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The Appalling Lake Disaster.We devote a large share of our paper ihis morning to the sorrowful details of the wreck of Lady Elgin, copied from the Chicago Press. The statements of the survivors possess jieculinr iuterest, and most vividly depict the scenes of peril and death.THE SHORE AT WINETKA.When our reporters reached the Wioet-ka, at 10 A. M., the surf was rolling io heavily, and breaking in thunder along the beach, the gale having riseo to a fearful fury, from the north-east, aud thus nearly on shore. The shore is an uneven bluff ranging from thirty to sixty feel in height, with a narrow' strip of beach at the base. At some points the heavy surf made directly against the bold blot!’. At some points, however, a narrow tract intervened unwashed by the waves, and so affording a place and foothold for tbo operations for rescue.The whole beach for three miles we found strew rd with fragments of the light upper , portions of the ill-fated steamer, nnd out sea, where the waves were rolling more heavily thau is u?-u:il seen even in our September gales, the surface of the angry waters for miles in extent, as far as the eye could reach sea ward, was dotted with fragments of the wreck, and rafts nnd spars, with what were clearly made out to be human beings clinging to them. At this time (10 A. M.),varitus authorities make out that from eighty to one hundred persons could have been counted driving at the mercy of the maddened elements, towards the high, rolling breakers nnd surf washed bench und bluff, whence thousands with straining oycs watched their progress, and with pale cheeks noted, as alas, too ruany, m**t their fule in the waves.The work of rescue began about five A. M., a little north of Wineika, near the country scat of Mr. Goge, where the earliest iutelligence was received by the survivors who came ashore in the bUnmer’s yawl, among whom was the Steward, Mr. Rico, fo whose appended narrative wo refer. This boat was followed by another, the last leaching the shore a little later.— The wiod not being directly on shore, carried each arrival a little further south, nnd now rafts bearing human beings were seen nearing Winetka, where the country residence of Ex-Aldernmn Carter of this city occupes the high bluff.Parties of men were on the alert and and ready for the work of rescue. Word was sent to Evanston, and ciliz ns and its entire student community canfo up in force. Attention was first directed to a large raft coming in steadidy but bravely over the waves, upon which were standing a large group of human beings, since known to lmve been some fifty in number. Around and beyond it on all sides were single sur-\ irors and groups of two or three, or more, but painful interest centered about the fate of the larger rafr. It neared the seething line of surf. Wjtii a glass, those on shore could see that the company on board seem to obey the orders of one. That Indies and children were there—hearts on shore forgot to bent for an instant, and theo saw the raft break and disappear in the sens.— Of the entire number on board only fifteen names appear in our list of the saved.The work of rescue, however, did not pause in the agony that wrung the hearts onshore. Men, residents of Winetka, nnd Evanston, stripped off all superfluous clothing, and with ropes tier] about them, held on shore, dashed nobly into the surf and only by such peril w rested the saved of the wreck. \Vhere many wrought so well we cannot here particularize, but we accord the universal sentiment of the day to the assertion tLat the theological teachings of the Garret Biblical Institute must iuclude a liberal amount ofMuscular Christiani /y,” for Messrs. Spencer and Coombs of that institution were foremost among the heroes of the day.OCCASIOS OF TUB EXCURSION.The Llnion Guards of Milwaukee, not long since were disarmed and disbanded by the Governor of the State for some action held to be in derogation of the sovereignty of Wisconsin. We do not remember the precise clause; but believe it to have been partially political—a series of resolutions in relation to the conflict between Wisconsin nnd the United States, iu the Booth case, in which the right of the Governor to order them out for enforcement of the decision of Wisconsin Courts, was denied.After I ho disarming, they continued their organization and bought arms on their private account. In doing this, they had incurred a considerable debt, aud to pay this off by an excursion, the profits of which were to go to the company, was the rnaiu object in view. The Captain of the Guards was a candidate for Treasurer in Milwaukee, and to get his friends together on the trip and make strength for himself was a prominent though not leading idea. Hence most of the excursionists were of the Democratic party; hence, as the Guards were an Irish Company, it happens that a largo majority of those who set out, were of that nationality.THE SCENE IN MILWAUKEE.An eye-witness informs us that scene at Milwaukee on Saturday morning when the news of the catastrophe was first received, can never be effaced from his memory.