Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== MARINE REVIEW, VOL 43 December, 1913 Page 431 THE GREATEST STORM IN LAKE HISTORY The storm which enveloped the Great Lakes region Nov. 8 to 11 was the most destructive since the lakes have been commercially navigated and will doubtless mark a period in the history of the lakes. There have been great storms in the past, notably that of 1905, but none so extended in area, so terrific in force and so long continued without any cessation of wind velocity. The storm really began on Friday night, Nov. 7, striking Lake Supe- rior from the northwest. It was accompanied by a blinding snow storm, which made navigation practically impossible without great risk. The maximum velocity of the wind at the west end of Lake Superior on Saturday, Nov. 9, was at the rate of 68 miles an hour, with a heavy sea running. The sea ran pretty high all day Saturday and vessels remained in port. Those that were out sought shelter. THE FIRST CASUALTY The first casualty reported was that of the old wooden steamer LOUISIANA, belonging to the Thompson Steamship Co., of Cleveland, which ran ashore on Washington Island, Lake Michigan, at 2 o'clock Saturday morning, and almost immediately thereafter caught fire, becoming a total loss. The crew managed to reach the island in safety in the small boats. On Sunday the storm struck Lake Huron and tore across the Canadian peninsula to Lake Erie with incredible velocity, doing much havoc. Telephone and telegraph wires and all avenues of communication for a hundred miles around Cleveland were entirely destroyed. For the better part of two days vessel owners did not really know what had happened to their ships, as it was utterly impossible to get a wire through anywhere. The first information into Cleveland came by wireless after the aerials had been replaced. The early fragmentary information portended that something awful happened and gradually as avenues of communication were opened it became known that the most appalling disaster in history had been visited upon lake shipping. For a whole week thereafter lake navi- gation was either suspended or conducted in the most desulory fashion, so dazed was everyone by the heavy blow. The first intimation received of the unusual character of the storm was a wireless report that a vessel was floating upside down about 11 miles northeast of Fort Gratiot light, Lake Huron. This was a most mysterious circumstance, not generally credited, but subsequently developments proved it to be true. For several days the black overturned hull apparently floated transfixed in the one spot until it sank altogether out of sight. Then as quiet weather succeeded and the days went by and several stanch modern ships did not reach port, it became certain that the storm had taken a toll, the like of which has never been experienced before. Ten vessels had totally disappeared, six had been thrown up on the beach, becoming total losses, fifteen had been driven ashore, entailing heavy damage, and many others had to go to the ship yards to have their rivets tightened, so badly were they sprung by being pounded in the heavy seas. The storm inflicted its heaviest damage on Lake Huron, though it apparently did not reach that lake until about noon, Sunday, blowing generally from the north and inclining somewhat to north- east. NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED It will never be known what happened on board eight of the ships that were out in the storm on Lake Huron, because all of them foundered and not a life was saved. The experience of the steamer H. M. HANNA Jr., which was thrown upon a reef near Port Austin light, must have been typical in the experience of all. The HANNA passed Port Huron about 5 o'clock, Sunday morning, the weather being fair and clear, with a 15-mile breeze off the land and a low barometer. She passed Harbor Beach about 11:30 a.m., the wind increasing mean- while. The vessel passed Point Aux Barques about 2 p.m., and as the wind increased, she was hauled more to the northward to hold her head to the wind. As the day advanced the snow got thicker and thicker, and the wind and sea so increased that the vessel began dropping off her course. Tremendous seas began to break over her, demolishing her after cabin, carrying away the starboard life boat and tearing off the top of the pilot house. Page 432 THE MARINE REVIEW About eight o'clock at night the steward's wife was swept into the engine room by a particularly heavy sea, which struck the after quarters. Though the steamer was in good trim and her engine kept wide open, it was impossible to keep her headed into the sea and she gradually went off into the trough. From that time on she wallowed heavily, with the seas breaking continuously over her, demolishing the crew's quarters aft and pouring tons of water into the engine room. Pumps and siphons were kept going to free her, and when the captain saw the Port Austin light close aboard, he threw out the port anchor to bring her to wind, but she continued to drift until she was slammed up on the reef, where she was pounded so badly that she broke in two. All her hatches were torn from her and her rivets sheared off the top sides as if they had been cut with a chisel and hammer. The crew remained aboard the ship all day Monday, but the sea moderating on Tuesday morning, they were enabled to lower the port life boat and reach the shore. The balance of the crew were taken off by the life savers. Everybody aboard spoke in the highest praise of Mrs. BLACK, the cook, who floundered about in the galley in water waist-deep, trying to pre- pare meals for members of the crew. The HANNA was abandoned as a total constructive loss. It was at first thought that the ship found floating upside down near the foot of Lake Huron was the Canadian steamer WEXFORD, owned by the Western Steamship Co., Toronto, Ont. This steamer was built by Wm. Doxford & Sons, Sunderland, England, in 1883, and was of Canadian canal size. Doubts were expressed as to the correctness of her identity and certain evidence tended to prove that she was the steamer CHARLES S. PRICE, of the Hanna fleet. Divers later corroborated this evidence. The PRICE, which was built in 1910, was loaded with coal and was in seaworthy condition. She and the ISAAC M. SCOTT, also loaded with coal, passed Port Huron at approxi- mately the same time that the H. M. HANNA Jr., did. While the barometer was low, and high northwest winds were scheduled, there was nothing to indicate either in the sea or the wind at that time that the passage could not be made with reasonable safety. The first intimations of further disaster usually came in the form of the life boats or life rafts washing ashore. Vessel owners would hug the delusion that they had merely been swept overboard in the seas until the bodies of members of the crew also came ashore and then hope would be definitely abandoned. From these dire tidings it finally became certain that the steamers JAMES CARRUTHERS, JOHN A. McGEAN, ARGUS (formerly the R. E. SCHUCK), the WEXFORD, REGINA, CHARLES S. PRICE and ISAAC M. SCOTT had totally disappeared on Lake Huron and that the