Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-12-17
GRUESOME EVIDENCE OF THE FATE
OF THE MISSING CARFERRY
OUT OF CONNEAUT.
FROZEN STIFF IN The SEATS
Evidence of Heroism on the Part of
Those Who Were Last to Sue
cumb to the Cold.
WILL SEARCH FOR OTHER BOATS

ERIE. Pa, Dec. 13.-The elements
were blowing such a gale over Lake Erie
today that Capt. Jerry Driscoll, who
yesterday picked up nine bodies Of those
lost in the Inflated Marquette and Bes-
semer No. 2, found it impossible to start
out in search of twenty-three other men
who are believed to have persisted in
the terrible storm of Tuesday. 1t was
the intention of Capt. Driscoll and sew
eral other captains to start out at day
light, but the heavy sea caused them to
turn back. and the search will have to be
delayed until the storm has subsidized.
All through the night. friends and rel
atiyes of the nine dead men who were
picked up yesterday waited at the
mOrgue, where the corpses were being
prepared for burial. The bodies of the
nine men will be sent to their homes
some time today, and seafaring people of
this city will take up the search for
more bodies as soon as it is possible
again to venture out on the lake.
Officials of the carferry company have
| spared no effort to find their missing
ship and the shipWrecked crew. 1t is
reported that the burial of the nine bod
les recovered yesterday will be paid for
by the carferry company as the loss in
some instances falls heavily upon the
shoulders of the surviving members Of
the sailors families. Some of the men
found frozen stiff in the yawl by the fer
rvs crew mad been long in the service
of the carferry company.
Mans Humanity to Man.
A story of self-sacrifice and simple
heroism was told in the attitude of some
of the bodies of the nine men who were
all dead together in a yawl which was
picked up yesterday. Manuel Souars, the
smallest man in the yawl, was without
life preserver. Little Souars, the
weakest probably, succumbed first to the
bitter cold, and had crawled party be-
meath the seats. -Four of the other men
had lain down in the bottom of the boat
over his legs and lower part of his body
apparently TO lend a portion of the fast
failing warmth of their bodies to pre-
serve the lad.
The heads of two of the men, Thomas
and O'Hagan, were badly bruised and
clotted with blood. The pair were sit
ting upright in the bottom of the boat,
although the fury of the waves had
dashed the corpses this way and that,
battering the two mems heads against
the sides of the yawl.
The lifeboat found was No. 4, which
Capt. Driscoll says would be the last
launched. There were four ifeboats on
the carferry, and they would be launched
! If practicable in rotation according to
Thirty-eight Perished.
1t became known today that thirty
eight persons, instead of thirty-two, left
Conneaut, O., last Thursday morning
aboard the carferry Marquette and Bes-
semer No. 2, which me- disaster in the
terrific storm that has prevailed over
Lake Erie.
Nine of this number, all frozen, were
picked up yesterday, in one of the
ferry's yawls. The fate of the remain
ing twenty nine is not definitely known,
but there is little doubt that all have
persisted.
sweeping Lake Erie today, efforts to
search for the missing twenty-nine are
at a standstill. A number of boats are
in the harbor ready to take up the
search but the heavy sea makes an at
tempt at this time impossible.
Finding the Bodies.
Eor forty-eight hours the Commodore Per-
ry secured the waters Of eastern Lake Erie
for traces Of the carferry, but until q tiny
lehman yawl was sighted fifteen miles off
this port at II o'clock Sunday the men on
the little state fisheries craft had aImost
given up hope of being able ever to tell
even portion of the story Of the fate of
the big carferry.
AS the. lookout on the Perry sighted a
tiny half-sunken yawl at about noon on
Sunday orders were given to steam down
upon the object. The use of glasses dis
covered the boat to be loaded with nine
men AS the Perry came abreast Of the
drifting and half water-logged yawl the
men gathered at the side Of the fish boat
saw that they had arrived too late. The
nine occupants Of the boat, which was
marLad "Bessemer and Marquette No. 4"
were frozen stiff il death.
Names of the Dead.
Conneaut, where most of the men lived
was notified by telephone of the gruesome
find, and hundred residents of that civ
arrived here within two hours. They were
taken to the moTgue, where the following
identficattons were made:
THOMAS, H., SECOND cook, Port Stanley.
SOUARS, ]. W., waiter, Conneaut
SMITH, g. R., steward, Conneaut
STEEL, F., fireman, Conneaut
SHENk, j., fireman, Conneaut
HART, J., oilef, Conneaut.
ALLEN, CHARLES, Conneaut.
The cook Of the carferry was the only
man to wear an overcoat. The eight Other
men were dressed In overalIs and iumners
indicating that the departure from the car.
ferry had been hurried. In the bow end of
the boat was found complete cIothina for Nv
one man, and it is the belief that the yawI
originally contained ten men and that one
becoming craZed had discarded his olo+h
Ing and jumped into the icy waters of
Lake Erie. u
Passenger Is Missing.
Albert ]. Wefs of this city treasurer Of
the keystone Fish company and Blair State
Iron WORKS, was passenger on the Inflated
boat. His relatives and friends had not
vet given up hope until the yawl containing
the nine men was towed into this port AZ
yet his body has not been found The Of