The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-03-14

Finally the officers held consultation.
There were a few tense moments of
muttering on the bridge.
"If that water reaches the boilers,
captain, we'h blow up" reported an
under officer.
Man the boats!' ordered the cap
tain. Then they remembered that
boats would make no Roadway where
the big steamer bad failed. The crew
prepared to seek safety on the ice.
Then the morning light began to break.
A short distance away the crib loomed
through the dark. Then Capt. Jacob
sen Of the crib and a crew of hardy
ones were seen coming across the ice.
There was an hour or two of strug-
gle over the broken, frozen surface Of
the lake and then the exhausted men
fell into the quarters of the crib crew.
"There's nothing to tell, Captain
Hill said quietly There nothing to
tell. We just fought our way until
the ice got too much for US. We were
beaten, but / guess we died game.
Mrs. Mary Sanville, the heroine of
the wreck, who is cook, said:
II was thrown out Of my berth by
the shock when the Flora Hill hit the
last ice field. 1t had been hard bat
tie all the way from Kenosha and |
was prepared for the worst. I ran on
deck. There saw by the light of the
port lamp Capt. Hill, with his cap
blown from his head and his hair stand
ing out in the wind, calling to his men.
"All the crew was out fighting for
the ship. I did not really know that
anything serious had happened until
one of the crew sent by the captain
came and told me to get ready to leave
the ship. Frightened. No. Of course
it was nothing to laugh at. But | just
got my things ready and swung over
the side with the rest of them.
don't like to think about that long
crawling and falling over the ice, but
it's all past now and we're glad to be
alive.'
The veteran of the steamer was
Theodore Thompson of 1881 North
Francisco avenue, Chicago. When the
trouble started he was at the wheel.
1.-THE ice came drifting onto us from
the southeast about ] a. m.,' said
Thompson. "We didn t know she was
coming and soon packed in about the
boat SO deeply that we could not go
ahead or back. IF we could have back
ed the boat at all we would have been
all right. No matter how hard we
worked thesengines. though, she would
il It bulge. At the time we were head
ed west for the harbor. After a bit.
the steel ribs began to give way under
the ice pressure and we realized then
that we were in serious trouble. Little
water entered the hold, however, until
a port hole was mashed in and then
the steamer began to list to starboard.
Then the water was pouring into the
steamer in such quantities that it was
decided to abandon her, and we all
took to the ice.
"I've got a weak leg and | had .
fierce time getting over the ice. |
thought / was goner sure. / have
sailed on the lakes for some forty-fve
years, boys, and this experience is
about as ticklish as I've ever had.
~ don It know how got on the crib.
IL guess somebody threw me rope and
hauled me up. They got me out, that s
the main thing. I guess the old cap'n
is good for couple O. more trips, hey
what"
Men in the party declared that the
woman was the bravest in the crowd
that left the doomed Hill.
''She never batted an eye declar-
ed Frank Dumas after she had left the
group at the dock. fShe was as cheer
full as could be. She sure is a game
woman. y