL Happened

East Tawas, Mich, May 27.-The
wooden steamer Baltimore foundered
in Lake Huron zeal Au Sable yesterday
morning, and twelve Of her crew OF
fourteen were drowned. Two men were
washed about in the lake for several
hours, dashed to a piece Of w~reckage,
and were finally picked up by the tug
Columbia and brought in here. George
McGinnis, a deck hand, one Of the res
cued, went crazy from his experience,
The other survivor. Thomas Murphy, Of
Milwaukee, second engineer, vas able
to tell the story OF the disaster.
The dead:
CAPTAIN NJ. H. PLACE. master,
MRS. M. H. PLACE. wife of captain.
stewardess.
MICHAEL BREATHEN. first mate.
JOHN DELDERS, second steward.
EDWARD OWEN, wheelman.
GEORGE w. SCOTT, Waterman.
HERBERT WINNING, Waterman
p. MARCoUx, chief engineer.
VIM. BARKER, fireman.
p. KRUGER, fireman.
AUGUST ANDERSON, deck hand.
1t was some time before the Column.
80 AtNANA "a NAlS AAlGl
into port before Murphy was revived
sufficiently to tell his story. The Bal
timore foundered about 8 o'clock yes
terday morning, and he was in the wa.
ter until late in the afternoon, exposed
to the buffeting OF q furious northeast
sea
I'VE were bound from Lorain 10
Sault Ste. Marie,' he said, land had
in tow a large steam drill and scow,
When off Thunder bay last night Cap.
tain Place saw that the steamer was
making water, for the waves had
smashed In the engineers quarters and
the wash rooms, and the water was
running into the hold.
Captain Place decided to turn about
and u for Tawas for shelter. Every.
thing went all right until we were of
Au Sable, when the steamer struck
heavily on the bottom. The seas broke
over her at the same time and carried
away the deck mouse, then the after
cabin, and, finally, the smokestack fell
Both rails forward broke in two just
aft of the forward deck house, and we
knew hat 1t was only a few minutes,
before the steamer vent to pieces"
continued Murphy.
at is every man for himself now
shouted Captain Place." continued tn,
engineer. THE look OF despair on Mrs
Places face was something I shall new
er forget. 1t was awful. We took tn,
captains advice and every a started
to save himself as best he could. Som,
OF the boys took to the rigging, but Nc
Ginnis and l dashed ourselves to a ring
bolt in a piece Of the after cabin ant
we were washed overheard shortly af.
terward.
1.-THE strain was too much for Mo.
Ginnis and he went crazy before W.
had been in the water very long. He
tried to throw me off the w~reckage, but
/ talked to him and encouraged him to
hold on. Twice he got loose and tried
to drown us both, but each time J
succeeded in quieting him. 1 told him o
BOAT was coming to take us off, ano
then / would get him tied fast again.
THE passenger steamer City Of Hol.
land passed by us yesterday morning,
but we were too far away for her crew
to see us. / believe 1t made me feel
pretty respondent for a time, for l was
getting weak and the seas broke over
my head so as to drive the breath out
of my body at times.
1.-The Columbia finally came along
and picked us up, just as l was about
to give up hope. I am afraid all Of the
rest OF the crew were drowned, includ-
ing Mrs. Place"
Murphy was in the water from 8
o'clock yesterday until 2 o'clock In the
afternoon. The tug Columbia lost a
drill scow with six men on board just
before she picked up the men from the
Baltimore. The Columbia went out
again yesterday afternoon and found
the drill scow making good weather.
The men were taken off 1t, and they
were badly frightened, as the scow had
neither boat nor life pr~eserVers.
Captain Memo Of the steamer City of
Holland. claims hal the gale was one
Of the worst in fifteen years.