The Detroit times., 1910-09-10
Survivor Tells Thrilling
Story Of Terrible Disaster

| LUDINGTON, Sept. 10.-A thrilling
story of the sinking of car ferry No.
1 II IL told by Seymour Cochrane, gen.
oral-manager of the Chicago Naviga-
ton Co., who was returning home via.
Milwaukee.
| II didn't retire until midnight and
then fell of into a fitful doze," he
said But as there was heavy sea
pounding I could not rest very well,
so about 4:30 a. m. | began to read q
Magazine.
las was reading I suddenly heard
somebody run by my door and there
was knocking on the door next to
me. and heard the boy say, Every
body get up, the boat Is sinking l.
called the purser, Mr.. Sczepanek, the
wireless operator, and he jumped to
| the wireless station. For two hours
he stood at the key and called C. Q.
d., c. Q. d., c. Q. d. and as / stood
and watched him | thought of that
brave Jack Binns. | can pay no great
| er tribute to any man than | can to
Mr.. Sczepanek. who stood at his post
until the last. AS for the crew and
captain, they displayed fortitude
and a repression Of all feeling that
was marvellous.
Il noted that the boat was gradual
! ly lowering at the stern. We knew
that she was going to sink. SO every
| body put on life preservers. The
purser handed me about $1,000 in
money which belonged to the Chicago
Navigation company, which had leas-
ed the boat for the summer, and as
had brought her over and delivered
her to the Pere Marquette company
| I had not quite finished checking out
my accounts. AS the boat sank /
tied the money to the rail of the ship
I'VE sank like cAImmet at 1885
| o'clock. When | came up ont of the
water.I grabbed one ofzhe cabin doors
and fioated around until was picked
up by the crew of No. II. which had
hove in sight just in time to rescue
us from a watery grave.
] There was a Mrs. Turner, cabin
maid on board, woman about so
years of age, who was drowned. I
shall never forget the picture of her
| as she stood there In the early morn
ing light, carefully dressed as If ready
| to go upon the street. She turned
to me and said. 4 don't mind it so
much, but l can't help thinking Of
! mother"
THE two men that accompanied me
back TO Chicago, A. j. Mack, whose
home I believe Is in western New
! York, and w. II. Cummings OF Chi
cago, both drowned very near me. 7
have the time of the sinking of the
| boat accurately, as / took out my
watch just as she began to settle. Here
| Is the watch. You will notice that 1t
l ~ .t..,. nd otn nj .
a. IN.
"All want to say Is this, that
have read and heard of stories OF the
| fright and terror Of crew and passen-
gers OH sinking ships, but as far as |
could see-and | saw nearly every
body-not a member of the crew or a
single passenger, turned a hair. They
met death like men and women. Those
that got off on the life-boats were the
ones that suffered the most, as the
sea was so heavy and there was such
| heavy mass Of wreckage that the
| boats were stove in"
One of the crew, F. F. Potvin, who
was cabin watch, tells the following
| story:
IL got up about o'clock to replen-
| ish the cooks fires and l noticed that
| the ship seemed to sag at the stern. l
| quickly awakened one Of the mates
and told him l thought that the boat
was sinking. After that l can't teJ
much more, only that we pushed the
| 20 cars out into the lake so as TO
| tighten the boat
One of the porters. Stanley Chubb,
also of this city. said:
II cant tell you much, but we all
thought surely we were going down.
! We couldn't get any replies from the
wireless and the way the boat listed
we felt sure that she would sink
sooner than she did. When she did go
down, she sank like bullet. went
down twice. The third time ! came
up I grabbed a piece of the bridge
and managed to keep afioat until J
was picked up. / don't want to ever
go through another one like this. It's
me for the land from now on"