The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-12-12
MANY FIND
WATERY GRAVE
Death Record on Great Lakes for the
Present Season is the Largest
on Record.
Increases FROM Year To YEAR.

Chicago, Dec. II. - In navigatln
the great lakes during the season now
rapidly drawing to close 140 lives
were lost. This is the largest loss Of
life among seamen of which there is
any record. 1t Is an increase of eight
OYER 1901, which also excelled all pre-
vious records.
Accurate figures have been kept for
the past seven years and are as fol
lows: 1896, &C seamen; 1897, So; 1898
35; 1899, 100; 1900. 10; 1901, 13G;
1902, 140
Lake Erie. which last year had but
eleven liyes charged up against her.
now leads all of the other lakes with
total of So. Lake Superior was the
watory grave of 40, while in 1901. AZ
were lost there. Lake Michigan had
but IA, Lake Huron, 22 and Lake On
tario 5. Ten were lost in Detroit AMI
st. Clair rivers.
notwithstanding the long death list
of the week marking the beginning
of winter this year, six more sailors
wort down with their ships in 1901
than in 1902, the figdres being 54 ant
So respectively. On the other hand 4;
men fell over board and were drowned
during the season just closed, a big
increase over its predecessor. Nine
met fatal accidents on shipboard and
five met their deaths by falling into
the hold. A great variety OF causes
led to the death of the remainder.
Loss of life resulting from collisions
increased from in 1901 to Is in 1902
The sinking of the whaleback steamer
Thomas Wilson by the steamer Georg'
q. Iladley off Duluth accounts for nine
of this increase. 1t seems to be the
fate of Lake Superior to swallow VI
one modern steel steamer of the most
approved type every year Last sea
son 1t was the Hudson which founder
ed Off Keweenaw point. This season
it has been the Bannockburn. which
went down somewhere between Port
Arthur and Sauit Ste. Marie. The Sc.
cret of these disasters went down with
the boats and even the shrewdcst un
derwriters have no explanations &c
make of their fate.
Outside of the Bannockburn nearly
all the ships lost from founderings
and Sirandings were getting along well
in years and some of them were
doubtless not well equipped to NEE,
disaster. In a number of instances
during the fall storms the crying need
of government inspection of sailing
vessels and tow barges has again be.
came apparent. While steamers under
90 the strictest inspection as to life
saving devices, no attention whatever
Is paid by the government TO ships
which sail or are towed. Why the lives
of sailors should be imperiled BY the
lack of all government supervision or
that class of boats has never been ex.
planned. except that 1t is the way tht
government steamboat inspection start
ed and congress has never been pre-.
vailed upon to add sail and tow yes.
sells.
The steady increase in the number
of dead from year to year has not beer
as great, to any degree as the vast liz.
crease in the number of men employ
ed on lake ships. The percentage o.
loss is really considerably less in 1870:
than it was in 1896. A good part Of
this decrease of percentage is due to
the excellent work of the life saving
service whenever it has been called in.
TO action. In but single case that o
the loss of the schooner Ann Maria al
Kincardine, were the life savers unable
to bring the entire crew TO shore il
safety. In that instance there was nc
regular government life saving station
and the citiHns volunteered to under
take the work of rescue.
Captains give the weather bureaus
high praise for the excellence of it,
storm signals throughout the fall. Z
is said that nearly all of the cases o
laundering, except that of the Ban
nockLurn, were due to disregard Il
the storm signals.