Year: 1860

gam the RAFT, and L again t0ok a lie pre-
server which found afoat, and on this
fioated to the shore just below the bluffs.
From the time l was swept from the raft,
until | reached the shore l was several times
buried deep under the waves. When close
into the shore, was thrown from my life
preserver and went to the bottom, and al
though the water was not more than three
or four feet deep, was so exhausted as to
be unable to rise, and crawled for some
distance under the water until reached
dry land.


Early in the morning 1 discovered a
fragment of the wreck a short distance
from me, on which was woman and three
men. She was so much exhausted that
she seemed unable to keep from drop
ping to sleep, although the exertions O.. the
three men were continually in use to pre-
vent it. She was finally drowned while
remaining on the wreck, being unable to
keep her head from the water. Her body
remained on the fragment of the wreck as
long as it was in sight. l saw many pieces
of the wreck containing from two to four
persons capsized, almost invariably drown
all that were on them. To avoid the cap
sizing of our frail bark, I instructed the
men with me so to sit on it as to keep the
edges under water. This prevented US cap
sizirg, and at the same time enable US to
float faster, we having in this way passed
many of the other RATS. l saw one wo-
man alone floating on dining table, and
short time after discovered her, the ia
bic capsized and she disappeared under wa
ter for sevelal seconds, but finally reap
peared on the surface cinging to The table,
and eventually by great exertions, she re-
gained her seat upon the table. When /
last saw her she was near the shore, and
rs heard of woman being saved shortly
after l was takon 20 house near by, pre-
sumo she must have been the one. By
my instructions, our party most of the
time turned our faces from the shore and
thus faced the waves, and in this way were
enabled 20 watch the breakers as they came
towards US and he prepared for them. In
this way were several times saved from be-
ing washed of, while almost every one near
us were carried from their fraii barks and
perished. Under one piece Of the wreck
which was floating near US were four dead
cattle, fastened to it. On this were two
or three persons. The buoy ancy of the
dead bodies of the cattle kept this piece of
the wreck almost entirely ont of water, and
when last seen, this peculiar life-boat was
very near the shore, and the persons on it
were doubtless saved


When passed through the cabin on my
way to the pilot house, Immediately after
the collision, there was much confusion
there. Many of the passengers, owing to
the scarcity of berths, were asleep on the
floor, and when the collision took place, the
vessel listed so much that all rolled in a
pile on one side of the cabin. This caused
much confusion, and when persons from
above commenced passing down life pre-
servers, and those below commenced pull
ing down the doors and other floating ma
terial, the anxiety to obtain these preserv-
ers was great Indeed. About daylight l
saw one boat badly stove, bottom up, six
or seven men clinging TO it. Whether or
not they were saved cannot say.


When I reached the shore, every atten-
tion which heartfelt sympathy could sug
gest was paid to me and the other survivors.
One gentlemen pulled off his coat and gave
it 10 me, and another his boots. Mr..
Pierce, of the Adams House, Chicago, was
one of the first to reach the scene of disas-
ter, and his efforts for the comfort and safe
ty of all were unceasing.


During the time was on the wreck, /
contrived to keep myself warm by tbresh
ing my arms, catching pieces Of wreck, DC,
and in this manner saved myself from
suffering from the cold which proven so ia
tai to many.


STATEMENT CT Ex-ALDERMAN CARTER.


W1NETKA, Sept. 9, 1860.


Ny first information of the wreck was at
O'Clock in the morning, when news was
brought from MeJared Cages house that
the steamer Land Elgin was wrecked, and
persons escaping had landed there and
wanted clothes aud foood. We immedi-
ately began to watch from the bluff for
any signs of the wreck. Very soon we
could see small objects to the northeast
floating, or rather pitching and tossing on
the mad waves. As they came nearer, we
saw that they were fragments Of the steam
er, and Heightened with human beings
some with one person, some with two, three,
or a dozen persons. An intense excitement
prevailed in the whole neighborhood.-
People began to rally on the shore with
ropes, all excitement, and the excitement
increasing as the RATS approached the
shore, the first raft which reached the shore
was small one, two women upon it; as it
came in it broke up, and one only of the
women was saved. This was Mrs. Rivers
of Milwaukee. The other was lady
friend of hers, who was Of delicate consti-
tuition, and could not hold on to quite reach
the beach. Mrs. Rivers was rescued,
brought up the bank there soft. high)
placed on a bed and supplied with dry
dry clothing and such attentions as she
needed through the day and at O'Clock in
the evening went by cars to Milwaukee,
She was bruised, and cut, and lame, and
sore, but had strong constitution and
bore up admirably. Her companion on
the raft was a lady frend whom Mrs.
Rivers helped by allowing her to cling to
herself, but Mrs. R. says, her friend said at