The Detroit times., 1909-04-22
captain TELLS OF
WARDS WRECK
One Of the Life Boats Was Swamped
BY Sinking Steamers
Crane.

Capt Timese LeMsy, OF the Eteamei
Eber Ward. WHICH sank in Lake
Michigan near Mackinac City. Tues.
day morning. when five men were
drowned. arrived In Detroit, W-dneg.
day morning. and Is now al the home
Of his daughter, Mrs. William +. Leh-
4. ann, No. l24 Pitcner-st. When tho
captain arrived IN Detroit he was at
tired In the rough suit OF clothes he
was wearing when the steamer struck
the Ice which sent her TO the bottom
and that Is all he saved from the
wreck. The rest Of clothes and other
personal belongings are at the lottom
OF lake Michigan ia 800 feet OF water
We had q cargo OF corn anu were
going from Milwaukee 10 Port Huron,
Capt. LeMay said. an giving his story
OF the accident. We had passed
very little ice on the trip and were
going along at good speed, wnen /
sighted a piece OF ice not NOR than
40 feet wide. IL looked TO me like
slush, but To be safe l Stacked down.
and when We struck We were going
about four miles al hour. The ice
turned out To be solid and ripped a
hole In the Wards bow. through which
the water poured In a tremendous
stream. Immediately the beat started
TO go down by the head and knew
she was a goner. took charge one
lifeboat and ordered the mates t.
take the other. The story that the
men were asleep and drowned in their
beds Is wrong. Only two men were
asleep and they were saved. The five
M "A Cd oil 1.aalr han
we struck the ice, and they all knew
OF the danger.
Il can't tell why, but only five men
came with me in the lifeboat / took
charge of, while all the rest of the
men crowded into the mates boat
They didn't get far enough away from
the Ward and the boat was swamped
by the steamers crane throwing the
men into the water We picked up
ak men that were clinging TO wreck.
age. There were wreckage ami life
preservers around. SD don't see why
all the men didn't cling to something
until picked up.
John Hern. the second mate, who
was drowned. seemed TO lose his head.
He stood on the deck as the Ward
was going down, and didn't try TO get
into boat. When the mate called
to him he just stood like a dummy
and stared. and when the water closed
over her there he stood.
mo one knows what happened 20
John Uberroth, the Waterman who
was drowned. When We struck the
Ice the engineer called TO him TO fol-
low, but when he looked for him again
he was gone.
Chfnp,an The oan1nl
who halls from Bay City, had the mar
rowest escape OF any OF the rescued
men. He was unable TO reach a life
boat, and as the vessel sank he start
ed to climb up the stan On the stern
Of the steamer on which the lights
were displayed AS the water came
up he continued to climb. When the
steamer took the final plunge. the
water almost reached him. lortunate-
~ the STAFF broke OF, out Chapman
chung TO Ii, and after being drawn
under several feet by the suction or
the sinking boat he came TO the top,
still hanging TO the broken staff, and
was picked up by one of the life boats.
II is not likely any effort will be
made to raise the Ward. as she lies
in 800 feet OF water Several vessels
have been wrecked I'm that vicinity.
and only a short distance away is the
remains OF the steamer. Minneapolis.
which went down several years ago
Capt. lie May has spent most OF his
so years on the lakes. and this is the
second wreck in which he figured. He
was on the steamer Anna Smith, when
she went down in a storm near Che
boygan 25 years ago. AT that time
the crew eScaped