The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-09-10
One Of the Worst Disasters
Ever Known on Lake Michigan
WIRELESS CALLS FOR HELP
And Sister Steamer Saves Nearly Thirty.
Eight Bodies Reeovered-The Cause
Of the Accident Is Not
Known.

Ludington, Mich, Sept, lo.-Onc Of the
worst marine disasters in the history
OF Lake Michigan navigation occurred
early yesterday, when car ferry Pevc
Marquette No. Is, owned and operated
By the Pcre Marquette Railroad com.
pany, sank to the bottom Of Lake Mich
igan, 20 miIes of Port Washington, Wis,
with loss Of 80 lives
The boat was valued at slo0-O00, and
the cargo, which included 20 loaded cars,
at 100000 to $4,000.
The total loss will exceed half mil
lion dollars, which is fully insured in
Lloyrs Of England
The dead includes Captain Peter Kitty
OF Ludington, n H., Sezepanek Of Chi
cago, purser and wireless operator.
whose signals Of distress brought assist
ance to the sinking steamer, and two
members Of the crew Of ferry No. IL,
who lost their lives ID an effort to res.
cue the crew Of No Is. El Golden Of
Saginaw Mich, q member Of the crew
Of No. rs, would make a thirty.frst vic-
tim, but Il is believed that he was set
on board when No. Is set out from
here Thursday night on her fatal trip
The steamship company issued list
If II 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
Eight bodies were recovered, six be-
ing brought here on. car ferry No. II,
and two being taxed to Milwaukee on
ferry No 20. The bodies brought here
were those Of Captain Kitty, Purser
Sezepanek, Steward Mack, W. II. Cum
Minis, \. I. Bertrand and Mrs. Turner.
One Of the bodies taken TO Milwaukee
was that Of Mate Joseph Brezinski.
The other was Represented 70 be that
Of Joseph Keeh. But as there is a
James Koch in the list Of rescued, some
doubt has arisen ia regard to the see
ond body taeln TO Milwaukee James
Koch does not appear III the steam
chip eompany's llst Of dead
The cause of the disaster i envalopad
II mystery. n Fl Popvin, cabin watch,
said that the boat was very low at the
stern when the first alarm was given.
He said they pushed nine railroad cars
into the lake 10 ease the vessel, but
without avail
Seymour Cochranc Of Chicago, another
eurYivow, said he was reading q maya
zine in his berth when a cabin boy
raped on his door about 4:30 a. M.
and shouted that the boat was sinking
EochraBe floated on a cabin door until
x<sa snI hx- ~ ~ L.. 4
given him 81 600, which was due Coch-
rane's employees. Cochrane would not
load himself down with the coin and
tied the money to the steamers rail
as the boat went down.
Many Of the Iifcboats were stove by
wreckaec tumbling in every direction on
the tossing sea the occupants Of the
small boats being thrown into the water
and many OF them drowned.
Ferry number Is. left Ludingtoh
Thursday night at 1880 o'clock with
fair, but stiif wind and 30 loaded cars
on deck. The ferry made good weather
for FIVE hours on its course to Milwau-
kee, but at 430 O'Clock, word was sent
to Captain Kitty that his boat was
rapidly making water after and that the
pumps were unable to keep even.
The captain promptly headed his ship
toward Shelboygan, the Wisconsin shore 1
The steamers pumps were worked to
their fullest capacity and all the ex-
pedients known to skilled and re-
sourceful mariner were resorted to, but
in spite OF every effort, it became evi. |
dent that the boat was gradually, but
surely sinking.
Ik1&4h ,44ffSrrtI 49,. s,tv
dropped of the stern of No Is, but this /
gave the vessel only slight and tempo
Tary relief.
AIT 1880 o'clock yesterday morning,
without warning, and before the horrified
gaze Of fifty men on board Pere Mar
quette car ferry number II, which had
just arrived on the scene in response
to distress signal, the great black bow
Of the flagship rose high in the air,
the stern settled swiftly toward the bot
tom and with roar, the ship shot T
downward and was lost to view.
The crew of No. IL rushed overheard +
with life boat with four men The
waves picked it up in an instant and I
crushed it against the ferry's steel side
Two Of the sailors were rescued by
those on board, while the other two.
Joseph Peterson and r. Jacobson, scub-
ber, Immediately sank.
Another lifeboat was successfully
launched This boat, in charge Of Dun
cas- Milligan Of Ludington, did heroic
work and in less than an hour picked
up fourteen survivors, who We're float
ing about and clinging TO bits Of wreck
age.
Then another lifeboat vvas mammal a,,d +
in the face Of great danger, more than
50 persons were saved.
Z