— Stores in the principal streets were immediately deserted many of them being left open and unattended, and all rushed to the telegraph office to learn the extent of the loss. In walking along the streets, it seemed as if every second parson met was either crying or so dumb-stricken that he could not express himself nor recognize his friends and acquaintances.THE NUMBER ON BOARD.The Milwaukee Sentinel of Sunday morning contains a list of 301 persons exclusive of the crew, known to be on board. To the Sen liners count, wo add twenty-four names of excursionists missed, and we have as an estimate the following:Kcntiucl'H count corrected................320I'craous who wo at aboard at Chicago—names not reported in either list........ 30Crew................................43Total................................333We shall be glad if the total falls below 400. Of thfe* less than 100 are saved.WHY 8FTE WENT DOWN.It is now evident from the appearance of that port of the wreck that lies at Daggett's Point near Waukegan, that the final catastrophe was brought about by the dropping of the engine, walking-bcnm, dee., through the bottom. At the Point above named, all that part of the hull abaft the I midships on the larboard side, lies upon the bench—a full fourth of the hull from the plank shear to the keel. The most rational explanation of the disaster is that the colliding vessel carried away the larboard wheel, and mosl’of the engine braces on tLat side, and that as soon as she rolled a-port, the engine, walking beam. Ac., having nothing to sustain them, canted away a large part of the bull, and went out on I the larboard side of the keel, producing the catastrophe which all the saved describe as very sudden. It is probable that the first vioient roll after the collision did the fatal work. On no other hypothesis can we account for the separation of the hull, and explain the positive testimony of some of the officer* that the walking beam went down before the upper works floated off.THE BREAKING UP OF THE UPPER DECK.From Mr. John E vision and other survivors we learn that almost immediately after the steamer sank, the upper deck (on which a great majority of the passengers were collected.) broke up into a thousand pieces. Largo pieces of timber rushed up through the floor with a terrific force, and in this way many were either instantly killed or injured so seriously that they were incapable of doing anything to secure themselves.THE MOURNERS THOM MILWAUKEE.About 11 o'clock yesterday morning, a large nnd heavily laded train camo down from Milwaukee to Wineika, having on l*mrd a groat number of the friends of both saved and lost. They were principally Irish. Distributing themselves along the shore in mournful groups, they spent all the middle of the day in waiting for the waves to give up their dead. Moving to and fro, on the high bank, searching with anxious eyes everv inch of the beach below and fiery breaker ll at rolled in, they were a sad sight. Aged mothers in quest of sons or daughters; wives looking for husbands, nnd husbands for wives; little children brought down to see all that re-niained of parents; sympathizing and tearful friends—these kept up the nnvaiiing hunt from Wineika to Evanston, going many limes over the ground, and continuing their pious labors until night drove them away.HON. HERBERT INGRAHAM, M. P.Wo learn from a gentleman who assisted to lake the body of Hun. Herbert Ingraham Irom the water, that the corpse was quite warm when discovered, and physicians gathered arxoind bra under the impression that life was not extinct. The discovery, however, of a severe wound on the back pari of his head showed that there was no hope.of resuscitation nnd the probability is, that ho managed to keep afloat till he reached the fatal breakers, when he was injured by the timbers which were dashed hither aud thither on the waves with such fearful velocity.Mr. Ingraham and son were here on n visit to the country, having come across to witness the reception of the Prince of Wales in Canada.STATKMRNK OF LIEUT. IIARTSOFF.[Mi. Unrtsuff is a Lieutenant in the U. S. Army, and is stationed at Fort Macki-uaw.]I was on board tbo slearuer Lady Elgin when she collided with the schooner Augusta, asleep in my berth. I immediately jumped from my berth,and saw the schooner floating away. Did not think any serious damage had been done at first, but soon discovered that tbo steamer was settling. I immediately left my berth, which was in the after cabin, and ran toward the pilot house, where I found CapL Wilson cn the hurricane deck. 1 asked him if be thought there was any danger, nnd he replied that he thought she would float. He told me where there were life preservers on the hurricane deck, and I went nnd passed them down to the passengers in the cabin till they wore about exhausted, when I look ono myself nnd waited on the hurricane deck, only a few of whom were female**, hot bow many came up 1 could not say, as it was very dark. From a quarter to half an hour after she was struck she broke up, the hurricane deck floating off, nnd the hulk going to the bottom with a tremendous noise. As she broke, I jumped with my life preserver—a board six or eight feel long and about one wide—into the water, which was at this time only a few feel below us, nnd pulled with all my might to escape from the mass of the wreck. After the coufusion had somewhat subsided, 1 heard the voice of Cnpt. Wilson cheering and encouraging the people on the wreck, telling them that the shore was but a few miles off, and that if they kept calm nnd obeyed his directions, they might all be saved. I beard him in this manner for about ten minutes, nnd then I bad separated bo far from the hurricane deck on which the captain aud a large number were, that I heard no more. A11 around mo were numbers of persons floating on pieces of the wreck, until it became daylight.