The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-07
Survivors Rescued Only After
Three Days OF Untold Hard /.
ship and Suffering.
FouR WOMEN ARE SAVED
Over Hail the twenty Two Persons
Aboard Volunteered to Die to Save
tho Rsmaindsr-captsin
Hrsvsiy Leads Thorn.

sNthas 1--WE Nsfc iost hlu pEVprfhy WI
ued at $500. 600 sacrificed In the furious
storm that swept over Lake Superior
sunday and Sunday night.
The gale was the most destructive
10 lake shipping that a been expert
cnecd In many years.
BESIDES the wreck OF tho steel steam
er Scvona. which broke In two on Rand
Island reef, seven of the crew losing
their lives. IL n now believed hat i've
more ships were lost with their entire
crews. One or these In thought ~ DO
IN. schooner Pretoria, of bay City.
Mich. the largest sailing ship OH fresh
water. and carrying n crew OF eight
men. The other In believed to be the
schooner Olive Jeanette. which carried
"a crew OF seven men. The Pretoria
broke loose from the teamer that was
towing her during the storm. and today
captain Wandlg. OF the steamer Mary
Boyle. reported that the Rpars OF a
supken three masted schooner could DO
seen n short distance east OF the outer
island az the apostle group. about 100
miles from Duluth. The Olive Jeanette,
IL " believed. went To the bottom about
ten miles from Portage entry. A mass
OF wreckage was sighted by the steam
er Juniatn near that point. and al
though the identity OF tie ship has not
been completely established there seems
10 be- little doubt that II was the Olive
J%eannette. The schooner N In tow
81 the teamer l.. Il. Doty when the
latter vessel was lost with her entire
crew on Lake Michigan a few years
ego.
The storm 1T times reached the pro
portions ~ a hurricane. and the
~ssaunchest steel vessels were forced TO
RUN tor shelter In n more or less bat
tered condition. The new steel steamer
Stackhouse arrived at the 500 on her
nrst trip with her hatch v so bad
Is sprung that water poured contin-
was washed overheard. The whaleback
steamer Samuel Mather also lost one OF
her crew overheard.
The terrific battering the steel
steamers received In the storm gives
rise TO the gravest fears for the safety
az many wooden ships which have not
Yet been reported. and the record OF
death and destruction may reach much
greater proportions h h present
estimates. The monetary loss OF the
Sevona IN placed Mt $4,000. while that
uf the Pretoria In estimated at $780,
o1o.
Duluth. MINI. Sept. A telegram
seceivcd here reports n tug found Cap
tain Mcdonald OF the Sevona on his
vessel with The remainder OF the crew
alive and they were rescued.
Bayfield,. Wis. Sept. s.--EleVen OF
the crew of the steamer Sevona were
drowned by the wreck OF n steel steam
~ uu Sand Island reef on Lake Su-
periar late Friday night. Eiever others
werc rescued. including the remainder
of the crew and four women
FrNn NfnVN Of the AianasnE a. n thREt1-
ing tale OF s~hipwreck on the Great
lakes such as has never been told.
Seven OF the dead offered their lives
a. " sacrifice for the rest OF the TWEEN
ty-two on board the III fated ship, al
Z hough o u Of the latter were drowned.
The rest reached the shore after a
night OF buffeting by waves I'm an open
boat and = trip OF more than twenty
four hours IN cutting n road through
the wilderness or northern Wisconsin.
Story OF the Disaster.
Friday evening the steamer was
blown on reefs during n fierce north
west gale When the vessel finally
struck, a great hole was torn In her
ioN, and IN half an hour the vessel
broke In tive.
When tho shock came the captain
found there was 10 chance for all 20
reach the shore md called for volun-
tecrs 10 stay on the ship.
More than half the crew volunteered
"a stay aboard while n rest tried TO
yctcn shore and call for help for those
who were 10 remain on the wreck. Fin
aiiy the captain. two mates and four
other sailors. who were under no obli-
gstion TO stand by the sinking ship.
were selected to risk their lives for the
safety OF the rest. Engineer Philllppi
was one OF the volunteers, but Captain
Mcdonald ordered him to take com
mand OF tho ships boat which was to
take the fouE women ashore.
ARoat in Small Boats.
with phlilippi went six others OF the
crew. a small boat large enough to
carry the four o another party. The
lost with the women tried TO make
sand island. but was swept past.
When the boats left the Sevona. the
seven men loft aboard were huddled In
the wheel house waiting FOR the rescue
that vas TO come too late.
The trip ashore OF the lireboat was
n of terror. All night the men fought
with the clements In an effort to reach.
the shore. which was only FIVE miles.
away. but the wind was carrying the.
craft parallel with the beach aud II was
daylight Saturday before TN. boat was
washed ashore at Little Sand bay.
Here they foand IA homesteader who
So ANFtsA W "a ldItH wv HilieN III the
interior. The men were ~ exhausted
they could hardly walk to the farm
house.
Hew Way Through Woods.
ss@n. while the rest of the party was.
90 for. the engineer and Farmer
Tityadcnu set out with "A team for Bay
Held. twenty miles across the peninsula,
through an almost untrodden country.
Most ~ TIE way ~ was necessary To
ltiutgtly cut a road through the woods.
Upon reaching bayfield, a 4 o'clock
saturday afternoon the fishing tug
zG,rrow started out for the scene OF the
Mr TX with q party of fifteen men,
headed by Engineer Phillippi. The trip
two hours In the teeth OF a north
tiaiCr.
when the tug reached the wreck OF
The Sevona. only "a few spars and the
sitter hundred feet OF the craft was
lrlt. There was M trace or the cnp-
rin u his party or OF the four In the
'nnli a and they nre undoubtedly
lost.