Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-27
DISASTERS ON THE LAKES
Closing Year the Most Fatal in the
History of Fresh water
Navigation.

Death took a heavier toll from the men
navigating the great lakes during the sea-
son Just closed than in any previous year
since the coming Of large boats. total of
16 lives were lost. OF these 1l6 were
drowned of the ships during the three
great storms of the fall The remaining
ninety were lost by falling overheard
and like causes.
In 1904 the number Of dead was forty
nine which went to the other extreme of
being the smallest on record. 1t was then
generally believed by marine men that the
large steel steamers to which the traffic of
the lakes was going were so safe that a
serious loss OF life on board them was out
OF the question. In fact, vesselmen claimed
that lake navigation was freer from loss
Of life than any other great occupation.
All this was upset by the season just clos
ing.
s The list of dead in 1895 was sixty-six, in
1887 II was lightweight; ninety-f1ve in 1898,
an even 100 In 1899, 10 in 1900. 122 in 1901, 40
in 1902, ninety-four in 1903 and forty-nine
in 1904 Last year but two sailors lost their
lives in what might be called shipwrecks
This year the number lost in storms was
12A
Lake Erie. which led the list of dead for
a number of years. the past season gave
place TO Lake Superior, where ninety-hve
we're lost, az compared with forty for
Lake Erie, thirty-eight for Lake Huron,
fifteen for Lake Michigan, ten for Lake
Ontario eleven for the Detroit st Clair
river passage and six for the 500 passage.
Thirty-nine fell overheard and were
drowned and twenty met death by falling
into the hold Fifteen were killed by acct
dents by machinery either on shipboard or
on docks and the loss Of nine lives was due
to collision. Four were killed by explo-
sions and four committed suicide. Four
died on shipboard from exposure or natural
causes
OF the millions of passengers carried on
lake boats but two were lost One was a
suicide and the other passenger simply dis
appeared.
OF the three storms which so largely in
creased the list of dead the one OF fort
night ago is considered by vesselmen as
perhaps the most dangerous gale on the
great lakes for a decade during the season
OF navigation
The great steel ships. which were sup
posed to be able to breast any storm. were
absolutely powerless when without cargo
and standing up against the fury OF the
wind. They were driven like so much flot-
mously to the money losses as well as to
the loss of life. What is known as the
September storm cost forty lives, the Octo-
Der storm cost equal number while the
great gale OF November 2s added thirty-six.
Last year there was not a single storm
of any importance.
some changes In the weather bureau serv-
ice regarding the display of storm signals
il considered necessary by vesselmen in
order to get the full benefit of that i'm
portant government work. No signals
whatever were displayed for the September
storm, and the signals for the November
storm were hoisted too late to be OF much
value to a large number of vessels which
we're exposed to the full force of the gale
in midlake. The custom of captains OF
large and powerful steel steamers to pay
no attention to storm warnings also has
come in for considerable criticism.-Chicagc
Record Herald.