The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-29
GREAT LAKES STORM SWEPT Terrific Gale and Drop in
 Temperature. SHIPS POUNDED TO PIECES Heavy Snowfall in Interior
 Northwest. Zero Weather Prevails in Places, and Railroad Tranic Is Greatly Ham pered by Drifts-Loss of
 Life Small.
 
SHIPS POUNDED TO PIECES

Wisconsin on the Great Lakes, even surpassing in fury the terrible storm of last September in which so many men lost their lives in the vicinity of the Apostle Islands, three big lake steamers were today driven ashore within sight of the light house at the Duluth entrance to the local harbor, and several members of the crew of one of the boats, the Mataafa, are be- lieved to have perished.
 The wrecks are the Crescent City and the Mataafa of the Pittsburg Steamship Company. and the R. w. England, owned by the England Trans portation Company Of Cleveland
 As soon as interrupted. telegraphic communication with other Lake ports is resumed, it is expected that further reports of wrecks will be received, for the storm is. thought to have been a record-breaker.
 For thirteen consecutive hours, be- tween il o'clock Monday night and 12 o'clock today. the velocity of the wind averaged sixty miles an hour. and at . times blew at the rate of seventy miles an hour.
 Being Pounded to Pieces.
 The Mataafa is being slowly pounded to pieces. The crew of the Crescent City escaped, but the boat is total wreck. Captain R. W. England is the only man who left the England. The vessel is lying on the sand. and is in no danger of going to pieces. The captain was taken off by the life-saving crew with the help of a brooches buoy. The sailors will remain on the boat until tomorrow.
 Unless the wind abates before morn ing, the Mataafa will be a total loss. The Mataafa struck the north pier of the harbor entrance while making her a.4kn khA hap md k~I to get through the canal. She swung around and ran aground just north of the pier, where she is now being raked by the waves, every one of which dashes completely over her.
 The accident occurred shortly before 3 o'clock. The Mataafa left here at o'clock last night with the Nasmyth in tow. The storm was so severe that she was forced to turn back. As she neared the harbor entrance, the lateral roll of the waves threw her starboard, and she struck the north pier fairly on the end, almost squarely with her nose, which was badly battered as a result of the collision. A moment later. she veered off slightly at her bow, headed between the piers. She had swung quartering to the waves, however, and was unable to proceed more than a few yards. .a..: .s
 Attempt in Vain.
 At the entrance the waves were all most mountainous in height, and great clouds of water kept sweeping the la boring vessel from stem to stern. At this point an effort was made to turn her out into the lake again, but the attempt was in vain
 She turned almost completely around with her nose towards the shore. She cleared the pier and went on the beach broadside. The anchors were thrown out immediately. Every wave swept completely over the boat. There were thousands of people watching the crew, almost within a stones throw and unable to do anything for the poor fellows huddled on the stern of the boat awaiting rescue.
 The life-saving crew was at the wreck of the England and did not reach the Mataafa until nearly o'clock, and by that time the stern was almost under water and some time be- fore the men had slipped down the ventilators into the hold of the boat and none were seen on the stern Their only chance Is that there may be some compartments there r-tight to hold them until rescued.
 The Crescent City, Captain Frank Rice, was the first of the three to go aground. She went on the rocks six or seven miles from Duluth at D. m. Every member of the crew of twenty-six men escaped and none was seriously injured, due to the fact that the boat happened to hit in such a way as to bring her port side up against a rock, and thus afford a nat ural landing place for members of the crew.
 Headed for Duluth.
 The Crescent City was bound for Two Harbors. but the captain realized that it would be impossible for his boat to make the port and so headed for Du- luth. The gale was terrific and 1t was possible to see only few feet beyond the brow of the big craft. There was little to do but keep straight ahead and trust to luck. At Lakewood. twelve miles from Duluth the big boat crashed on to the rock. The waves were so high and the position of the boat so precarious that the men did not stop an instant to procure extra colthing or other valubles
 The R. W. England, named after her captain, Is lying on a sand beach on Minnesota Point, four miles south of the harbor entrance. She. struck at 12:40 p. m, during a binding snow storm. The England was coming up light for Ore. When about eight miles east of Two Harbors, the storm abated for a moment and the captain found that his boat was headed straight for shore. He saw another boat of the Mariposa type also headed for shore. He blew a warning whistle and changed his course. moment later and the storm swallowed up the other craft.