H. B. SMITH had foundered on Lake Superior somewhere between Marquette and the Sault. In addition, the LEAFIELD had struck the rocks on Angus Island, Lake Superior, and had foundered in deep water. The L.C. WALDO had run ashore on Manitou Island, Lake Superior, becoming a total constructive loss. The TURRET CHIEF had been driven ashore on Copper Harbor, Lake Superior, and the MATOA had gone ashore on Pointe Aux Barques, Lake Huron, both becoming total losses. LIGHTSHIP 82 had been torn from her moorings near Point Abino, Lake Erie, and had foundered with her crew of six. The barge PLYMOUTH had gone down near Gull Island, Lake *Superior, with her crew of seven. No such widespread disaster ever struck the lakes before. The most appalling thing, however, was the fearful loss of life. Twelve vessels had foundered taking down every member of the crew, amounting to 241 souls. Adding to that the three who lost their lives in endeavoring to reach shore from the stranded steamer NOTTINGHAM, the total death toll is 244. Every effort was made by the Lake Carriers' Association to re- cover the bodies. A complete land patrol of the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior was organized, while revenue cutters scoured the lakes, and as soon Page 433 THE MARINE REVIEW as a body was recovered and identified it was expressed home. Mean- while a disaster fund was started and contributions were immediate, so that within a few days over $75,000 was pledged for the relief of the bereaved families. During the natural excitement that prevailed after the results of the great storm became definitely known, considerable criticism was leveled against the warnings issued by the weather bureau. There is no sound reason, however, for criticizing the weather bureau, as it had sent out its customary storm warnings, and there is no reason to believe that the bureau could have foreseen the unprecedented sit- uation which existed in Lake Huron. The storm sprang up in that lake with great suddeness and violence and while its direction was gener- ally from the northwest on other lakes, it appears to have struck Lake Huron from a north or northeasterly direction, apparently changing direction suddenly as the wind was frequently blowing one way while the sea was running another way. Masters of vessels that lived through it all testified that it was the worst storm in their experience and that their ships were never pounded so before. Heavy seas were constantly breaking over the vessels. Vessels coming down the lakes were continually boarded by following seas which tore away the after quarters or kept them constantly flooded to a depth of several feet, sweeping everything portable overboard. Considerable water also found its way by this means into the engine room. Vessels heading into the sea stood in danger of carrying away their pilot houses, and it was absolutely impossible to go either forward or aft on any of them, owing to the heavy seas continually breaking over the vessels. As usual, there was much criticism from uninformed sources concern- ing owners who sent their boats out in such perilous weather. As a matter of fact, no owner gives sailing orders to his master. The navigation of the ship is left entirely to the master's judgment and it is neither expected nor desired of him that he should put out if weather conditions are unfavorable for safe navigation. No language could be plainer than the following, which is taken from a fleet circular letter issued last September: "Do not overload your vessel. See to it that you always have an abundance of fuel on board. Be careful that your hatches are pro- perly secured and your ship is seaworthy before leaving port, even though you might suffer some delay doing so. Remember, I am relying upon your judgment as to when to seek shelter. "The safety of the lives and property entrusted to your care must be your first consideration. See that you have oil bags and a supply of sea oil on hand for fall weather. "I want to caution the masters of all our vessels, particularly the smaller steamers and barges, not to overload them. Keep your boat at all times so that she will have plenty of buoyancy for the fall gales." Similar instructions are practically issued to the masters by all of the leading companies on the Great Lakes. The heavy loss of life and property was undoubtedly due to the unprecedented character of the storm. All sorts of theories are advanced as to the cause of so many vessels foundering, but obviously everything is as yet conjecture. The vessels destroyed represented not only the best of lake practice, but of Eng- lish and Scotch yards as well. Three of the vessels were British- built and while the REGINA was constructed after the lake model, the WEXFORD and LEAFIELD were typical British tramps, designed to go any- where in the world. There is this point to be considered, that so violent a storm is not usually so prolonged. It was cyclonic in character with an average velocity of 60 miles an hour, accompanied by frequent spurts, in which the wind reached a maximum of 79 miles an hour. This condition continued well over 12 hours, whipping up tremendous seas, such probably as have never been encountered on the lakes. One theory is that the vessels were gradually blown into the trough and that they rolled so heavily as to capsize through shifting of cargo. Another theory is that water may have gotten into the hold through the hatches or sufficient admitted through sprung rivets as to cause the vessels to finally fill and founder. As all of the casualties on Page 434 THE MARINE REVIEW Lake Huron occurred in a very congested area, and as no one could see through the blinding snow, there is a possibility that one or more vessels may have been in collision. One thing alone is known and that is that one of the ships actually turned turtle. How she came to turn absolutely upside down will no doubt be debated in marine circles for many years to come. If her cargo shifted in rolling and she took in water, one would naturally think that she would settle on her beam's end; if she took in water through sprung rivets, she would probably founder, sinking stern first. How she remained afloat upside down as long as she did is also a topic of discussion in many quarters. The theory generally credited is that her stern rested on the bottom and that the forward part of her was kept afloat by the buoyancy of her tanks and she settled gradually as the air -------------------------------------------------------------- | Capt. Hagen's Statement | | I am master of the steamer HOWARD M. HANNA JR., and | | have been master of lake vessels for about 25 years and | | have been in the employ of Capt. Richardson's fleet for | | 12 years as master of different vessels. | | We left Lorain, bound for Ft. William, Ont., on Saturday | | Nov. 8, 1913, at about 10 o'clock a.m., loaded with 9,120 | | tons of soft coal, and with a full complement of officers | | and crew, 25 men, including myself. We were drawing 18 ft. | | 9 in. forward and 19 ft. 2 in. aft We had taken on fuel at | | Lorain and had about 325 tons of coal for our fuel bunker | | and we had plenty of fuel to make the round trip, and with | | provisions enough to last at least 20 days as we did not | | want to get any provisions at Fort William, and so we took | | enough to make the round trip. On leaving, the vessel was | | in ideal trim for encountering heavy weather. The cargo | | had been loaded so that it was up flush with the hatch | | coamings, with the exception of 6, 7 and 9, and the way the | | cargo had been loaded there was no chance of cargo shifting.