The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-09-13
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER l3 1910
!. STEAMER SINKS
The Werst Disaster ip The History Of
Lake Michigan Happeas. Z.
Rlaa1lY PEOPLE ] Il PERISH ]

I hEAsH PEUFLE YGklSH
Ferry Roat Goes to Bottom When
Half Way Across Lake.-Heroic
| Efforts OF Crew to Prevent Catns.
trophe Unayailing.-Indescribable
Scenes Of Horror.
| Twenty-nine lives were lost near
Ludington, cAich., Friday when Pere
Marquette car ferry No. IS, bound
from Ludington to Milwaukee went
to the bottom. of Lake Michigan
half way across the lake. The dead
include Capt. Peter Golty, Of Lud-
ington, S. F. sezepanek; of Chicago,
purser and wireless operator, whose
signals ofidistress brought assistance
| to the sinking steamer, and two
members 7of the crew Of car ferry
ENo. IT. who lost their lives III an
effort to rescue the crew Of No. Is.
shrouded in mystery. f. F. Pevin,
cabin watch, said the boat was very
How at the stern when'the first alarm
was. given. He said they pushed 20
railroad cars into the lake to ease
the vessel, but without avail. Sey-
mour Cochrane. Of Chicago, another
survivor, said he was reading mag
azine in his berth whes cabin boy
ranped at the door, about 4.30 a. m.
and shouted that the bow was sink
ing. i.s. :: - '-
| Cochrane .,floated on.%a cabin door
until picked up by No. II. The
purser had given him $1,000 which
was due Cochrane;s employers after
they had delivered the. boat to the
Pere Marquette company, they hav-
| ing leased her all summer; But Cocn-
rance could not load himself down
with the coin and. tied the. money
to the stairs rail as the boat went
down. e4e = = j"
Many of the life boats were stove
in by wreckage, tumbling in every
direction on the tossing. sea, the oc-
cupants of the, small boats being
thrown in the water and many
drowned. r.s
! The sum total Of the catastrophe
| is told in the fatal figures, 29 lives
Host and the. financial loss amounts
to $500,800: =,
The story of the. loss of. car ferry
No, Is constitutes.dthe most tragic
and thrilling chapter yet written In
| the history of. Lake Michigan ma
rine. Leaving Ludington Thursday
night at 11.30 with fair but stlf
wind and 20 cars loaded on deck,
the ferry made good weather for five
hours on it's course to Milwaukee.
At 4.45 word was sent to Capt.
Peter Colty that his boat was rapidly
making water and that the pumps
twere unable to keep even with the
inflow. VII full confidence in the
stability and seaworthiness Of his
craft the veteran car ferry navigator
headed his ship with all speed to
Sheboygan on the Wisconsin side.
| The pumps were worked to their
fullest capacity and all expedients
known to skilled and resourceful
mariner resorted to.
I But despite every effort the ter.
rible fact dawned upon the captain
and on all on board that the boat
was gradually but surely sinking.
An effort was made to run num-
her, Of -railroad cars overheard and
Ethns tighten the load and gain few
precious minutes. With great diff
Icnltynine were dropped off the stern
of: No. Is, but this gave the vessel
onl y 4siisht and temporary relief.
THE. ship was doomed. Yet, not
withstanding this important 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 7.2O Friday morning time came
when the boats bouyancy was no
longer sufficient to sustain it. Sud
denly without warning and before
the Mortified gaze OF so men on
board ferry No. II, which had just
arrived on the scene in response to
a distress signal, the big black bow
of the ship rose high in the air. the
| stern settled swiftly toward the bot
tom and with a roar and crash like
an explosion the ship shot downward
and was lost to view.
The horritied onlookers on num-
ber II stood for moment speech
less and petrified. There among the
surging waves were fellow beings
struggling for their lives. Agoniz-
ing cries for. help were heard above
the sea. All was confusion. indes-
| scribable, terror and chaos. In d
twinltling 20 lives were snu!fed out
and sixty strong men were precipl-
tated into a death trap as cruel as
lit was hopeless.
|, Then began the rescue. Lower
Ing one of her. life boats, contain
ling four sailors the crew OF Number
- l.-a. , n.1eh arhtch m 4 rks ma nv