Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-10
Sinking Of Pere Marquette
One of Worst Lake
Tragedies. \
CHANCE TO SAVE ALL
Captain, However, Was Not
Aware of Peril Till the
End Was at Hand.

Ludington, Mich, Sept. 10.-The
cause of the sinking of the Pere
Marquette probably never will be
fully determined. 1t is declared to-
day the disaster was not due to the
storm, overlooking or a breakdown
Of machinery.
The first intimation anything was
wrong was at a. m. when the
wheelsman noticed the vessel was
not responding properly. 1t was
then discovered the compartment aft
Of the engine room contained con-
siderable water.
Distress Signals Sent.
AS the vessel continued to settle
distress signals were sent out and
the life boats lowered, but not cut
away. The effort to reach the west
shore continued.
When nS9gy IT reached the scene
it was merely iNsked to stand by,
Captain Kitty evidently not believ-
ing mis- vessel A immediate danger.
Lower x fe Boats.
Captain Russell of the IT, how
I,
cred his life boats and picked up the
survivors who jumped or were
thrown from the Pere Marquette
when it sank. There were 60 per-
sons aboard the vessel at the time
of the disaster.
Twenty-nine Were Drowned.
Ludington, Mich, Sept. 10.-The
ere-Marquette.. which for the last
two seasons has made, many trips as
an excursion boat from Chicago to
Waukegan, went to the bottom of
Lake Michigan when half way across
the lake yesterday and % lives were
lost.
The sunken ship, which was
known as Pere Marquette car ferry
No. IS, was bound from Ludington
to Milwaukee, had completed its ex-
cursion season and was again in SER
vice as car ferry.
The dead include Captain Peter
Kitty of Ludington, S. F. Sezepanek
of Chicago, purser and wireless op-
orator, whose signals of distress
brought assistance to the sinking
crew of car ferry No. II, who lost
crew of No. IS.
Thirty-fve Are Rescued.
The steamship company issued a
list of 35 names of survivors of the
wreck, all members of the crew, and
most of whom were brought here
last night on Pere Marquette car
ferry No. II.
The sum total of the catastrophe
is told in the fatal figures, 20 lives
lost and a financial loss exceeding
half a million dollars.
The story of the loss of car ferry
Pere Marquette 18 constitutes the
most tragic and thrilling chapter yet
written in the history of the Lake
Michigan marine.
Leaving Ludington Thursday
night at 1880 o'clock with fair but
stiff wind and % loaded cars on
deck, the ferry made good weather
for five hours on it's course to Mil
waukee.
Begins to FIJI
At 4:30 O'Clock word was sent to
Captain Peter Kitty that his boat was
rapidly making water aft and that
the pumps were unable to keep even
WIFI IuS IHuOW
With full confidence in the stabil-
ity and seaworthiness of his craft,
the veteran car ferry navigator head
ed his ship with all speed toward
Sheboygan on the Wisconsin shore.
The steamers pumps were worked
to their fullest capacity and all the
expedients known to skilled and
resourcefuI mariner were resorted to.
But in spite of every effort the
terrible fact dawned upon the cap
tain and all on board that the boat
was gradually but surely sinking.
An effort was made to run num-
ber of railroad cars overheard and
thus tighten the load and gain few
precious minutes.
With great difficulty nine cars
were dropped off the stern of No. 1S,
but this gave the vessel only slight
and temporary relief.
Kept on Way to Shore.
The ship was doomed. Yet, not
withstanding this apparent fact and
in the hope of saving both crew and
craft, the captain crowded his ship.
to the utmost limit, hoping to reach
shoal water.
The effort was futile.
At 1880 yesterday morning time
came when the boats buoyaney was
no longer sufficient to sustain it.
Suddenly, without warning and be-
fore the horrif1ed gaze of so men on
board Pere Marquette car ferry No.