| | The hatches had been battened down and we had tarpaulins | | with hatch bars and windy youngs; the bars were placed | | three athwartships on each hatch and three windy youngs | | fore and aft on each hatch, and everything was secured. | | Everything movable had proper lashings and the vessel was | | as staunch and seaworthy as possible. Upon getting out in- | | to Lake Huron the weather was good, the wind was west of | | north, maybe a 15 mile breeze off the land. We passed Fort | | Gratiot lightship at 5:12 a.m., of Nov. 9. The weather | | continued fair and clear until after passing Harbor Beach, | | but had shifted, first S. E. for a few minutes, then N. E., | | then N. N. E., and then continued about that direction with | | increasing velocity. We passed Harbor Beach at about 11:30 | | a.m., but at this time the wind was increasing gradually | | from a N. N. E. direction. Up until 3 o'clock there had | | been slight flurries of snow, but nothing unusual. At | | three o'clock it began to snow heavily so we couldn't see | | more than a mile or two and the wind was N. N. E. and in- | | creasing. | | We passed Point Aux Barques somewhere about 2 p.m., and | | about 5 miles off Point Aux Barques, our compass course be- | | ing N. x W. 1/4 W. We had changed our course at Harbor | | Beach to this and as the wind increased we had hauled more | | to the northward to hold her head to the wind. | | Between 7 and 8 p.m., with it snowing so we couldn't see | | the land and could not tell just where we were and could | | not tell just how fast we were going, but we were possibly | | 15 miles above Point Aux Barques. The wind and sea had in- | | creased so that the vessel began dropping off her course, | | although the engines were being worked at full speed ahead. | | Tremendous seas were coming over our bow and our starboard | | quarter and over the whole vessel in fact, and the seas had | | carried away part of our after cabin and had broken in our | | pilot house window and had torn off the top of the pilot | | house. | | Then shortly after 8 o'clock she dropped off so that she | | came around into the trough of the sea. We had been taking | | seas over us right along and we had been using our siphons | | and pumps, but we knew she was taking in water by the way | | the pumps worked. After she got into the trough of the sea | | she commenced to roll and tumble and the seas were washing | | over her, and on account of throwing her propeller wheel | | out of the water and losing her headway it became impossi- | | ble for us to bring her back so as to head into the sea or | | to keep her off before the sea, although we made every | | effort to do so that was possible. We lay in the trough of | | sea, rolling heavily, with the sea washing over. | | Shortly before 10 o'clock we could see Port Austin light | | and the bearing of the light was nearly S. W. off our port | | bow and as we saw that we were pretty close to Port Austin | | reef I ordered the first mate to drop our anchors and the | | first mate went down into the windlass room and let go the | | port anchor in order to try to bring her head to the wind. | | She didn't come up only about a point and in a very short | | time, about 10 o'clock p.m., she drifted broadside onto | | Port Austin reef, and as she lay on the rocks she was head- | | ed N. W. x W., and the light was bearing S. W. The port | | side fetched up on the rocks first and the seas and wind | | pounded her until the vessel went up onto the reef, leaving | | a list to starboard of about a foot, and in a very short | | time she filled with water. The water was right up to the | | deck and the hatches were all washed off. | | Afte we went on the forward crew all came up into the | | texas to get shelter and remained there until about 2 p.m. | | the afternoon of the 10th. The after crew remained aft in | | the mess room and kitchen, and after we fetched up we had | | no communication with the other end of the boat until Mon- | | day forenoon, when the weather moderated somewhat and the | | third engineer worked his way forward with food. In the | | afternoon the weather had moderated so that the forward | | crew were able to get aft and remained there with the after | | crew in the kitchen and mess room until Tuesday morning, | | Nov. 11. After daylight the mate went up on the after | | cabin with some of the crew and they cleared the ice and | | water out of the port lifeboat, and at about 7:30 they got | | the lifeboat lowered, and the two mates, two wheelsmen, | | boatswain, third engineer, two firemen and a watchman got | | the boat away and started for shore to procure assistance | | for the rest of the crew. They got ashore and landed on | | the beach near Port Austin. By the time our lifeboat got | | ashore the life saving crew started out and got to our boat | | about 10 o'clock. | | When we left the vessel was broken in two about the after | | side of No. 7 hatch; you could see the crack across the | | deck and down the side. The smokestack was gone; also the | | life rafts and the starboard lifeboat had been washed away, | | and she had about a foot to a foot and a half starboard | | list, with her bows probably 6 to 7 feet lower than her | | stern, and half of the fuel hatch and the boiler house had | | been carried away; also the starboard side of the cabin and | | the after end of the cabin, leaving just the kitchen and | | the mess room and the hard coal box. The houses forward | | were all stove in, the windows and doors knocked off, the | | top of the pilot house gone, the bulwarks forward were all | | driven in, and, in my opinion, the vessel is a total loss. | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Page 435 THE MARINE REVIEW escaped from them. The steamer JOHN A. McGEAN was last seen about ten o'clock Sunday morning some distance north of Tawas Point on the direct Detour course. The SCOTT was following a few miles behind the McGEAN. With a lee shore both vessels were comparatively secure from a northwest gale on this course. It was about an hour after this that the north- east gale struck Lake Huron and undoubtedly both the McGEAN and the SCOTT headed into it. What happened to them after that is merest guesswork. Capt. Charles L. Hutchinson thinks that the McGEAN may have run on the nine-fathom bank which is a shoal in the middle of Lake Huron, where fishermen say there is only 21 ft. of water. Vessels taking a generally northeasterly course from the point at which the McGEAN and SCOTT must have turned might possibly strike this shoal. If one of them did, of course, with the tremendous seas running it would be broken to pieces at once. One of the great mysteries