The Detroit times., 1909-04-21
CAPT. LEMAY Tells
STORY Of WRECK
OF EBER WARD
Crew Takes To Life Boats But One
Il Swamped and Three Sailors
Drown-Two Others GO
Down With Vessel.
Steamer Sinks in Less Than Ten
Minutes After Being Rammed
By Ice Floe.

Capt. Timese LeMsy. OF the steamer
Eber Ward. which sank In Lake
Michigan near Mackinac City. Tues
day morning. when Ave men were
drowned, arrived In Detroit. Wednes.
lay morning. and Is now at the home
Of his daughter. Mrs. William +. Leh.
a. arm. No. l24 Pitcner-st. When che
captain arrived In Detroit he was at
tired In the rough suit OF clothes he
vas wearing when the steamer struck
ne Ice which sent her To the bottom
and that IL all he saved from the
week. The rest OF clothes and other
personal belongings are at the lottom
" Lake Michigan In 800 feet OF water.
I'VE had q cargo OF corn and were
going from Milwaukee 10 Port Huron.
capt. LeMay said, in giving his story
or the accident. We had passed
very little Ice on the trip and were
going along at good speed. wnen
lighted piece OF Ice not mors than
20 feet wide. II looked to me like
slush. but To be safe / Stacked down,
ind when we struck we were going
about four miles al hour. The ice
turned out to be roiid and ripped Il
the water poured in a tremendous
stream. Immediately the boat started
to 60 down by the head and | knew
she was a goner. took charge Z one
lifeboat and ordered the mates To
take the other The story that the
men were asleep and drowned Ia their
beds Is wrong. Only two men were
asleep and they were saved. The Ave-
men drowned were all on deck when
We struck the ice, and they all knew
Of the danger.
Il can't tell why, but only Ave men
came with me In the lifeboat | took
charge Of. while all the rest Of The
men crowded into the mates boat
hey didn't get far enough away from
the Ward and the boat was swamped
ty the steamers crane throwing the
iaen into the water. We picked up
Fix men that were clinging to wreck
age There were wreckage ami life
preservers around, 81 ! 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.
lie stood on the deck as the Ward
was going down, and didn't try 10 get
into a 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.
No one knows what happened 10
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"
s. r. Chapman. the second engineer.
who halls from Bay City. mad the mar.
rowest escape OF any OF the rescued
men. He was unable to reach q life
boat, and as the vessel sank he start.
ed to climb up the staff On the stern
OF the steamer on which the lights
we're displayed. As the water came
up he continued TO climb. When the
steamer took the final plunge. the
water almost reached him. Fortunate.
ly the stan broke of. but Chapman
chung to II. and after being drawn
under several feet by the suction OF
the sinking boat he came to the top.
still hanging to the broken stan. 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 300 feet OF water. Several vessels
have been wrecked In that vicinity,
(Contiuued ON Pare Eight)