Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1883 — LAKE DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

LAKE DISASTER.

Foundering of the Propeller Manistee, in Lake Superior. Her Entire Grew of Thirty-five Find a Watery Grave. There seems to be no doubt that the passenger propeller Manistee, belonging to Leopold Sc Austrian, of Chicago, has been lost in Lake Superior, and that every soul on board about thirlg-Ave in number, has perisrodThe ill-starred vessel left Duluth on Saturday. Nov. 10, and, being caught in the furious gale that swept the lakes for several succeeding days, put into Bayfield harbor, where she laid until the following Friday, when she proceeded to Ontonagon. The unfortunate vessel, it is believed, encountered and succumbed to the fury of the second storm. Portions of wreckage have been found. There were onlyseven passengers on board at the time, all the others having beeu transferred at Bayfield to the City of Duluth, for Houghton. It is more than likely that all the crew have been lost, as nothing has been heard from them. The Manistee was built in Cleveland by E. W. Peck, ip 1876. In 1878 she was out in two and lengthened thirty feet and soon after was put on the Lake Superior trade. Lloyd gives her no rating and she was valued at $26,000. She was very low iu the water and had but little power for her size. She carried 1,650 barrels' of flour and 230 tons of feed. Her registered tonnage was 679 tons. The only particulars' of the disaster so far reoeived are embraced in the following telegram from Duinth: “The propeller Manistee, loaded with merchandise for Ontonagon, left Duluth: Nov. 10. She was wlndbound at Bayfield till Thursday. She then transferred all her pas-; sengers to the City of Duluth, which was bound for Houghton, and cleared for Ontona-' gon at midnight. Nothing was beard from her until noon to-day, when tno tug Maythem, which had been sent to look for Rr, returned, i Last night, at a point forty-five miles northeast of Ontonagon, the tug picked up a buoket marked ‘Manistee,’ and a part of the pilot-house. It is supposed that the propeller foundered during the severe storm of last Friday. The wind was then from the Northwest and tho thermometer below zero. The tugs Maythem and Boutin are now looking for traces of the wreck or crew. It is not possible that the men could have escaped in small boats, and if the Manistoe had drifted to the north shore she would have been seen and reported by the Canadian steamers coasting there. The propeller Ontario, which 1 arrived at Port Arthur to-day, saw nothing of tho Manistoe, and there is no doubt that she is lost, with all on board. Following are the names of her officers: John M’Kay, Captain; George M. Seaton, Purser; F. M. Kilby, Steward; Andy Mack, First Mato; Harry ‘Smith, Second Mate; Pat Cullen, First Engineer; John Payne, Second Engineer; Ed Bowden, cook. There were about thirty-five souls on board, including officers, waiters, sailors, chambermaids, and deck hands. A Hancock (M ob.) dispatch says: All hope of any of the Manistee s crew being Baved is abandoned. The last t eou of her wars at 8:40 o’clock on the evening of Nov. 15. It i* thought her machinery broke down when well out at sea, and she became unmanageable. She was then tej-ond the shelter of the Apostle island, and, lathe attempt to return, foundered. At Bayfield all passengers for Hancock were transferred, and only seven destined for Ontonagon remained on board. The orew consisted of twenty-eight persons, and the loss is therefore thirty-five. Capt. McKay was a skillful sailor and very popular on the lakes. He leaves a family, consisting of a wife'and daughter, who reside in Cleveland. The Manistee was considered a staunoh, seaworthy craft, and hod ridden out many severe gales on Lake Superior.