is the dissapearance of the bulk freighter JAMES CARRUTHERS. This steamer was built at the Collingwood yard dur- ing the present year and was one of the best constructed vessels on the Great Lakes. She had several hundred tons more steel worked into her hull than is usual and for that reason her carrying capacity was greatly diminished, the owners sacrificing earning power for stanch- ness and seaworthiness. The CARRUTHERS lef the Sault downbound at approximately the same time that the J. H. SHEADLE did and both entered Lake Huron within an hour of each other; yet the SHEADLE came through after a trying experience, but the CARRUTHERS has not been heard from since. What happened to her is the merest conjecture. The most plausible theory is that she got into the trough and that her cargo of wheat shifted, causing her to sink. She represents the greatest single loss, as she was insured for $409,000 and her cargo of grain was insured for $350,000. The steamer J. H. SHEADLE locked down at 8:30 o'clock Saturday even- ing, Nov. 8, being preceded by the JAMES CARRUTHERS and followed by the HYDRUS. The SHEADLE passed out of St. Mary's river into Lake Huron at 1:53 A.M. Nov. 9, with the wind light N. NE. This must have been approximately the time that the CARRUTHERS and the HYDRUS also entered the lake. After passing Thunder bay a strong N. NE wind developed and the SHEADLE shifted her course owing to the sea getting uncomfortable and continued to shift from a half to a point in order to keep running practically dead before it. Capt. Lyman says that he got his regular soundings at Point aux Barques. It was snowing a blinding blizzard at the time, making it impossible to see anything. At Harbor Beach the sea soundings showed that the SHEADLE was three miles outside of the wide course line. The wind was then due north and the SHEADLE was running dead before the wind and sea. At 5:45 P.M., she shipped an enormous sea over the stern, smashing in the after windows and sweeping all the provisions out of the refrigerator, doing considerable damage to the interior of the cabin and fixtures. Capt. Lyons says that it was blowing about 70 miles an hour at the time, and that the sea was about 35 ft. high, one wave following another very closely. This was the testimony of other captains, that two or three waves would follow each other in rapid succession. The seas did not lengthen as they usually do when the wind increases in the ordinary way. The wind velocity of this particular storm increased rapidly from 25 to 70 miles an hour, and the SHEADLE was continuously pounded by following seas. The table had just been set for supper when the first sea struck her. The supper was washed off the table and the dishes piled up and smashed. Some of the fit-out of the private dining room was washed into the mess room. The steward's trunk was washed out of his room and stood up on end in the galley, and from that time on there was from four to six ft. of water continuously in the after cabins. The only dry place for the after crew was in the engine room, where they remained all night. At times volumes of water poured down into the engine room through the upper skylights. Capt. Lyons continued on his course, using the lead constantly, and at nine o'clock at night had soundings of 18 fathoms carrying him well off to the west shore. He then called up the engineer and told him that at ten o'clock he was going to turn the ship around and wanted him to increase the speed of the ship up to that time so as to enable him to bring her around head to. At ten o'clock the Page 436 THE MARINE REVIEW SHEADLE turned. It took her about ten minutes to do so. She rolled heavily, but came around all right head to. Capt. Lyons then ran back on a N. 1/2 E. course for 6-1/4 hours, following the soundings back from 10 to 22 fathoms. About 4:15 on the morning of the 10th he turned again. This time the ship remained longer in the trough of the sea than she did the first time, on account of not getting so much way, and running head into it, but she behaved very well, though rolling fright- fully. While the steamer was coming about, Capt. Lyons braced himself by holding onto the handles of the hand-steering wheel. He was not only lifted from off his feet, but his whole body assumed a practically horizontal position. In returning the speed of the steamer was de- creased from full to 55 turns, as the SHEADLE got closer down to the river. Meanwhile the wind had gone to the northwest and the sea began to go down. The SHEADLE passed within a thousand ft. of the hull of the PRICE. Just before she arrived abreast of the hull the deep sea lead as cast and registered 10 fathoms. Shortly after that it began to snow heavily and the SHEADLE let go her anchor. Capt. Lyons pays a very good tribute to the deep sea lead. "The use of the deep sea lead," he said, "was a great comfort to me. I knew where I was all the time. Having the familiar soundings right along through it all was the only thing that kept us from being wrecked. The soundings were familiar and gave us confidence. We use the machine constantly and the men are accustomed to it, but it was great punishment on them keeping it going." Capt. Lyons says that in running with the sea he accomplished the distance in two hours that took 6-1/2 hours in bucking it. He says the 70 mile gale lasted from about ten o'clock Sunday morning until about two o'clock Monday morning, or 16 hours with continuous snow. It will probably cost $18,000 to repair the damage to the SHEADLE caused by the pounding of the sea. The steamer MATOA, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, went ashore at Point Aux Barques, Lake Huron, after a terrible struggle with the storm. Her cabins were demolished and her engine room filled with water. Captain W. W. Smith, marine superintendent for the company, after an examination, abandoned her as a total loss. The CORSICA SHOAL LIGHTSHIP was torn from her moorings and fetched up two miles east and two miles south of her station. This occurred on Sunday, but the keeper of the lightship would not assume the respons- ibility of returning it to her station until orders had been received from the lighthouse district at Chicago the next day with the result that the steamer MATTHEW ANDREWS went on Corsica Shoal. A further instance of how things should not be done was afforded by the captain of the revenue cutter MORRELL, leaving the wreck of the PRICE upon orders from Washington to go to the assistance of the G. J. GRAMMAR, ashore at Lorain. The PRICE was directly in the track of vessels and a positive menace to navigation, whereas the GRAMMAR was resting upon a sandy bottom and could not possibly injure herself or anything else and was in no need of assistance from any revenue cutter. When President Livingstone, of the Lake Carriers' Association, Page 437 THE MARINE REVIEW learned of this maneuver, he dispatched the tug SARNIA CITY to the relief of the PRICE. The steamer L. C. WALDO, owned by the Roby Transportation Co., of Detroit, went ashore at Manitou Island, Lake Superior, after having lost her steering wheel, which was carried away in the heavy seas striking the