Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Ludington Record Vol. XVI Old Series No. 9 Vol. 3. New Series No. 24 Thursday, November 2, 1882 [extracted marine news] The tug BROCKWAY left Milwaukee last Sunday evening and reached Ludington in seven hours and twenty eight minutes, passing the F. & P. M. No. 2 on the way. The tug is laid up for the winter and Capt. Courtland can look back on another successful season. Mr. O. N. Taylor's new steam yacht was built in Grand Haven to suit his individual fancy. It is a beauty and will be a remarkably fast sailer. A motal keel weighing 1200 pounds will be attached for the purpose of increasing the speed and making the boat more safe. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ludington Record Vol. XVI Old Series No. 10 Vol. 3. New Series No. 25 Thursday, November 9, 1882 [extracted marine news] The propellers GRACIE BARKER and GEO. D. SANFORD, JR., will run during the season, Sundays excepted, between Pentwater and Frankfort, touching at intermediate points each way, on the following time, viz: Going north, leave Pentwater at 6:30 a.m.; Ludington, at 8:30 a.m.; Manistee, at 1:00 p.m.; arrive at Frankfort at 4:30 p.m. Returning, leave Frankfort at 6:30 a.m.; Manistee, at 1:00 p.m.; Ludington, at 4:30 p.m.; arrive at Pentwater at 6:00 p.m. Round trips on the GRACIE BARKER, Sundays, to Manistee and return, connecting with the GEO. D. SANFORD, JR., from Frankfort, at excursion rates. For terms, freight or passage, apply on board. R. Vanderhoef, J. W. Zimmerman, Proprietors Carpenters are at work building a new oil-house for the storage of oil to be used in the light-house on the pier. The oil supply is ex- pected in a few days. The small light used on the extreme end of the pier has been put out occasionally by the wind or waves at a time when it was most needed. A better arrangement will be made to-morrow. The tug WETZEL, of Racine, Wis., exploded about fifteen miles from that port, while steaming north in company with the tug SILL in search of tows. The only persons on board were the Captain, Frank F. Lovell, of Racine; the engineer, William Kelly, of Chicago, and the fireman, Pat White, of Racine. The three were blown to atoms, and the largest piece of the tug left was a board on which the name of the boat was painted. [Transcriber's Note: vessel name was RUDOLPH WETZEL. Explosion occurred on 28 October 1882 when 3 miles off Oak Creek, WI.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ludington Record Vol. XVI Old Series No. 11 Vol. 3. New Series No. 26 Thursday, November 16, 1882 [extracted marine news] [Note: no marine news in this issue] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ludington Record Vol. XVI Old Series No. 12 Vol. 3. New Series No. 27 Thursday, November 23, 1882 [extracted marine news] The schooner LOTUS took the last cargo of lath and shingles from Ludington yesterday. The docks are cleared for the season. The steamer JOHN A. DIX left Ludington Wednesday morning for Manistee, and is now laid up for the winter after a very successful season. The F. & P. M. boats are making their trips with great regularity and an immense amount of freight is passing through the city both east and west. On the afternoon of Nov. 22, James H. Hall, while walking along the beach found a bottle tightly corked, to all appearance just landed by the waves. It contained a card on which was written with a lead pencil, evidently in haste, "Oct. 10, 1881. Lost at sea this day. Evans, Burgess and Hett." The last name was not plainly written. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ludington Record Vol. XVL Old Series No. 13 Vol. 3. New Series No. 28 Thursday, November 30, 1882 [extracted marine news] The schooner LILLIE PRATT has been tied up for the winter, after another good season's work. Capt. Sullivan will start for his home in Milwaukee this week. The litigation between CAPT. BRENIG and MRS. BILLINGS over the death of MR. BILLINGS at the Ferry some years ago, has been settled, by CAPT. BRENING giving a sum of money with that object in view. DANGERS OF THE DEEP The gale of last Thursday night was one that brought disaster to shipping and mourning to many homes in the lake regions. Tragedies occurred within a few miles of Ludington, both to the northward and southward, giving opportunity to prove the efficiency of our life sav- ing stations and the heroism that is at all times ready to crop out and meet any emergency. Our scene of thrilling interest took place about five miles off this port. The schooner MORNING LIGHT left Manistee, lumber laden, for Chicago at noon of Nov. 23rd, under the command of Capt. Thos. Burch and six men. The gale commenced a few hours afterwards and the schooner finally came to anchor off Clay banks, about four miles out. Both anchors were out, but one cable was parted and the other anchor was not sufficient to hold the vessel which gradually dragged towards the shore during the night. On Friday morning, Charles Tufts (No 3), of the life saving station, being on the lookout at the time reported a vessel in distress at 7:30 a.m., about five miles to the southward of Ludington. Capt. Brown at once got the crew in readiness, but a messenger sent from the clay banks neighborhood reported that but one man was to be seen. Capt. Brown at once decided to take the lifeboat and save the man. Capt. Breinig with the tug ALDRICH took the boat in tow and took them to about a half mile to windward of the wreck, the wind at the time blowing a gale from N. N. West. The lifeboat then came to within a short distance of the breakers when the anchor was dropped and the boat backed towards the vessel but a strong current running southward against the vessel and out to sea prevented them from getting to the wreck. A second attempt was made and failed but they succeeded in throwing the grapnel and hooking over the jib-top- sail stay. At this time the mainmast had fallen and was hanging foul of the fore rigging. The foremast was momentarily expected to fall, thus placing both those on board and those in the boat in the most imminent