Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-09-22
TALE Of AWFUL
WRECK RET0LD
ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOSS OF
THE LADY ELGIN.
CAPTAIN CANT IELD'SST0RY
Dodged Schooner That Sunk the
Steamer-How WiImette Went to
the Rescue-Now Forty-four Years
Ago-Reminiscences Which Hither-
to Have Remained Unpublished.

The anniversary of the wreck of the
Lady Elgin, with it's subsequent hor-
rors, has brought to light certain rem
liniscences of one of the rescuers
hitherto unpublished.
During the night of Saturday, Sept
(, 1860, Captain John Garfield, now
living in Evanston, while on his home
ward voyage to Chicago from Buffalo,
Earrived six to eight miles off Wauke-
gan about o'clock in the morning All
night long a lumber schooner had
chung to his boat, making the neces-
sary maneuvers extremely periious
because of the likelihood of collision.
The night had been constantly growing
darker, thick clouds obscuring the
moon, and as quite heavy sea was
running the captain decided to shorten
sail, and for the purpose he took the
wheel. throwing the boat into the wind
in order to facilitate the operation.
Garfield some time before had noticed
steamer coming up the lake, her
lights showing her course to be three
or four miles nearer the shore than the
path of his own vessel.
At this stage of the proceedings the
blister" as he calls the lumber
boat, passed his stern, headed for the
shore. Some fifteen minutes were
consumed trimming sails, and when
Garfield relinquished the wheel to the
mate he was astonished to see that the
lights on the steamboat had disappear
Lad To- I, H.
learned that the Lady Elgin the larg-
est and finest steamboat on the lakes,
had been run down and sunk by the
lumber schooner Augusta.
Terrible Scenes Enacted.
Meanwhile terrible scenes were be-
ing enacted along the north shore. The
| Inflated steamer was returning to Mil
waukee with an excursion party of 1913
men and women. Mirth and revelry,
music and dancing, were in progress.
The rude awakening came with ter
rible crash, when the Augusta struck
the Lady Elgin just abaft the wheel
house, staving in her side and causing
her to settle rapidly.
Wonderful order was preserved on
the sinking boat, and as the water ad-
vanced the passengers were hurried
10 the upper deck when every possible
preparation was made for their safety.
Within half an hour the boilers and
engine broke through the bottom of
the boat and the entire hull followed
leaving the passengers clinging to the
hurricane deck. which soon broke up
into fragments. There were few, if
any, life preservers on the boat-at
any rate they We're not III evidence
and the men and women who but few
moments before were iuii of life and
| hope and happiness were now tossed
abo ut in the cold waters, with no sup
port save that afforded by doors and
spars and other bits of wreckage. The
long hours of the night wore slowly
away and cold autumn sun, shrouded
| in dense clouds, looked down that
Sunday morning on those who had sur
vived the darkness and who were be-
ing driven slowly toward the shore in
la southwesterly direction. On that
Sabbath morning the people of the lit
tie village of Wilmette had just gath
cred in their church, when the services
were interrupted by the excited voice
of some one who announced that the
lake was full of drowning people. and
that they must hasten to the rescue
if any were to be saved.
Wimette to the Rescue.
Among the first to reach the shore
was Maxim Dusham, who, coming to
Wilmette in 1S4S, still lives in the
same town and gives vivid descrtp-
ton of the terrible scenes of that aw-
full day. As he reached the shore the
water seemed alive with struggling hui
manity vainly imploring assistance.
Mr.. Dusham was powerless to reach a
helping hand even to those who were
almost at the waters edge; so high
was the surf that no boat could live in
it, The waves were filled with debris
from the sunken vessel which not only
MANNED, mutilated and often killed
those who thought the desired haven
almost attained but endangered the
lives of the rescuers.
However. the good people of VIII
mette would not stand idly by, and
several. including Mr.. Conrad of Win
netka, tied ropes under their arms and
boldly plunged into the water, depend
ing on the willing hands on shore to
pull them back with any that they
might be able to reach. In this way
many were saved but others who had
chung to their trail supports during the
night were either dashed from them
by the force of the waves along the
shore or were disabled by the floating
SpGrs.
Mr.. Dusham, seeing a woman dashed
to a board coming on the crest of a
wave, rushed into the water and seized
her dress, but before she could be
/ saved the strong undertow had swept
her away forever. Another woman was
seen elinging to the body of dead
steer. of which there were over a hun
dred floating around in the water