pilot house. All the members of her crew were saved, but they had an especially trying time, having been for more than three days without food and practically without shelter, as the seas were going over the bow constantly. The WALDO broke in two when she struck. The steamer GEORGE STEPHENSON, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, stood by the WALDO for a whole day. Captain A. C. Mosher, of the Stephenson, finally succeeded in launching a life boat and sent one of his mates ashore with a picked crew to get the life savers from Eagle Harbor to take off the crew of the WALDO. It was the women again, Mrs. Arthur Rice, the steward's wife, and Mrs. Mackey, his mother, who cheered the crew during their trying experiences. "It was about nine p.m., Nov. 7, when we first ran into the storm," said Captain Duddleson. "We were coming down from Two Harbors with ore when the wind shifted to a north gale. At 11:30 there was a heavy sea, which smashed the forecastle and laid the whole forward part of the boat open. We tried to turn around, but could not. The hatches were carried away and the boat was running before the wind. At four o'clock the following morning we hit Gull rock reef, going on hard. The water was continually breaking over her, threatening to tear her to pieces." The steamer TURRET CHIEF, owned by the Canadian Lake & Ocean Navi- gation Co., was driven high on the beach at the extreme point off Keweenaw, north of Copper Harbor, Lake Superior, and was badly pounded, though the wreckers are endeavoring to get her this fall. The steamer WILLIAM NOTTINGHAM, of the Great Lakes Steamship Co.'s fleet, went ashore between Sand and Parisian Islands, Lake Superior, and was very badly damaged. Her grain cargo, insured for $200,000, was a total loss. After several days of labor, the wreckers succeeded in releasing the NOTTINGHAM and she was taken to Toledo for repairs. The steamer H. B. HAWGOOD, of the Acme Steamship Co.'s fleet, up- bound without cargo, went ashore in the snow storm about two miles above Point Edward, Lake *Superior*, but was later released without much damage. The steamer W. G. POLLOCK, of the Valley Steamship Co.'s fleet, went aground just below the St. Clair ship canal, having taken a sheer into the east bank. The steamer G. J. GRAMMER went aground half a mile east of the harbor mouth at Lorain on Sunday, Nov. 9, but was released a few days later. The steamer F. G. HARTWELL, of the Tomlinson fleet, struck about a mile southeast of the Iroquois light, Lake Superior, and sank in 26 ft. of water. She was floated after her cargo of ore had been lightered. The steamer CORNELL, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, had a terrible time keeping off the beach at Crisp Point, Lake Superior. She had both anchors out and her engines going full speed ahead to keep her from going ashore. This was on Saturday, Nov. 8. On Sun- day morning the wind moderated and the CORNELL put out, only to be caught in the gale later in the day. She was light, but the seas mounted her fantail and smashed in her after quarters. It was im- possible to get from forward to aft, Page 438 THE MARINE REVIEW the crew being without anything to eat for a couple of days. The height of the waters can be appreciated when it is known that the CORNELL, being light, her fantail must have been above 30 ft. above the surface of the water. The steamer J. T. HUTCHINSON, of the Pioneer Steamship Co.'s fleet, went aground at Point Iroquois, Lake Superior, and sustained heavy damage. She was later released, however, and taken to Lorain for repairs. The steamer PONTIAC, of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.'s fleet, en route from Lake Michigan light to Marquette, ran on Simmon's Reef, Straits of Mackinaw. As her tanks were leaking, she was forced to abandon her trip and to return to Lake Erie for repairs. The steamer PETER WHITE, of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.'s fleet, bound to Marquette light, was caught in the gale on Lake Superior and lost 45 of her wooden hatch covers through springing of the boat. They were all battered to pieces, floating around in the loose water in the hold. The WHITE succeeded in making the lee of Grand Island and remained there until the worst of the storm was over. The passenger steamer HURONIC, of the Northern Navigation Co.'s fleet, went ashore on Whitefish Point, and was badly pounded for three days. The steamer J. M. JENKS, of the Hawgood fleet, went ashore at Midland, Ont., and had to lighter part of her grain cargo before she could be released. The steamer A. E. STEWART, owned by the Stewart Transportation Co., went ashore in Whitefish Bay. The steamer D. O. MILLS of the Interlake Steamship Co.'s fleet, went ashore at Harbor Beach, Lake Huron, but released herself with- out damage. The steamer VICTORY, of the Interlake Steamship Co.'s fleet, went aground at the entrance to the Livingstone channel, Detroit river, and had to lighter part of her cargo before she could be released. The CENTURION, of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.'s fleet, crossed Lake Huron during the gale. She was pretty thoroughly pounded and lost 40 of her hatch sections. The steamer BLACK, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, had a serious time of it at Gary. While moored at the dock, the wind tore out her deck winches and she pounded pretty badly against the concrete wall, receiving heavy damage. The history of such a storm, of course, can only be related by a recital of individual experiences. Probably no one who was out in it on Sunday, Nov. 9, will ever forget it. The wind blew at Cleve- land for one minute on Sunday (at 4:40 p.m.) at the rate of 79 miles per hour and was followed by a wind for nine hours thereafter vary- ing from 60 to 62 miles an hour. Its force may well be imagined when it snapped 2-inch steel mooring lines. The Pittsburgh Steam- ship Company had a number of barges moored in the east basin within the breakwater at Cleveland. The barges were anchored bow and stern alternately in broadside fashion with cables running diagonally from barge to barge. The wind was so wild, however, that cables that would be secure under all ordinary conditions were loosened up with the result that the barges came together broadside. In some cases the bitts were actually pulled out of the barges by the wind, and three of them, the THOMAS, HOLLY and JENNEY, were blown upon the beach. The barges that were moored in the east breakwater were the SMEATON, FRITZ, ROEBLING, MANILA, MAIDA, JENNEY, THOMAS, Page 439 THE MARINE REVIEW CORLISS, MARTHA and MARCIA. The damage to the barges will probably amount to $100,000. The steamer RICHARD TRIMBLE, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, was in the east breakwater at the time. She had both anchors out, well bridled with 45 fathoms of chain to each anchor or 16 tons of tackle, altogether in good holding ground and yet she kept drift- ing. She had to keep her engines constantly working ahead to ease the strain on the chains, notwithstanding the fact that she had 8,000 tons of water in her. The passenger steamer STATE OF OHIO, which was moored in