danger. John Dugan, mate, and one man succeeded in getting into the boat, when the jibboom broke off, thus preventing any more from leaving the vessel. The lifeboat was now cut from her cable as the only means of allowing them to reach the vessel for the remainder of the crew, but in a few moments the boat capsized. Being a self righting boat she righted in a short time. The men helped each other into the boat but two of their number had sustained some injuries; some oars were lost and the rudder smashed. They rowed to shore and reached land alright. As was expected, the foremast fell and lay diagonally across the main mast, binding the wreck together for the time being. The remainder of the crew left on the wreck climbed up to the foremast head, this being the only place above the waves left for them. Jesse T. Brown (No. 1), was sent to the station for the surf- boat. Albert Haire, the steward of the vessel, and still on the wreck, divested himself of some of his clothing and made a bold strike for the shore, and was saved from the undercurrent and brough to land in an exhausted condition by Capt. Brown and D. D. Ludwig, one of his crew. A. M. Agens and others who live in that neighborhood had built a fire on the beach, around which the wet and benumbed men were glad to cluster. When Jesse Brown, the messenger sent for the surf boat, reached the station he found a crew of volunteers already in posses- sion, and taking command was at once towed by the tug to the scene of action. The sea by this time was falling. The surf boat succeeded in rescuing four men remaining on the wreck and pulled back to the tug which took them to the station. The vessel became a complete wreck soon after. The volunteers who manned the surf boat are worthy of all praise for the boldness with which they undertook and accomplished their part of the work. The crew was composed of Peter Pasach, Gustav Gunderson, Charles Peterson, Charles Moburg, William Osborn with Jesse Brown, (No. 1) of the life saving station. John Dugan, mate, and others of the crew who were landed on the beach were generously cared for at the home of A. M. Agens, and they desire publicly to express their thanks to him for his humanity and kindness. SCHOONER J. O. MOSS. About 3 a.m. Friday morning the schooner J. O. MOSS was seen by patrolman Stillson of Point Sauble station to be at anchor about four miles to the northward. He returned to the station and reported the fact to Capt. Morgan whose opinion was that no vessel could outride such a storm. The crew left the station to look out for further de- velopements and saw the schooner drive ashore. The crew at once got the landing apparatus in readiness after sending word to Hamlin to telephone to the city for a team. Patrolman Stillson was left to watch the wreck and render any assistance he could until the men could return with the apparatus for landing the crew. The crew on the ves- sel made a line fast to their boat and one man got into it but was thrown out into the surf, yet he succeeded in reaching shore, assisted to land by Stillson. Another of the crew thought to work himself ashore by means of the line attached to the boat but lost his life. The body has not yet been recovered. When the life saving crew reached the beach opposite the vessel the line attached to the boat was used by the crew on board the wreck to haul out the whip line, which was made fast to the mast near the deck. It should have been made fast aloft to keep the men above the waves while in transit by means of what is known as the breeches buoy, but the crew were unable to climb aloft. They were all safely landed but had to undergo an unpleasant experience being dipped into the lake and elevated again as the vessel rolled to and from the shore. As is usual in such cases those on shore had made a fire to which each one was at once taken and by the aid of stimulants, revived as much as possible. In all cases the men were in an exhausted condition and must soon have perished but for this timely assistance. They were brought along with the lifesaving apparatus towards the station. When still some distance away, the lighthouse keeper met them and informed Capt. Morgan that two hunters had left word that nine miles to the northward another vessel was on beach and the crew clinging to the rigging. Capt. Morgan at once turned back and commenced a laborious march over sand hills and drift wood along the beach and reached the point indicated at 8 p.m. to find the ECLIPSE ashore with five men in the rigging and another of their number lying dead on the beach, hav- ing attempted to come ashore on a piece of wreck. The hunters who had given the alarm at the light house had retraced their steps and built a huge fire and were waiting to render any assistance they could. The efficiency of Capt. Morgan's crew is demonstrated by the fact that in one hour the five men were all saved. It was midnight when they reached the station and the survivors tasted food for the first time in thirty hours. The life saving crew had gone over thirty-four miles of ground, a portion of which had to be cleared of drift timber to enable the team to pass. They succeeded in saving ten lives in spite of a chilling November gale. No ordinary language can do justice to such brave work. The action of Captains Morgan and Brown and their respective crews ought not to pass unnoticed. Since the above was put in type we learn that the lost man was Barney McDonald. He was mate of the vessel. The captain speaks of him as follows: "Poor McDonald was a good navigator and a brave sailor, and we all sincerely mourn his death. The wind and sea were terrible, and it was freezing cold. Barney like the rest of us had been exposed for hours before he attempted to go ashore on the line, and he over estimated his strength in that fearful surf. He thought if he could reach the land he could aid in rescuing the rest of us, and he really died for us - gave up his life like the hero he really was. God bless poor Barney, and comfort his family." ===========================================================================