The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-09-07
Norst Gale that Ever Blew on Lake
Superior.
AND -FOUR SHIPS GO DOWN.
Many Lives are Lost and the Survivors
tell Tales of their Awful Experiences
Great Amount of Property is
Destroyed,

Superior, starting on Thursday last,
aud raising to its height on Satur-
day, and finally subsiding Sunday
evening. Lake Superior fairly
Seethed and roared with i It's angry
waves, and along the entire coast
dine are the evidences of wrecks and
damage to property. At the flour
dock in this city the waves swept
over the entire structure at times,
aud ten massive doors in the side Of
the building were torn down, and
some of them smashed into pieces.
Logs broke from their booms and
filled the bay, ard these were tossed
like finder by the waves. serving as
hattering rams for the many winds
TO carry over the waters. smashing
property before them, The elevator,
too, had trouble from the storm, the
waves washing into the building,
bat doing NO serious damage. Trees
were bent and snapped off, and in
hundreds of ways damage was in
flcted upon property. But the
greater of all damage was to ship
pidg and to steamers caught out in
fhe storm, and many of these were
wrecked. Perhaps the worst Of all
the tragedies on the lake was the de-
struction of the Sevona, off Sand
Island The Pretoria was another
Dad wreck.
The Sevona was a big steel freight
er and went on rock between York
aud Sand Island The loss of the
Ssoat furnishes one of the great
est and most thrilling experience
ever had by the people who navi-
gate the great lakes, anc daily ex-
eursions are being run from here
aud all nearby points to the scene of
the wreck. and the things that the
visitors are seeing afford tales that
will live down through many years.
&ll about the beach of Sand Island
are the wreckage and evidences of
che terrible battle between the storm
and the ship and its crew and
passengers. Four bodies were
picked up and brought Into Bayfield,
Monday, including that of Captain
Mcdonald. All the bodies had life
preseryers on, but many of these
2ife preservers were literally torn to
pieces, and that on Captain Nc
Donald was completely torn away,
only the straps with which it was
fastened remaining on the body.
The bodies of all the four were liter
ally dashed beyond recognition by
the waves that threw them onto the
6each.s
The Sevona was one of the big
freighters, and before starting out
last spring had beer heightened out
seventy feet, Tt was the new part
IN the center of the ship that struck
the rock that brought death to so
many On board. The boat seemed
10 settle amidships and then the
great steel vessel began to twist
and grind, and in few minutes it
parted in the middle Seven men
including the Captain and Mates
Darwin, Shuman, two wheelman and
two deck hands, were in the for
ward end Of the parted ship, and
stayed there for five hours when
their end of the boat went down, 1t
sunk out of sight, leaving only the
spares standing out Of the water.
The crew all lost their life. Just
what attemps they make to save
themselves is rot known, but those
who were rescued from the other
part of the boat say that their more
unfortunate companions seemed to
be working to build a raft when
they were finally engulfed in the
raging storm.
The rear half Of the boat stan DIS
cut ia the water, towering up quite
as majestically as ever except that
everything above deck has been
swept away. The owners will no
5oubt attempt to save it. On this
ea1d of the boat there were seventeen
persons, including two women and
two girls, all passengers. These set
or in two life boat. one contain
lag eleven persons and the other six
persons. The big boat containing
Gde eleven persons reached mainland
aad stopped at logging camp
They had voyage that seemed a