the west slip of the East Ninth street pier at Cleveland, parted her lines and rode diagonally across the slip, carrying a fleet of anchored motor boats with her and smashing them to pieces on the opposite side of the pier. The storm came up with such sudden fury that several steamers lost their anchors before they had time to hoist them. The steamer FARRELL, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, had to return to the Sault for this reason, having lost both anchors. The steamer NORTHERN QUEEN went ashore in a blinding snow storm at Kettle Point, one of the most dangerous places on Lake Huron, and was badly pounded. The members of her crew, at first reported drowned, were all saved. It will be noted that no use appears to have been made of the life boats on the various vessels that foundered in Lake Huron, and the probability is that they could not be launched. It has been sug- gested that the chances of escape by means of life boat would be increased if the crew merely took their stations in the boats prior to the moment of foundering and allowed the life boat to float off as the vessel sank. The wooden steamer MAJOR, owned by Capt. John Mitchell, of Cleve- land, was abandoned by her crew about 19 miles west of Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, on Thursday, Nov. 13. She was so thoroughly shaken up by the heavy seas running that it seemed impossible to keep her afloat and she was abandoned by the crew. The MAJOR was picked up by the steamer BARNUM, of the Tomlinson fleet, and towed to the Sault, where an examination was made of her, as a result of which the owners abandoned her to the underwriters as a total con- structive loss. That the gale was unmistakably a northeast gale on Lake Huron for a considerable period of time is proved by four photographs pub- lished herewith showing the havoc done along the shore at Port Huron. The canal at Port Huron is normally 30 ft. wide and has about 8 ft. of water in it. The great wind filled it with sand for a width of 80 ft., a depth of 8 ft., and for a distance of 1,000 ft. back from the shore line. In order to do this the sand had to be carried over a breakwall. It will be noted from the pictures that the abutments of the bridge over the canal were totally swept and the embankment itself eaten out. All along the shore at Kewahdin Beach trees were uprooted, concrete walks swept away, and the general shoreline carried back to the very foundations of the houses. The work of recovering the bodies of the drowned members of the crews of the various vessels was under the general supervision of the Welfare Plan Committee and the records kept ========================================================================================= TOTAL LOSSES IN THE GREAT NOVEMBER STORM Carrying capacity Value Location NAME OF gross of Insured Insured of VESSEL tons Vessel for Cargo for accident ========================================================================================= Str. Charles S. Price 9,000 $340,000 $322,000 Coal $21,700 Lake Huron Str. Isaac M. Scott 9,000 349,000 325,000 Coal 20,000 Lake Huron Str. H. B. Smith 10,000 350,000 338,200 Ore 38,000 Lake Superior Str. James Carruthers 9,500 420,000 400,900 Grain 350,000 Lake Huron Str. Wexford 2,800 125,000 107,300 Steel ... Ft. of Lake Huron rails Str. Regina 3,000 123,000 99,800 ... ... Lake Huron Str. Leafield 3,500 100,000 74,100 Steel 70,000 Angus Island, rails Lake Superior Str. John A. McGean 7,500 240,000 .... Coal 17,900 Lake Huron Str. Argus 7,000 136,000 .... Coal 15,000 Lake Huron Str. Hydrus 7,000 136,000 .... Ore 28,000 Lake Huron Bge. Plymouth 600 5,000 .... .... .... Gull Island, Lake Michigan Lightship No. 82 180 25,000 .... .... .... Point Abino, Lake Erie Bge. Halstead 800 5,000 .... .... .... Green Bay, Lake Michigan CONSTRUCTIVE TOTAL LOSSES Carrying Capacity Value Location NAME of gross of Insured Insured of VESSEL tons Vessel for Cargo for Accident ==================================================================================== Str. L. C. Waldo 7,000 $250,000 227,700 Ore 23,000 Manitou Island, Lake Superior Str. H. M. Hanna Jr. 8,300 315,000 301,200 Coal 20,000 Pt. Aux Barques, Lake Huron Str. Major 3,000 28,000 25,000 .... .... Nr. Whitefish Pt., Lake Superior Str. Matoa 3,104 117,900 .... Coal 12,000 Pt. Aux Barques, Lake Huron Str. Louisiana 2,800 20,000 15,000 Light .... Washington Island, Lake Michigan Str. Turret Chief 3,180 100,000 .... .... .... Copper Harbor, Lake Superior DAMAGE TO STRANDED VESSELS Estimated Vessel Location damage ===================================================================== Str. Northern Queen Kettle Point, Lake Huron $25,000 Str. J. M. Jenks Midland harbor, Georgian Bay 25,000 Str. H. B. Hawgood Weis Beach, Lake Huron 7,000 Str. W. G. Pollock Lake St. Clair ship canal 3,000 Str. G. J. Grammer Lorain, Lake Erie 1,500 Str. A. E. Stewart Whitefish bay 2,000 Str. Acadian Thunder Bay, Lake Huron 30,000 Str. Meaford St. Mary's river 500 Str. Scottish Hero Lake Superior 500 Str. Huronic Whitefish Point 30,000 Str. Pontiac Simmon's Reef, Straits of Mackinac 7,500 Str. Nottingham Nr. Parisian Island, Lake Superior 75,000 Str. J. T. Hutchinson Point Iroquois, Lake Superior 40,000 Str. F. G. Hartwell Nr. Iroquois Light, Lake Superior 30,000 Str. Matthew Andrews Corsica Shoal, Lake Huron 2,500 Str. Victory Livingstone Channel, Detroit River 12,000 Str. D. O. Mills Harbor Beach, Lake Huron 45,000 Str. Saxone Lake St. Clair 1,500 Str. Fulton Bar Point, Lake Erie 2,500 Pittsb'gh Steam . . Co.'s barges Collided in breakwater, Cleveland 100,000 Page 440 THE MARINE REVIEW PARTICULARS OF THE FLEET TOTALLY DESTROYED IN THE GREAT NOVEMBER STORM Over all Keel Beam Depth Gross Net When Name of Vessel ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. tonnage tonnage built Owner =========================================================================================================== *Str. L. C. Waldo 472 . 452 . 48 2 28 . 4,466 3,519 1896 Roby Transp. Co., L. C. Waldo, Mgr. Detroit, Mich. Str. Chas. S. Price 524 . 504 . 54 . 30 . 6,322 4,901 1910 Mahoning Steamship Co. M. A. Hanna & Co., mgrs Cleveland, O. Str. Isaac M. Scott 524 . 504 . 54 . 30 . 6,372 4,840 1909 Virginia Steamship Co. M. A. Hanna & Co., mgrs Cleveland, O. *Str. H. M. Hanna Jr. 500 . 480 . 54 . 30 . 5,905 4,412 1908 The Hanna Transit Co. W. C. Richardson & Co., mgrs Cleveland, O. Str. H. B. Smith 545 . 525 . 55 . 31 . 6,631 5,529 1906 Acme Transit Co. Hawgood & Co., mgrs Cleveland, O. Str. James Carruthers 550 . 529 . 58 . 31 . 7,862 5,606 1913 St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam Nav. Co., Ltd. Toronto, Ont. Str. Wexford 270 . 250 . 40 1 16 7 2,104 1,340 1883 Western Transit Co., Ltd 72 Bay St., Toronto, Ont. Str. Regina 269 . 249 3 42 1/2 23 . 1,956 1,280 1907 Merchants Mutual Line Toronto, Ont. Str. Leafield 269 . 249 . 32 . 28 . 1,453 1,176 1892 Algoma Central Steamship Line Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. *Str. Major 303 . 283 . 41 . 22 . 1,864 1,491 1889 John Mitchell, mgr. Cleveland Steamship, Co. Cleveland, O. Str. John A. McGean 452 . 432 . 52 . 28 . 