New-York tribune., 1909-10-14
SIX DIE In LAKE WRECK
ITFEBO4T C4PSIZES rs 1T
NF4RS LAND.
Ten SurUiUors on Battered Steamer
Finally Rescued A fter Long Fight
scifh Storm and Fire.


twelve others were saved The tail of the recent
gale is Iashing a hopelessly broken vessel to-
night The Stone belonged TO NJ. A. Bradley, of
Cleveland. 1t was not insured.
Captain Paul Howell. Peter Daley, of Erie.
Penn, who was passenger. and six members
of the crew were capsized in the surf while at
tempting TO go ashore for assistance. Six were
drowned when the boat upset, but two OF the
crew clung TO the overturned boat four hours
until they drifted ashore. The remaining ten
members of the crew were taken off the wreck
| about noon by the steamer F. NJ. Osborne, of
Cleveland. and brought to Detroit late to-day.
One OF the ten brought TO Detroit, John Died
rich, knocked into the Detroit River by
crowd of strikers the docks. and narrowly
escaped drowning after his arrival here
The six men drowned were Captain Paul
Howell. Of Erie: Peter Daley. of Erie. pas
senger and friend of the captain; William
Henry. of South Chicago. second engineer, and
three members of the crew.
The Stone, which is a wooden steamer, 90
feet long and 40 feet BEAM built in 1898 and
having gross tonnage of 1,S41, left AshtabuIa,
Ohio, on Monday at $50 p. M, with load Of
coal for Racine, Wis. She began to feel the
| effects Of the southwest gale about $50 o'clock
| on Monday evening and at midnight desperate
| fight for life began
All day Tuesday the crew fought against the
storm, but toward evening it became apparent
| that the pumps were unequal to the task of re-
moving the water that poured into the hold
! through seams opened by the bUffeting OF the
waves. About o'clock the captain and crew
realized that the storm had taken the vessel
out of their control They fought from that
time until about 23O a. m to-day, when the
Stone struck with terrific Jar upon the sand
| bar known Grubbs Reef nearly five miles
off rha west SbO 0f ut
SIGNAL OF DISTRESS IGNORED.
Until daybreak the crew remained in the for
ward cabins and pilot house. and then began
anxious search of the horizon for passing
sells. One man was sent aIoft with a bed sheet,
which he waved from the forward mast. But
although three or four steamers came within
sight none responded to the signal of distress,
and it decided that help must be summoned
from the shore. The vessel beginning 70
| break up forward, and the crew abandoned the
pilot house and took up their station aft.
Fire added to the dangers of the situation at
this point. the pilot house being burned to the
| deck before the blaze was extinguished by the
| waves ard spray. It Is thought that one of the
many lamps that kept lighted in the pilot
house during the night TO warm the drenched
and shivering men was overturned by the pound
| ing OF the boat on the reef.
Toward o'clock this morning the danger of
| the vessel being broken 70 pieces became acute,
! and Captain Howell picked his crew for an at
tempt to reach shore in one of the small boats.
The wooden boat was tried first but while the
attempt was being made TO launch her the sea
drove her against the steamers side and broke
a great hole in her side. Then the steel life
boat, having air compartments at each end to
insure against sinking, was launched. In this
boat the captain and his seven companions
I1oE
were lost TO the sight of those on board.
| The stanch little craft fought her way without
/ serious mishap over most OF the distance to
shore, but when almost outside the zone OF dan
/ ger 4 mountain comber capsized her and left
her eight passengers struggling in the icy break
! ers. Hindle the second mate, and Conner the
! wheesman, were the only ones who managed to
/ gain hold on the lifeboat. and they chung to it
until driven ashore by the storm.
Captain GrIbb Of the Point Pelee lighthouse
took Hindle and Conner to his home, where they
| quickly recovered from the effects of their four
: hours exposure Tie ifeboat. which had gone
! adrift, and the bodies Of Peter Daley, Lucas the
cook, and Boyer, an Oer were recovered from
the breakers by Captain Grubb who brought
them to shore with his gasolena launch
Meanwhile the ten members OF the crew who
/ were left board the wrecked vessel knew
/ nothing OF the fate of their companions and
kept a sharp lookout for assistance from both
| the land and passing steamers.
RESCUERS COME AT LAST
1t was just at o'clock when the lfeboat
started for the shore, and 1t was about IL o'clock
! when the upbound steamer Z. NJ SOsborne, of
! Cleveland. responded TO the signal OF distress
The gale still at its height and it required
masterful seamanship TO bring the rescuers near
enough to the wreck TO be of assistance. The
Osborne, having load, stood high out OF the
water that her bow caught by the raging
sOu'wester, and she was blown repeatedly from
her course.
Captain Fred Dupuy. however bore down on
the lee side Of the wreck, and. holding the Os-
borne's nose into the wind. approached the
wreck stem on. When the wind caught his bow
and threatened to drive him off he dropped both
the port and starboard anchors and then. with
the engine going full speed ahead, the Osborne
pushed her nose against the after deck of the
Stone. ladder was thrown down from the
rescuing vessel and the ten members OF the
Stones crew clambered aboard the Osborne Nv
that time all the upper works of the Stone had
disappeared back to and Including the deck
house amidships.
1t not until the Osborne landed them M
Detroit that the party OF ten learned the fate NJ
their captain and his seven companions who left
the wreck in the Ilfeboat this morning. Can
tain j ". Westcott. of this city. took charge Of
the shipwrecked men who reached here. and ON
request of the owner Of the Stone sent them 10 a
hotel for the night.
In explanation of the wreck of the Stone il ,s
said that the combination of wind and currants
that sent the steamer TO her destruction is al
most unprecedented on Lake Erie The south
west wind had been driving the water in heavy
currents from the head of the lake 10 its month
The recent high water at Buffalo resulted. and