Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-05-30

Tawas City, Mich, May 25.--A ter
rife gale prevailed Thursday night
and Friday. The steamer Baltimore,
coal laden, broke in two and sank
off Au Sable, Friday morning before
daylight. Twelve persons were
drowned, including woman
and boy. The tug Columbia,
of Detroit, with a government steam
dredge and two Loaded lighters for
the 500 was caught in the storm.
The lighters and dredges were lost.
While searching for her tow the
Columbia picked up two men from
the Baltimore on a raft. They were
almost dead and were taken to East
TawaS.
The two men rescued We're tossed
about in the lake for several hours,
lashed to piece of wreckage, before
being picked up by the tug Columbia
and brought here. George McGinnis,
deckhand, one of the rescued, be-
came insane from his experience. The
other survivor, Thomas Murphy, of
Milwaukee, second engineer, was able
to tell the story of che disaster. The
dead:
N. II. Place, captain, of Cleveland.
Mrs. NJ. II. Place, his wife, stew
ardess.
Michael Brethern, first mate.
Edward Owen, wheelman.
c. w. Sears, wheelman.
G.. w. Scott, watchman.
Herbert Winning, watchman.
August Anderson, deckhand.
John Delgers, second steward.
p. Marceaux, of Chicago, first en-
gineer,
w. NJ. Parker, firenan.
+. krueger, fireman.
Murphy said: I'VE were bound
from Lorain to Sault Ste. Marie, and
had in tow large steam drill and
scow. When off Thunder bay Thurs
day night Capt. Place saw that the
schooner was making bad weather,
for the waves had smashed in the
engineers quarters and the wash
rooms and the water was running
into the hold.
Capt. Place decided to turn bout
and run for Tawas for shelter. Every
thing was all right until we were off
Au Sable, when the steamer struck
heavily on the bottom. The seas
broke over her at the same time, and
carried away the deck house, then
the after cabin and finally the smoke
stack fell. Both rails forward broke
in two just aft of the forward deck
house, and we knew that it was only
a few minutes before the steamer
would go to pieces"
lit is every man for himself now
shouted Capt. Place" continued the
engineer. THE look of despair on
Mrs. Places face was something L
shall never forget. We took the
captains advice and every man start
ed to save himself. Some of the boys
took to the rigging, but Mciinnis and
| lashed ourselves to a ringbolt in
piece of the after cabin, and we were
washed overheard shortly afterword.
1.-The strain was too much for Nc
Ginnis, and he went crazy before we
had been in the water very long. He
tried to throw me off the wreckage,
but | talked to him and encouraged
him to hold on. I'wice he got loose
and tried to drown us both, but each
time | succeeded in quieting him. |
told him boat was coming to take
us off, and then | would get him tied
fast again.
The passenger steamer City of
Holland pas.;Ia by us, but we We're
too far away for her crew to see us,
| believe. 1t made me feel pretty
despondent for a time, for | was get
ting very weak and the seas broke
over my head so as to drive the
breath out of my body at times. The
Columbus finally came along and
picked us up just as l was about to
give up hope"
The schooner Montmorency, which
went aground on the Charity islands
several days ago, has gone to pieces.
Her crew left her Thursday. The
Tawas life saving crew made trip
10 her at midnight and rowed Is miles
in the storm and against the wind,
but found no one aboard. The Column
bia picked up her dredge last night,
The men on board were taken off,
and they were badly frightened, as
the scow had neither boat nor life
preservers. The scow was then
tccved in here. The scow with tim
Der on it was not recovered and it is
thought it went ashore. Capt. Me-
mo. OF the steamer City of Holland
claims that the gale was one of the
worst in Is years.
The Baltimore came out in 1881
and was then known as the Esc9 IA ba
She belonged to a fleet largely owned
by o. w. Potter and his associates in
the North Chicago rolling mills
Carrying ore from Escanaba to the
rolling mills, the steamer paid for
herself more than half Il dozen times.
She was POI feet keel by 35 feet beam,
and carried about 1000 tons of
freight. The steamer was rated at
$4,000 by the underwriters and was
insured for hearly that amount.
Refused to Disrniss.