— When it became 60 light that I could see some distance, I discovered a large mass of the wreck a little distance to the wind ward of us, covered with people. I then got on quite a largs piece of wreck which was floating near me, and which contained no other person, and no person got on it after I did. The large mass to the windward, of which I have jiiBt spoken, now began to separate. I then l»*ft the piece I was on, and got on a large piece of the hurricane deck, on which there were four other persons; don’t know who they were. On this fragment I remained until we reached within a quarter of n inile of the shore, when our raft broke up, and two of the four on it were washed off and drowned. A moment after, the remainder of our party were washed off by a heavy sea, and one more of our little party drowned.My remaining companion contrived to regain the raft, and I again took a life preserver which I found afloat, and on this I floated to the shore just below the bluffs. From ilie lime I was swept from the raff until I reached the shore I was several limes buried deep under the waves. When close into the shore, I was thrown from my life preserver and went to the bottom, and nl-ihough the water was not more than three or four feet deep, I was so exhausted as to be uuabie to rise, and crawled for some distance under the water until I reached dry land.Early in the morning I discovered a fragment of the wreck a short distance from me, on which was a woman and three men. She was so much exhausted that she seemed unable to keep from dropping to sleep, although the exertions of the three men were continually in use to prevent 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 ns long as it was in sight. I saw many pieces of the wreck containing from two to four persons capsized, almost invariably drown-ail that were on them. To avoid the capsizing of our frail bark, I instructed the men with me so to sit on it ns to keep the edges under water. This prevented us cap-sizi* g, and at the same time enable us to float faster, we having in this wav passed many of the other rnfLs. 1 saw one woman alone floating on a dining table, nod a short time after I discovered her, the table capsized nnd she disappeared under water for St-veini seconds, but finally rc-ap-penred on the surface clinging to the table, and eventually by great exertions, she regained her seal upon the table. When I last saw her she was near the shore, and ns I heard of a woman being saved shortly after I was takon to a house near by, I presume 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 to watch the breakers as they came towards us and he prepared for them. In this way were several times saved from being washed off, while almost every or.e near us were carried from their frail barks and perished. Uudcr one piece cf the wreck which was fionling near us were four deaJ cat lb, fastened to if. On this were two or three persons. The buoyancy of the dead bodies of the cattle kept ibis piece ofthe wreck almost entirely out of water, and»when last seen, this peculiar life-boat was very near the chore, aud the persons ©u it were doubtless saved.When 1 passed through the cabin on my way to the pilot house, immediately nfier the collision, there was much confusion there. Many of the passengers, owing to the scarcity of berths, were asleep on the floor, nnd when the collision took plnce, the vessel listed so much that a!I rolled in a pile on one side of the cabin. This caused much confusion, nnd when persons from above commenced passing down life preservers, and those below commenced pulling down the doors and other floating material, the anxiety to obtain these preservers was great indeed. About daylight I saw oue boat badly stove, bottom up, six or seven men clinging to if. Whether or uot they were saved 1 cannot say.When I reached the shore, every attention which heartfelt sympathy could eug gest was paid to mo and the other survivors. One gentlemen pulled off his coat and gave it to me, and another his boots. Mr. Pierce, of the Adams House, Chicago, was one of the firl to reach the scene of disaster, and his effort*? for the comfort aud safe ty of all were unceasing.During the time 1 was on the wreck, I contrived to keep myself warm by thresh ing my arras, catching pieces of wreck, Ac., and in this manner 1 saved myself from suffering from the cold which proven so fatal to many.STATEMENT GF EX-ALDERMAN CARTER.Winetka, Sept. 9,1860.My first information of the wreck was at 8 o’clock in the morning, when news was brought from M^Jared Gage’s house that the steamer Land Elgin was wrecked, nnd persons escaping had landed there nnd wanted clothes and foood. We immediately began to watch from the bluff for any signs of the wreck. Very toon we could see small objects to the northeast floating, or lather pitching and losiug ou the mad waves. As they camo nearer, we saw that they were frngmentsof the steamer, and heightened with human beings— some with one person, some with two, three, or a dozen |*ersous. 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 rafis approached the shore, the first raft which reached the shore was a 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 a lady friend of here, who was of delicate constitution, and could not hold on to quite reach the beach. Mrs. Rivers was rescued, brought up the bank (here 50tL high) placed on a bed and supplied with dry dry clothing and such attentions as she needed through the day nnd at 9 o'clock in the evening went by care to Milwaukee.