5,100 3,777 1908 Pioneer Steamship Co. Hutchinson & Co., mgs Cleveland, O. *Str. Matoa 310 . 290 . 40 . 25 . 2,311 1,836 1910 Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. Argus 436 . 416 . 50 . 28 . 4,707 3,380 1903 Interlake Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. Hydrus 436 . 416 . 50 . 28 . 4,713 3,384 1903 Interlake Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. *Str. Louisiana 287 . 267 . 39 . 21 . 1,829 1,383 1887 Thompson Steamship Co. J. R. Davock, mrg. Cleveland, O. *Str. Turret Chief 273 . 253 . 44 . 19 7 1,831 1,197 1896 Canadian Lake & Ocean Navigation Co. Toronto, Ont. Bge. Plymouth 223 . 213 . 35 . 13 . 774 729 1854 McKinnon & Scott Menominee, Mich Lightship No. 82 105 . 89 . 21 . 14 . 180 . 1912 Light-House Bureau ------------------------- *Constructive Total Loss by the committee were of inestimable value in serving to identify the dead. In fact, this particular feature was of such outstanding im- portance that it is understood that Canadian owners will organize welfare work of a similar character in the near future. Captain E. O. Whitney, of Ashtabula, was appointed chairman of a committee, con- sisting of R. A. Harrison, traveling commissioner of the Lake Carriers' Association; Captain Fred Weiner, of Pickands, Mather & Co.'s fleet; Captain George H. Bowen and Capt. J. A. Ferguson, of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, to assume active charge of the work of recovery. This committee established headquarters at the Hotel Bedford, Goderich, Ont., and divided the lake shore into districts, each captain taking charge of one district. Each district was then subdivided into five- mile stretches and a patrol organized. The first thing done was to make a thorough search of the wreckage, which was piled up 5 or 6 ft. deep and carried back from 1,000 to 1,500 ft. beyond the normal shore line. Every inch of the ground from Kettle Point to Kincardine was PARTICULARS OF THE FLEET THAT STRANDED IN THE GREAT STORM Ov.all Keel Beam Depth Gross Net When Name of Vessel ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. tonnage tonnage built Owner ================================================================================================================= Str. Northern Queen 319 . 299 . 40 6 24 6 2,476 1,885 1888 Mutual Transit Co. Buffalo, N.Y. Str. J. M. Jenks 434 . 414 . 50 . 28 . 4,644 3,381 1902 Acme Transit Co. Hawgood & Co., mgrs. Cleveland, O. Str. H. B. Hawgood 434 . 414 . 50 . 28 . 4,635 3,386 1903 Acme Transit Co. Hawgood & Co., mgrs. Cleveland, O. Str. W. G. Pollock 440 . 420 . 52 . 28 . 4,872 3,383 1906 Valley Steamship Co. W. H. Becker, mrg. Cleveland, O. Str. G. J. Grammer 454 . 434 . 48 . 28 . 4,471 3,703 1902 Seither Transit Co. W. H. Becker, mrg. Cleveland, O. Str. A. E. Stewart 376 . 356 . 50 . 28 . 3,943 3,049 1902 Stewart Transit Co. John J. Barlum, mgr. Detroit, Mich. Str. Acadian 256 6 246 6 43 . 26 6 2,305 1,457 1908 Merchants Mutual Line, Ltd. Toronto, Ont. Str. Meaford 268 5 248 5 42 . 20 6 1,889 1,2*1 1903 Farrar Transportation Co., Ltd Collingwood, Ont. Str. Scottish Hero 317 . 297 . 40 . 24 1 2,201 1,386 1895 Merchants Mutual Line, Ltd. Toronto, Ont. Str. Pontiac 320 . 300 . 40 . 24 . 2,298 1,788 1885 Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Cleveland, O. Str. Huronic 328 . 308 . 43 . 27 . 3,329 2,211 1902 Northern Navigation Co. Sarnia, Ont. Str. Wm. Nottingham 400 . 380 . 50 . 28 . 4,254 3,070 1902 Great Lakes Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. J. T. Hutchinson 366 . 346 . 48 . 28 . 3,734 2,870 1901 Mutual Steamship Co., G. A. Tomlinson, mgr. Duluth, Minn. Str. Matthew Andrews 552 . 532 . 58 . 31 . 7,014 5,497 1907 Interlake Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. Victory 472 . 452 . 48 . 27 . 4,927 3,704 1895 Interlake Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. D. O. Mills 552 . 532 . 58 . 31 . 6,598 4,850 1907 Interlake Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Str. Saxona 436 . 416 . 50 . 28 . 4,716 3,441 1903 Zenith Steamship Co. G. A. Tomlinson, mgr. Duluth, Minn. Str. Fulton 444 . 424 . 46 . 28 . 4,219 3,481 1896 Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Cleveland, O. Bge. Halsted 192 . 171 . 22 . 12 6 496 472 1873 Soper Lumber Co. W. E. Holmes & mgrs Chicago, IL. Page 442 THE MARINE REVIEW thoroughly examined. The tug HORTON patrolled the water along the shore, using row and motor boats to make a more intimate search of the numerous inlets. The tug went northward as far as Cape Hurd and with the help of the natives, who were very earnest in assisting in the search, all the bays and islands were thoroughly explored. Mean- while the Canadian revenue cutter LAMPTON cruised in the open lake, covering an area of 25 miles from shore. The Lake Carriers' Association issued a standing order of $25 reward for every body recovered. While this work was going on, the Lake Carriers' Association, through the Welfare records, obtained from relatives detailed descriptions of the members of the various crews and these, as they were received, were telegraphed to the headquarters of the searching party, where a systematic record was kept of them. As the bodies were recovered they were taken to Southampton, Goderich, Kincardine or Sarnia, whichever might be nearest. Comparisons were then made with the descriptions filed with the committee and as soon as the body was identified, the Lake Carriers' Association communi- cated with relatives as to the disposition of the remains, meanwhile embalming and preparing the body for burial. Of the 32 bodies recovered from Lake Carriers' vessels, 28 have been identified. Of the 26 recovered from Canadian vessels, 13 have been identified. Of the identified bodies, in only one instance was the Lake Carriers' Association unable to turn the remains Page 443 THE MARINE REVIEW over to the family and that was the case of a young man whose home was in Norway and who had no relatives in this country. Of the four unidentified bodies recovered from Lake Carriers' vessels, one is not definitely known as coming from a Lake Carriers' vessel. The body came ashore with a group of bodies from the steamer JOHN A. McGEAN, but it had on a different life preserver; in fact, different from any life preserver carried on any Lake Carriers' vessel. Of the unidentified bodies, two are from the ARGUS and one from the PRICE. They have all been photographed and complete descriptions taken of them. The unidentified body supposed to be from the McGEAN and four from the steamer CARRUTHERS have been buried at Goderich. Three bodies from the ARGUS, including the young man from Norway, have been buried at Kincardine. It was at first planned to assemble the bodies in one burial plot, but so much interest was aroused over the tragedy in the various towns that it was determined later to bury them locally. Practically 95 per cent of the sailors employed on the vessels of the Lake Carriers Association are registered and were it not for the records maintained by the Welfare Committee, it would have been im- possible to carry on this work of identification with such fidelity and accuracy. The Welfare Committee has already paid death benefits upon all bodies