The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-19
|6l ESCAPE FROM
| BURNING VESSEL
Prompt Aid Given by Tug Pre-
vents Disaster on Lake
One Sailor Drowned.

Special to The Journal An :; -
sheboygan, Wis., March, 10 Prompt
aid rendered by a. tug prevented the
loss of many lives in one of the most
thrilling marine disasters Of recent
years on Lake Michigan. Yesterday,
the steamer Atlanta Of the Goodrich
line was burned to the waters edge
One man, who leaped overheard, was
drowned The crew, consisting Of fifty
nine persons, and two passengers, took
to the small boats and were rescued.
The Atlanta was bound south when
the fire was discovered in the frehole
For two hours the crew. fought n the
flames and three times they thought
the danger was over, when the blaze
would break out more ;fiercely than
ever. At last, just as help in the form
of tiny fishing tug, arrived, the
flames burst thru the entire steamer and
the crew and passengers were compelled
to take to the boats. It was at this
time the tug Tessler arrived on the
scene and picked up every person in the
boats. Later the steamer Georgia OF
the Goodrich line relieved the tug of
it's living burden. Fortunately the wa
ter was almost calm.
Sailor Is Drowned. T..
One sailor, Michael Hickey, deck
hand, was panic stricken by the dan
ger and jumped overheard and was
| drowned
The fire was discovered at ILLS by
smoke from the hold and the blaze was
located with great difficulty. The fight
tain McCauley decided to abandon the
ship.
The origin of the fire is mystery to
! the officers of the boat, but it is thought
it may have been started by care
lessly thrown cigar. The passengers and
crew were brought here.
The tug TESTER was manned by
George H. Smith, Gilbert Gunther, John
Henla and Charles Klein. Smith gives
1--WE had gone out at 11:45 o'clock
this morning to lift our fishing nets,
when me noticed the steamer Atlanta
lying motionless in the Goodrich course
about four miles below u.s. said Mr..
Smith. Gas it was making no head
way, we decided Immediately that there
was something wrong. Dropping our
buoy we started down the course to-
j, ward the steamer. Nothing was notice
] curiosity, suppose, which prompted us
to 60 to it.
utes' run from the Atlanta, flames and
smoke burst from the boat little for
ward Of amidships, I believe. The crew
and passengers were driven to the up
pei, deck forward. where they were
small boats. They succeeded in low
ering three of them but they found
the others burning before they got to
them. ~.
Heroic Rescue of Cook.
:, "People scrambled down the sides of
the burning vessel by the aid of ropes
and anything else available. We picked
them up on the small boat, and, so fan
as I know, there was no one lost, altho
there was a rumor that one man had
i jumped overheard and was Gdrowned
everyone was SO excited that it was
impossible to get connected account
of the affair at all. .<.>>
"The cook on board the vessel mar.
rowly escaped being roasted alive, and
had it not been for the presence Of
mind and heroic effort of Charles Klein
of our tug. he would have been ere
| time the fire broke out and was unable
to get out:
| prisoned he dropped to the floor and
began praying. There. was no posi-
bility for him to escape unless outside
| assistance rescued him. One OF the
tugs crew scaled the side of the
steamer, cut hole thru the roof ant
took the panic-stricken man from his
smoking prison Just in time to get owe
the side again as the rope by which
the two descended was burned in two.'
No Panic on Vessel.
It is considered we'll nigh miraculou
that many lives were not lost in tn,
burning of the steamer. It was said b.
those present that every man ABOARD
kept his head, and that there was NJ
evidence Of a panic except in the cas-
of Michael Hickey, a deckhand, VIII
dr9Wned in Escaping from the flames
o. clock Sunday morning bound for Mil
waukee. It was valued at about 5000
900 and was fully insured. She wa
\ built in Cleveland in 1891 and wa
rated A11a. She was 200 feet long, 8
feet beam, II feet deep and of 80
horsepower. Her gross tonnage wa
1929, and she carried a registere
crew Of 40 men, -. III N'. ~
The vessel was commanded bv Car
tain McCauley, who stands high wit
the Goodrich company. The first mat
was George Shines and the chief e1
) gineer was joseph Predeka.