—Sho was bruised, and cut, and lame, and sore, but had a strong constitution nod bore up admirably. Her companion on the raft was a lady frend whom Mrs. Rivers helped by allowing her to cling to herself, but Mre. R. says, her friend said at length she could bold on no longer, and feared, too, she should carry Mrs. R. down with her. This she would not do.Sho let go her hold when pretty near the shore, and was instantly ingulphed nnd seen no more. Very near to this small raft, and arriving at the same time aud place with it, was a largo raft with T1 more than twenty persons on it. Among j wi these was Captain Wilson. About twelve Elt; orthirteon ol these were saved and rest W drowned in the surf when within a few rods th of the beach. Capt. Wilson cm this raft wi had behaved admirably in cheering nnd di- wi recline tbo liule company how to hoist aud Tt hold doors and loose planks bo as to make th*sails and rudders of them to direct their course and hasten them to shore;but sad to ! say, after all hi* skill, coolness nnd manliness : in directing others, when this raft broke up in the surf near the beach, the gallant captain was lost. Though fourteen (I believe) of the little company were brought iu and restored, the gnllnnt captain sunk and was seen no more. The persons rescued from these rafts came into the Louses of Mr. Slont and myself, and all were in condition to go to their homes in ih • coureeof Satur-I day. No sooner had the thrill of excitement occasioned by the landing of these pascd, than anxeity was alive again with reference to several other fragments of the wreck with people clinging to them. The wind was strong from the north, and a tremendous sea was setting southward. These little rafts with their respective cargoes of humanity were dancing about upon the waves, but drifting towards the south and towards the shore. The company on the land was rapidly increasing in number, all ready to do what they could, but nothing could be done except to watch for nnd follow the liltlo rafts, aud when any came to the beach, rush out and grab the persons from them aud bring them up the bank into the houses, where they could be washed, rubbed, dry clothed, fed, warmed and put to rest in beds. All that were saved from rafts were saved between the hours of nine in the forenoon and five in the afternoon, and between mv pier at Wineika nnd Speer’s briek-vard, about three miles south of it, very near w hat sailors know as “Cross Point.” The persons saved were most of them in pretty good condition, that is to say, they wore not generally dangerously bruised noi far gone in oxnusiion, or chilling or drowning. Mrs. Evitaon, the wife ofMr. John W. Evision. City Sealer of Milwaukee, was the only marked exception to this. She was very weak and very nearly drowned. It was with the most skilful nnd assiduous rubbing and .appliance, by the County Physician and several womvu that this women's life was saved. She was restored so far as to talk a little lo-wnrds- evening, nnd was brought to my house to be with her husband, where both of them now are doing well. All that were saved at and near Winetka went to their homes or places of destination last evening excepting this Mr. and Mrs. Erit-son. No one who did uot witness the coming in nnd the landing of the couple can conceive of the excitement on shore in view of it. They had been watched bv many eyes for half an hour. At first we thought this man was carrying in his arms a little child, then wo saw as became nearer that it was not a very small person; then from the ludplessnes of the lady we tbougt the man was holding in his grn«p the lifeless body of friend. Near the shore she slipped from his hold and fell off the raft, lie plunged afier her, go! her, nnd mounted to his post on the raft (a part of the wheel bouse) again! As they came near the shore a brave and generous fellow rushed out into the water and readied out his hand, which Mr. Evitson grasped, and when those two hands joined, there was such n thrill on shore ns no one can describe. Both were brought in, nnd both are now doing well, though she is and will be for some days, in a critical situation.— AII the houses along lire Lake Shore Road, from Winetka to Cross Point wore made hospitals for the day. No oue is to be praised to the disparagement of the rest. All did nobly. All gave themselves their bouses their beds, their bread and meat, their garments, to the merciful work of saving and comforting the rescued unfortunates.There is one poor woman, ray neighbor here, whose name, (Mrs. Joseph Sherlock,)1 Iiavo not 6een mentioned among tbo workers, w o yet has done heroically.— With her baby in her arms she rushed into tho water t hree times, nnd actually pulled and saved three drowning men. Her husband, too, worked nobly in the common work. The steam tugs sent out from Chicago failed to accomplish anything, because they kept two or three miles out at sea, wbeu ihe sufferers on their frail rnfUi, nnd boards and timber* were much nearer to the shore. The life boats sent here could do nothing. No such craft could live on such a sen. Absolutely nothing could be done except in tho way it was done—when they camo to shore, seize them, nnd bear them to tho houses nnd take care of them. And this was done.— Tho whole people of this neighborhood deserves unspeakable praise for the energy, courage, mercy and generosity with which they met the appalling emergency.NhiinkiwtoJtcici*utfriwi10 th011 nr enblt;atu*caBe
Newspaper Details
Holmes County Republican
Millersburg, Ohio, US
Thu, Sep 20, 1860
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USA 27 May 2022
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Holmes County Republican
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