The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-09-05
Were the Lives That Were Lost
in Furious Storm that
Swept Lake Superior
BOATS WENT TO PIECES
AND THE CREWS AND PASSEN-
GERS HAD HORRIBLE ExPER.
FENCES RECORD OF
DEATH AND DEsTRuc.
TloN uNEQUALED.

Bayfield,, Wis. Sep. 4.-The story of
the sinking of the steamer Ssvona is
one Of the most thrilling in the history
of lake disasters The storm was so
severe that Raspberry light was m s.
sed and when the Sand Island ligh
was sighted II was too late. An at
tempt was made to put the Sevona
about. but fierce storm swept the
vessel onto the reefs. A great hole
was tore in the bow and half an hour
la,er the vessel broke in two
When TIC shock came the captain,
finding no chance for all to reach the
shcre. called for volunteers to stay on
the ship. More than half the crew
volunteered TO stay aboard while the
rest tried to reach shore ana call for
help for those who were to remain on
the wreck.
Mcdonald, himself. decided ito re
main aboard and selected four others
of the crew to stay with him.
Eng neer Philippi, with six others,
was ordered into one of the ships
boats to take the women ashore. A
third boat was battered to pieces by
the storm, but small boat took a
party OF four. The boat with the wo-
men tried To make Sand Island, but
was swept past. Nothing could be
done save keep the boa. ahoat. When
the boats left the SeYona, those left
IN tho hon, ,uorn buddln1 Il, tba ,,,l 20 al
house waiting for tho rescue that was
to come too late.
The trip of the lifeboat was one OF
terror. All night the men fought with
the elements In an effort to reach tbs
shore, only five miles away, but tbs
wind carr ed the craft parallel with
the beach, and it was daylight before
the boat was washed up high on shore
SO wearied were the men from theil
exertions that they were nearly sweep
back into deep water by the surf Dun
ing the night while the men were try
ing to reach the shore. alternately de
spairing and hopeful, the women pray
ed for their lives. the men join ng
and at other times they would help th,
sailors, bailing the small craft of tht
spray which came aboard constantly
Saturday morning the storm-tosset
party was washed ashore at LITTLE
Sand Bay. Here they found a home
steader, who led them to a farm two
miles into the interior The men wer,
so exhausted they could hardly walk Il
the farm house, but were pressed OF
by the knowledge that the captain an,
others on board the wreck needed
help.
Then while the rest of the part,
was cared for at the farm, the engi
neer and one of the farmers set on
with team for a bay field
Only the person who has Travelled
that almost untrodden country can AZ
preciate the diff culties Of the trir
Most of the way it was necessary +
literally cut road through the woods
1t took until late in the afternoon [
reach Bayfield,, twenty miles acros
the peninsula. Upon reaching Bay
field the fishing tug Harrow went t
the scene of the wreck with ap art
fifteen men headed by Engineer Phi
ippi The trip took two hours in th
teeth of the northeaster. When tn
tug reached the wreck only a fe'
spars and the after 100 feet of th
craft was left. There was no trace {
the captain or his party. No trae
was found Of the four in the small boa
and they are thought to have been los