Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-29

For thirteen consecutive hours between II
O'Clock Monday night and l. 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 The Ma
taafa is being slowly pounded to pieces.
Tho crew of the Crescent City escaped. but
the boat is total wreck. Captain r. w.
England is the only man who left the Eng
land. 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 breeches buoy. THE
sailors will remain on the boat until to-
morrow. Unless the wind abates before
morning the Mataafa will be a total loss.
The Mataafa's accident was the most un-
fortunate of the three. 1t struck the north
pier Of the harbor entrance while making
its way into the harbor and was unable to
get through the canal. It swung around
and ran aground Just north of the pier,
where the waves are sweeping completely
over II.
Thousands See Accident
The accident occurred shortly before
o'clock. The Mataafa left here at O'Clock
last night with the n. A. Smith in tow It
was captained by r. F. Humble The storm
was so severe that it was forced to turn
back
As it came up the lake with its tow a
large crowd focked to the piers to watch
its entrance. A mile or two out in the
lake it left the Nasmyth, which immedi-
ately anchored, and came on alone, en-
deavoring to make the entry, but the
lateral roll of the waves threw it starboard
and it struck the north pier fairly on the
end almost squarely with it's nose, which
was badly battered as a result of the col
lision. a second attempt to head the ves-
sci between the canal piers was unsuo-
cessful the waves sweeping the vessel
from stem to stern. An effort was then
made to turn 1t out into the lake again.
but the attempt was in vain. As It's prov
headed toward the lake il turned almost
conIbiefeiy around with ie uuse .owarui
shore. 1t cleared the pier and went on the
beach broadside. Every wave swept COM
pletely over the boat. There, with thous-
ands of people watching them, almost
within stones throw and unable to do
anything, the poor fellows hudded 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 6 o'clock. BY that time the
stern was almost under water and some
time before that the men had slipped down
the ventllators in the hold of the boat
Their only chance is that there may be
some compartment there watertight to hold
them till rescued.
The Crescent City. Captain Frank Rice.
was the first of three to go aground It
went on the rocks at Lakewood, about
twelve miles from Duluth, al s p. m. Every
member of the crew of twenty-six men
escaped and none was seriously injured.
The r. W. England is lying on a sand
beach on Minnesota point, four miles south
Of the harbor entrance. II struck at 1870
p. M. during binding snowstorm.
At 1850 p. m. a reliable party from the
scene OF the Mataafa wreck says the life
saving crew have abandoned their efforts
TO rescue the men on the wreck until
morning
Wrecks Along Lake Huron.
DETROIT. Mich. Nov. 2s-Lake Superior
from Duluth to the 500, the upper penin-
sula Of Michigan, upper ends of Lakes
Huron and Michigan and the northern
counties of lower Michigan, have been
| swept last night and today by a terrific
wind and snowstorm, and a number Of
shipping accidents have been reported The
| blizzard ragged with velocity of from forty
to sixty miles an hour, and all the harbors
from Port Huron north on Lake Huron
and from Sault Ste. Marie north on Lake
Superior are filled with vessels which have
| run IN .or shelter.
Tonight il was reported from Sault Ste
| Marie that the wind has fallen to twelve
miles an hour and although the barometer
| is falling, the weather situation Is regarded
as greatly improved. All boats on the
lower end of Lake Superior are supposed
to have weathered the storm in safety.
| Scores Of craft are tied up In the st. Mary's
river and in the vicinity of whitehsh Point
waiting for clearer weather
Marquette reports an unusually heavy
snowfall, with drifts so high that train
and traction service is greatly delayed
Tremendous seas are running on Lake su-
perior on Marquette harbor and more than
a dozen vessels are riding out the gale in
| side the breakwater there.
At Alpena, on Lake Huron, the water
logged barge Harvey Bissell was tied at a
| dock and was torn to pieces by the gale.
and the barge Vinland broke away from its
consort and is aground. The small passen-
! ger and freight steamer City OF Holland
went on the rocks while trying to make
! the harbor at Rogers City. Docks and
other waterside property sustained heavy
! damage at Alpena. Much damage was also
! done on Thunder Bay island, where the
weather station and watch house were sur
rounded with water and the northern por-
More than dozen vessels are in shelter
( at Port Huron at the lower end OF Lake
Huron. One small schooner, the j. NJ.
} spaulding bound down from Rogers City.
was unable to make the harbor today and
went or the beach near Fort Gratiot The
crew OF four men reached shore safely
Ludngton reports a forty-mile gale
[ sweeping the upper end OF Lake Michigan
( and no boats leaving The harbor but the
/ Pere Marquette ferry steamers. Thousands
! OF dollars damage was done 20 waterside
property at Menominee and alcng the west
/ shore Of Green Bay. At the Straits Of
/ Mackinaw the wind reached a velocity OF
. forty-eight miles an hour accompanied by
I a heavy snow.
: From Fo~t Williams. Ontario on the north
1~sAunued 80 svvvAU rasey