The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-12
Survivor Tells Thrilling
Story Of Terrib e Disaster

, LUDINGTON, Sept. &c "A thrilling
story of the sinking OF car ferry No.
IL Is told by Seymour Cochrane. gem
eralmanager of the Chicago Naviga-
tion Co., who was returning honresvfa
Milwaukee.
II didn't retire until midnight and
then fell OF into fitful doZe," no
said. But as there was heavy sea
pounding | could not rest very well,
so about 4:30 a. m. began to read
magazine.
las was reading I suddenly heard
somebody run by my door and there
was q knocking on the door next TO
me, and | heard the boy say, Every
body get up, the boat is sinking.
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. @.
D., C. @. D., c. @. d. and as | stood
and watched him | thought OF that
brave Jack Binns. ! can pay no great
er tribute 70 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 u repression of all feeling that
was marvellous.
81 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 10 the Pere Marquette company
| 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 q prummet at 7:3b
o'clock. When | came up out OF the
water I grabbed one of the cabin doors
and floated around until | was picked
nm by the crew of No. II, which had
hove in sight just In tice to rescue
up from a watery grave.
"There was Mrs. Turner, cabin
maid, on board. q woman about 90
Years of age, who was drowned.
shall never forget the picture OF her
as she stood there In the early morn
ing light, carefully dressed as IL ready
10 go upon the street She turned to
me and said, I don't mind 1t so much,
but can't help thinking of mother
THE two men that accompanied me
back to Chicago, A. j. Mack, whose
home believe Is in western New
York, and w. H. Cummings OF CHI
oago, both drowned very near me.
have the time of the sinking of the
boat accurately, as took out my
watch Just as she began to settle.
Here Ia the watch. You will notice
that it ran 30 minutes and stopped at
8: 04 a. m.
"All want to say is this, that
have read and heard Of stories of the
fright and terror Of crew and passen-
gers on sinking ships, but as far as
could see-and' | saw nearly every
body--not a member of the crew or
single passenger, turned hair
They met death like men and women
Those that got of on the life-boats
were the ones that suffered the most.
as the sea was so heavy and there
was such a heavy mass of wreckage
that the boats were stove In
One OF the crew, F. +. Potvin, who
was cabin watch, tells the following
story:
II got up about o'clock to replen-
ish the cooks fires and noticed that
the Ship seemed TO sag at the stern.
| quickly awakened one of the mates
and told him I though that the boat
was sinking. After that | can't tell
much more, only that we pushed the
20 cars out into the lake so as to
tighten the boat"
One of the porters. Stanley Chnbb.
also of this city, said:
II can't 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