Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-08-21
SCHOONER FOUND
WITH 4 CORPSE
JUANITA BROUGHT TO PORT BY
COAL STEAMER HELENA OF
GILCHRIST FLEET.
PHILLIP THOMPSON KILLED.
David Beebe Battles with Storm While
Owner of Boat Lies in Bottom, Dead
from a Fractured Skull
PICKED UP IN M1DLAKE HELPLESS

>.
After spending what seemed an ctcr-
nifty III sinking schooner. with Il corpse
for a companion. David Bccbe was
picked NJ III mid-lakc tais morning and
brought 10 Milwaukee 10y the GilchrlSt
steamer Helena.
For nearly twcnty-four hours Becbe
sat ID terrific rain storm with the wind
blowing gale, while ut his feet rolled
the body Of his shipmatc, Phillip Thomp-
son. aged % years.
When the man. weak with exposure,
exhaustion and starvation, added to grief
over the death of friend, was picked
MP by the big steamer Helena, he WIS
al bat dumb.
Boats Owner Instantly Killed.
TIE Helena. laden with coal from
I}uffalO. reached port at 10 O'Clock this
morning with the little SchoOner-riGgcd
Yacht, Juauita. in tow. Just outside the
brcakwatcr the w3ter-iOgged Juanta
was taken bv the Hfe-saving crew.
Bcchc watched the federal servants tow
his boat away and remained aboard the
Helena until she reached her dock at the
Gross Coal company's yards. There he
watched while the coruurr's deputy re
limp body Of his friend and saw the re-
mains taken over thc rail and placed III
the mUrgue wagon.
Driven Out by Gale.
The tragic death Of Thompson oc-
CURED while the iittic yacht Juanita was
~ mId-lakc III q St0rH that was strong
enough to drive the largest boats to shell
ter. His death was instantaneous, be
Ing caused by a fractured skull.
Bcebc told his story iii the cabin of
the HeIena'H captain this morning. lie
still showed the effects Of the experience.
rivaling the horrors OF Arthur Gordon
Iym or one of Clark itussellS sailors
Beebe is IS years old and his home is at
IlScanaba. lie * engaged in the bust
ness of selling scrap iron and had en-
tered into a partnership with Thompson
to collect iron from oid-timc wrecks that
line the shore and islands through the
lower end Of Lake Michigan.
Started for Summers Island
phil and | left Monday morning for
Big Summer island to pick UP scrap iron
from old wrecks along the Shore" said
BCebc this morning. We sailed all day
and had no trouhic. Towards night a
strong wind came Up and we couldn't
make shore because our sails were car
ricd away. Thompson always wanted to
hold the tllcr because he was the sailor
the mess we were in. All Monday night
and Tuesday morning we fought the
storm and only managed to keep our
boat up by baiiug. She's an old craft
about twenty seven years old and IS
Ipaky. We didn't got Il wink OF sleep.
Tuesday night after we had been out in
Lake Michigan for thirty-siX hours, it
hogan TO rain and il came down in
sheets.
Helped Aged Shipmate.
q told Thompson to get on his coat
because knew he'd get into trouble if
lie didn't take care. lie told me to take
care Of myself and after / had put on
my coat | told him to let me take the
filler while he put on his coat. | took
the tiIICr and ne put or his things and
came back Then | asked him why he
didn't put on his oiisllin pants and he
gave up the tiller to me again while he
put them on. Just he stood mp aud
started to step down from the little plat
form he fell fiat to the bottom of the
boat He lay still and didn't make Il
move.
Il got scared and said What's the
matter PhlY But he didn't say any
thing. Then. with one hand on the
tllor | turned him over and saw that he
was dead. | managed 10 get away from
the tiller long enough; to get Il blanket
to lay him on and another to put over
him. All this time our boat was pitch
ing and rolling something awful and |
was afraid every minute that we'd he
Swamped. | managed to drag him out
Of The way and TO cover him up and
then | began haiiing with one hand
while | kept hold of the tilier with the
other.
Gives Distress Signal.
by his time it was pitch dark and
I couldn't see Il thing. [ called out once
in a while but it didn't seem to do any
good. Our foresuii and maiuSail had
been blown away by the gale and the
best | could do was 10 try to keep the
boat right side up. All that night
kept at the tiller and stayed awake
had to because [ knew if [ fell asleep I'd
never wake up again. l was being
blown out farther ali the time and
figured that if ! could keep the boat
hailed out I'd be thrown up somewhere.
when Wednesday morning came /
was out of sight of land and the blankets
about Thompson were soaked with the
seas that washed over the rail. There
wasn't Il boat in sight. but | took off my
drawers and hoisted them rs high pos
sible hoping that I'd he sighted. The
wind began to let down a little. but 1
was in just as much dagger
Around about O'clock as near as |
could judge | sighted the Helena and
pretty soon l saw that she had sighted
me The captain came alongside and
here l am
Hoist Body 80 Steamer
Beebe's eyes filed RS he told of how a
rome was thrown to him from the Hele-
Ma far out in the lake and of how his
dead companion was hoisted up the
black side of the steamer. After the
body of Thompson had been lifted the
Helena's crew hoisted up the other
things he wanted TO keep and finally the
survivor was taken aboard
IL T,.t L
ND the lake to Milwaukee. 1t had to be
bailed out once by the Uelena's men and
when Milwaukee harbor was reached