The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-12-13
SECURING THE WATERS
FOR LOST CAR FERRY
Lookout on Rescue Boat Dis
covers YaWI With Frozen
Bodies Aboard

Erie, Pa, Dec. With her flag
at half-mast, the state fisheries boat
Commodore Perry. Captain Gerry
Driscoll commanding. brought 10 this
port late yesterday the dead and froz-
en- bodies of nine of the crew OF the
bessemer and Marquette ferry No >,
which left Conneaut, Ohio. Tuesday
morning, carrying thirty-two men.
The ferry was probably foundered in
the middle OF Lake Erie.
For forty-hours the Commodore Per
~ has been securing the waters OF
eastern Lake Erie for traces Of the
car ferry, but until a tiny ten-man
yawl was sighted fifteen miles off
this port at II O'Clock today, the men
III the little fisheries craft had al.
most given UP hope Of being able ever
70 tell even POI on Of the story OF
The fate OF the big car ferry.
Dead Men IN Yawl
AS the lookout on the Perry sighted
tiny halt-sunken yawl about noon.
ders were given to steam down up
O nthe object. The use OF glasses dis
covered the boat to be loaded with
nine men. As the Perry came abreast
u the drifting and half water-logged
yawl, the men in the fish boat saw
that they had arrived too late The
nine occupants of the boat which was
marked "Bessemer q Marquette No,
were frozen stiff
Taking the yawl in tow, the Perry
made all steam for this port. arriy-
ing here late yesterday.
News OF the finding Of the bodies
had reached The city and thousands
OF persons swarmed to the wharves.
AS soon as the fish boat made fast,
q force of men with tackle set TO
work raising the dead bodies of the
men TO the deck
All Identified
conneaut, Ohio. where most of the
men live, was notified by telephone
o. the gruesome find and a hundred
residents of that city arrived here
within two hours. They were taken
TO the c0roner's morgue,
whore the men were identified.
The cook of the car ferry, Fl. Thom.
as, was the only man to wear an
az egeoat. The other eight men were
dressed in oyeralls and jumpers, In
dicating that the departure from the
car ferry had been hurried In the
bow end Of the boat was found com
nloic clothing for one man, and It lsI
the belief that The yawl originally
ten men and that one be
came crazed, discarded his clothing
and jumped into the icy waters Of
the lake.
Hope Is Gone
Albert J. Weis. of this city. treas
urer of the keystone Fish company
and the Blair State Iron works. was
a passenger on the Inflated boat His
relatives and friends had not given
NJ hope pnlil the yawl containing the
hine men was towed into this port
as yet his body has not been found
The officers of The car ferry corn
pany gave up all hope Saturday and
since then every available tug has
been searching the lake for some
news of the wrecked craft
Driscoll, commanding the Commo-
lore Perry, said:
There was a heavy sea running II
he time we sighted the sawl, and We
had some difficulty IN reaching II. As
we made her ont with out glasses
eight of the men were sitting up in
The boat, their life-pfeseryers strap
ped about their shoulders. The ninth
man lay in the bottom Of the boat,
frozen 10 the slat flooring. Their
was heavy with frozen wa
ter. We did not attempt 10 take the
nine dead men on board as we feared
he yawl would caplize II my men
attempted 10 board it"