recovered and identified and all other death benefits will be paid as soon as it is established that the member of ============================================================= | CHIEF ENGINEER MAYBERRY'S STATEMENT | | I am chief engineer of the steamer HOWARD M. HANNA JR. | | We left Lorain on Saturday, Nov. 8, 1913, at 10 o'clock in | | the morning with a full cargo of coal, about 9,100 tons | | bound for Fort William, Ont. We passed Port Huron Sunday | | morning, shortly after 5 o'clock. I went on Duty Sunday | | morning about 6 o'clock. With me in the engine room were | | the second assistant engineer, John Cunningham, and Joe | | Dewey, oiler. We have three firemen on the boat and one | | was on watch. When we passed Port Huron the weather was | | good and it was also fair and clear when we passed Harbor | | Beach, at about 11:30, but at that time the wind was blow- | | ing quite hard; the direction then being about northwest. | | After passing Harbor Beach the wind shifted some and be- | | came about north. Before half past one or two o'clock the | | weather was hazy, but there had been no snow, but about | | that time, about half past two, it began to snow. The | | wind continued about north, sometimes being a little to | | northeast and other times to northwest. The boat made | | small headway, although the engines were all right and we | | had a sufficient supply of coal. About 2 o'clock I went | | down in the engine room. I was running the siphon and | | pumps to keep the water out. I put up canvases over the | | dynamo so as to keep them running. Everthing went well | | until about 6:30. Then the oiler's door was smashed in on | | the starboard side, and the two engine room doors went in | | and the windows. At that time the water was rushing in | | the engine room awfully. About 7:30 the chief engineer's | | room's windows and doors went in and then it seemed one | | after the other went in just as they came. Then the cook's| | room and dining room went. The woodwork was carried away, | | part coming into the engine room and part went overboard. | | The water kept coming in until we went on the beach at ten | | o'clock. Lights didn't go out until we went on the beach. | | Engines didn't stop until we went on the beach. The smoke | | stack bent over before we struck and was carried away about| | the time we struck. Throughout the entire storm until we | | went aground the engines and all the machinery of the boat | | were working perfectly and we had all necessary fuel. | | When the ship fetched up about ten o'clock Sunday night she| | was about 600 to 1000 ft. northeast of the Port Austin reef| | light and heading northwest by north. The port side of the| | vessel was on the reef and the starboard side evidently | | free because we were unable to get bottom by sounding. | | The waves continued to dash over the vessel. All hatches | | were carried away and it was impossible to go from one end | | of the ship to the other until about two o'clock Monday | | afternoon, when the second assistant engineer went forward | | and narrowly escaped drowning in doing so. Shortly after- | | wards some of the forward crew came aft; the engine room | | crew stayed in the kitchen and mess room. Tuesday morning | | about nine o'clock, nine of the crew went ashore in the | | only boat of the ship that had not been carried away. | | Tuesday forenoon, about ten o'clock, the Port Austin life | | saving crew came out to the HANNA; the life saving crew | | first took six of the HANNA'S crew ashore and then came | | back and took the rest. This accounts for the 25 men of | | the HANNA'S crew. Monday afternoon when the second assist-| | ant went forward and when the forward crew came aft it was | | noticed for the first time that the ship had broken in two | | at about No. 7 hatch; at first the break seemed to be 3 | | in., but when we left the vessel on Tuesday, it seemed to | | have increased to about 7 or 8 in. And when we left the | | steamer she was full of water and all the upper works | | carried away. | | Throughout the storm I was in communication with the | | forward end of the boat and with the captain by telephone | | which worked perfectly until after we went aground. I am | | sure that the steering gear of the vessel worked all right | | because the chains pass through the engine room and I could| | see and hear them working all right. Several times and at | | different times throughout the storm the captain telephoned| | me asking me if the engine was working all right and I in- | | formed him that it was and he told me they were trying to | | hold the vessel into the sea but were unable to do so. I | | do not know of anything going wrong with the steering gear | | at all until after the vessel fetched up. All there was | | to it is that the vessel got into the trough of the sea | | and could not be worked out and the heavy wind and sea car-| | ried her until she went aground. | | All the men on the engine room crew worked the best I | | have ever seen men work anywhere and every man did his | | full part even when the water was coming into the engine | | room in torrents. Personally I do not know of anything | | that could have been done that was not done and I lay the | | disaster altogether to the terrific storm that we encount- | | ered which was the worst I have ever known in all my years | | of sailing. | | About eight o'clock Sunday night the heavy sea coming | | over the after end of the boat washed away part of the | | wood work and carried part of the wood work and the stew- | | ard's wife down the engine room stairs, the steward's wife | | landing at the foot right beside me, but so far as I am | | now advised she was uninjured. | | We had plenty of steam until the vessel went aground. | | The fire room crew had been increased as the storm in- | | creased, so we had no trouble on that account, but | | immediately when the vessel went aground water came into | | the boiler room and the fires were put out. When we left | | Lorain we had in the coal bunkers probably 300 tons, so | | that when the vessel went aground we had probably 250 tons | | of fuel coal. | ============================================================== Page 444 THE MARINE REVIEW the crew was actually on the boat, whether the body is recovered or not. This will involve the disbursement of about $20,000. The Welfare Committee was greatly assisted in the work of identi- fication by the Western Union and Postal Telegraph companies, which carried all such messages free. The hull value of the vessels totally lost amount to $2,322,000; the constructive total losses, $830,900, making the total value of hulls destroyed $3,162,900. The damage to stranded vessels, as calculated by the underwriters, amounts to $620,000, while the losses on cargoes will not be far from $1,000,000, making the aggregate loss to vessels and cargoes $4,782,900. ======================================================================== [TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: *The barge Plymouth went down Lake Michigan *Point Edward is on Lake Huron, on the Canadian side, directly across from Port Huron, MI.]