The Prescott daily news., 1910-09-12
CALLS AID FOR CREW OF BIG CAR FERRY FOUNDERING
 IN LAKE.
DISPATCHES TELL STORY
Sister Ship, Catching Appeals in Air. Arrived in Time to Rescue Swim mers-WheeIman Narrow
 Escape From Death.

Ludington, Mich, Sept 12.-The particulars of the sinking of car ferry No. Is of the Pere Marquette line, 20 miles off Sheboygan, were brought to this port when ferry No. IT came into port with 35 survivors. Thirty lives were lost, one woman being among the number. The ship had sprung a leak. and went down stern foremost. Car ferry No. IT, called by the wire less signal of distress, picked up the survivors and recovered eight bodies with her lfeboat.
 The cause of the leak Is still mys- tery. The ship was inspected before she left here and was pronounced sea- worthy. She was the newest of the fleet and was the flagship. Those who are believed to have been acquainted with the cause of the disaster are dead, and the survivors say that water entered through an open or broken dead light, after which the bulkheads burst.
 The property loss is $550,000. The boat was valued at $400000 and the 29 loaded freight cars which formed the cargo to more than $100,000.
 This is the story as told by the wire less messages:
 5:20 a. m., from steamer No. IS: IS. O. S.-1S sinking. For Gods sake send help"
 '5:2S a. m., from steamer No. 1S: Send help for Gods sake; IS sink ing"
 7;3O a. m., from setamer No. IT: "18 sinking. Help
 7:35 a. m, from steamer No. IT: "1S gone"
 a. m., from steamer No. IT: TT standing by. Will stay till all are saved" (This message was laborious- ly spelled out by purser of No. F, who never sent message of that length before. The purser could not under stand telegraphy we'll enough to an swer anxious inquiries as to fate of crewD
 905 a. m., from steamer No. IT: "All officers of IS lost. Not one saved" Then followed list of officers, seven in all, who perished.
 II a. m.. from steamer IT: Have picked up over thirty of crew. On way to Ludington.'
 Officers Remained at Post.
 That the death list is not larger is due to the bravery of officers and the wireless telegraph operator of the fs have stayed at their posts until death called them from their duty.
 Repeated calls sent by the wireless operator, & F. Sezepanek, who lived in Worcester, Mass, brought a half dozen vessels to the scene of disaster, but none of them arrived until after No IS had gone down. The persons were found by the rescuers swimming in the neighborhood of the spot where the boat sank One man was found floating on cabin door, to which he had been clnging for more than an hour.
 WheeIman's Remarkable Escape.
 Perhaps the most remarkable es- cape is that of Simon Burke, wheel man, who Is said to have been the last man to leave the doomed ship. Burke said q was at the wheel during the whole trouble and really knew little of what occurred. Because of water aft, the boat steered badly, but stuck to my post until the last minute, waiting for an order from the captain to leave. This order never came.
 When 1 realized that the boat at last was sinking, ran out on the bridge with life preserver. l plunged overheard just as the boat disappeared, l must have been in the center of whirlpool, for l recall be- ing spun around like a top and drawn irresistably downward it seemed for 100 feet. Then l rose to the surface and had barely time to catch my breath when I went down again and was under for long time.