The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1911-01-05

only a few years before, During the
summer she had been In the excur-
sion service out of Chicago. This
was her first trip after being returned
to the ferry service.
Shortly after three o'clock on the
morning of September 9 Captain Pete
Kitty was called and told that there
was something wrong He arose at
once to investigate.
Less than an hour later passengers
were startled from their sleep by rap
pings on their doors and the voice Of
the cabin boy shouting, as his feet
battered on to the next cabin: 'aThe
captain says for everybody to get
up!"
Seymour B. Cochrans, general man
ager Of the Chicago Navigation com
pany, was one of the passengers. Up
on being called by the cabin boy he
at once wakened the wireless operator,
and instructed him to get in touch
with land or with other steamers.
For an hour the wireless searched
the lake, but could get no answer.
Finally word reached Ludington and
ferry boats No. and No. 90 started
In search of the distressed vessel.
No. IL of the Pere Marquette service,
en- route from Milwaukee to Luding-
ton, came within sight of the Grip
pied No. Is, however, and in response
to her distress flags offered assist
ance.
In the meantime everybody on board
had gotten up Captain Kitty was on
deck and many Of the passengers
talked with him. All Of the crew was
aroused and put to work. And yet
with all of this opportunity, none Of
the members of the crew who were
saved, nor any Of the passenger,
learned what was the matter with the
vessel.
Theories Of the Disaster.
Here are some Of the theories as
to what happened to the Pere Mar
quette:
Loaded freight cars, being run over
board, through the open rear, damned
on the "fantail" at the stern.
Portfolios, opened by an insane man,
and bulkhead blown out, admitted wa
ter to engine room, flooding ship.
Dynamite Thrown into the boilers by
maniac or Brought aboard in coal and
accidentally shoveled in by stokers.
Water entering flicker" compart-
ment through open portfolios burst
bulkheads and sank the vessel
Struck by submerged wreck
Deck scuttles near the stern washed
off and after compartment flooded.
Sea cock allowed to remain open ia
after compartment.
Stern plates loosened while vessel
was in its slip taking on freight cars.
Bottom pierced by floating log.
Carelessness OF members, Of crew
who may have been drinking.
Numerous other theories are sd
vanced by persons familiar with lake
traffic, but none of them explain sat
isfactorily just what happened to the
Pere Marquette.
AS the vessel went down many Of
the passengers and crew leaped into
the water from the fore part, while
others were swept off So abrupt was
the descent that the waves threw a
lifeboat which had put of from the
ferry boat No IL back against that
vessels side and crushed it.
Ferry boats Nos. and 20 from Lnd-
ington and the tug A. A. G. Tessler,
which had come out from Milwaukee,
and another tug from Sheboygan, Wis,
towing the sheboygan life-saving
crew, came onto the scene after the
vessel sank, but in time to assist IN
picking up the survivors.
These facts indicate the suddenneSs
with which the collapse came. The
vessel gave a great lunge, the stern
shot downward and the PROV up, then
the Pere Marquette disappeared.
Most Of the crew were still working
below, trying to repair whatever dam
age then existed, and they went down
with the boat Captain Kitty, on deck,
followed the traditions Of the seas and
rests at the bottom of Lake Michigan
with his vessel, and thus all who know
what did happen, If any of them real
ly did know, lie in a watery grave