The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-21
CAS- Always SAVED
BY A MAN AND WOMAN
Latter Drags Four From a Grave
in the Lake and Helps to
Rescue Others.

Rescue Others.
Special to The Journal.
Houghton, Mich, Oct. 20.-Walter
Jacobson Of North Tonawanda, n. Y,
the heroic seaman who swan ashore
from the barge s. Fl. Foster; at Misery
bay in an attempt to fasten a rope to
saving the lives of his fellow seamen
and the woman cook of the boat, Miss
Molly johnson, gives a vivid descrip-
ton Of the night of terror spent on the
storni-tossed- waves Of old Gitchie
Ounce, or Lake Superior, as that body
of water is now known.
The steamer Barth and consorts. S. II.
Foster and Wayne were near the Porcu-
pine islands when the storm struck, but
the little steamer plowed her way thru
the heavy seas and against the ever
increasing gale in an attempt to reach
the shelter of Outer island. When
about fifteen miles east of this island
the sea was rolling so hard and the
that the Barth was swung around and
had to make the best Of it in an at
tempt to get back to the canal Of
Portage lake. This was at $3.50 in
the afternoon.
At 1920 at night the boats were in
such danger of never reaching port that
it was necessary to cut the Foster, the
last boat Of the tow, loose, it is said,
and the Barth and Wayne continued on
without the little barge. Captain
johnson ordered the canvas up, in an
effort to steady his craft and to hold
her before the wind, but to no avail.
It was soon found that the old lumber
barge was bearing down towards the
where she would have been pounded
to pieces in a short time.
Both anchors were thrown out and
held the boat for short time, but the
strain on the chain was SO great that
it parted and the Foster began ran be-
fore the ffty-mile gale towards the
shore. AT 4:30 the next morning the
boat went on the beach, about thirty
feet from the shore, where she now lies
in six fet Of water. Luckily she
rested on sandy beach, instead of
taking the rocks. Here she was
pounded by mountainous waves, some
times fifty feet in height, and soaring
in above the tops of the spars.. The
wind careened the craft 50 that it was
feared she would turn turtle On the
beach. All despaired Of reaching
shore or Of ever coming out alive.
jacobson swims Ashore.
Here it was that jacobson: volun-
teered to swim ashore: Tieing a light
line about his waist, he plunged
into the maelstrom and swan towards
Foster and dry land was filed with
great logs and timbers, lumber and
boards, part of the deck load of the
boat, and with plunging rocks and
sand, tossed about by the waves and
! wind, and thru this jacobson had to
swim. A great log plunged down on
the line carried by the man, pulling
| him beneath the surface and breaking
the line itself, and, altho he finally
reached the shore in safety, he was un
able to help his companions.
i. At last there came slight hull in
the storm and Captain johnson ordered
the lifeboat to be lowered. A dozen
times 1t looked as if they would be
plunged under by the great waves OF
would be ground to pieces by the logs
water In safety; however, and were
helped to land BY Jacobson.
The party wandered down the beach
about six miles, but could find no sign
Of habitation. Then they went back
Ito point opposite their. abandoned
boat and took to the woods, following
an old logging road. They finally
reached !Toivoli, little Finnish settle
ment, and boarded a train for Hough
ton some hours later.
jacobson is a small, quiet and I'M
assuming fellow Of the sort known a.
able seamen He is of Swedish orr
gin. He has sailed for the create
part Of his lite, spending some years OF
know about the work of an able sea
man is not worth knowing. Four time
has he been wrecked, altho this wa,
d his first experience of the sort on fresl
4 water. Once he was sailing on an oil
i hooker, which went to pieces on thu
Isouthwest coast of England. Tha
time he was in the water almost twt
days and was all but drowned. He say
I his5companions dashed to pieces agains
the Jagged rocks or drawn down int
he was wrecked on the Atlantic coas
Of the United States, and third tim
on the western coast of Ireland.
He is short man and probabl.
weighs only about 1875 or 100 pounds
but is well and compactly built. II
is very we'll liked by all Of his fellow
and superiors and is the sort of sea
man much sought after.
Mrs. Washburn's Bravery,
:, The big barge Pasadena, owned b
M. A. Bradley of Cleveland, passe
Houghton upbound in tow of tn
steamer Gladstone. The boats prc
ceeded out into the lake about sevent
miles from the canal, but were struc
! by the storm and were unable. to pre-
4 ceed Turning about they attempte
to reach the safety Of the canal an
the breakwaters. When but a fe,
hundred feet outside of the canal Ell
trance the captain of the barge, Car
tain Sullivan, saw that he was drag
ging the steamer towards the. rock
beach and that, altho the two Of tn
boats could not be saved, one could
, he would let 90.
He therefore ordered the towline t
! be cut and the Gladstone passed int
the canal in safety. The Pasadena in
mediately swung about broadside t
the wind and broke up within thre
: or four minutes. It was afterward
q found that her timbers were rotten an
Il that many Of them had been broker
probably years before. The doome
/ boat driftcd upon the beach, where til
waves finished the havoc Three Q
the crew of nine reached the shore
holding to a piece Of the cabin and
water tank, while the others chung t
i. othe. pieces Of the wreckage.
The ifesavers, headed by Capital
tMcCormack, were attempting to- gs