Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1893 — BODIES WERE MUTILATED. [ARTICLE]

BODIES WERE MUTILATED.

Belief that the Crews of the Wrecked I Steamers Were Run Down by Some Boat. Owing to mutilation of many of the bodies from the Philadelphia-Albany collision on Lake Huron it is now believed that the yawl containing twen-ty-four members of the combined crews was lun into by seme pa sing steamer. No sea was running from the time (he lifeboats left the sinking Philadelphia until it was picked up by the life-sav-ing crew from Point aux Barques station, and yet the .-kails of some of the victims are crushod and all are more or less bruited. | The Albany was bound from Chicago ' to Buffalo, and the Philadelphia from Erie to Duluth. Both were running under check on account of the dense fog hanging on the water. Fog signals were being exchanged i egularly with their whistles as the stet mers felt their way through the fogbanks. When the boat 3 came together the sharp iron prow of the Philadelphia struck the Albany forward of the second gangway, or about one-third the way back from the bow. The Philadelph.a cut in nearly five feet and then hung there. The lake was nearly quiet, only a slight swell from the recent gale running. Capt. Angus McDonald at once realized that his ship had received a mortal blow and requested Capt. A. E. Huff to have the Philadelphia take the Albany in tow, with the hope of beaching the steamer or at least reaching shallow water, where the wreck might he raised. This was done and the Philadelphia startod for the shore, which was some ten miles distant/ Water poured so fast through the break in the Albany's steel plates that after some ten minutes Capt. McDonald ordered his men to abandon the ship, and they were all safely taken on board the Philadelphia. Up to that time Capt. McDonald supposed that the Philadelphia was not seriously damaged, as she had struck - his steamer head on. The Philadelphia continued to drag the sinking Albany shoreward, but half an hour after the collision the Albany reeled and then went to the bottom bow first. By this time the Philadelphia was seen to he in the greatest peril, and the two lifeboats were launched. The crews were evenly divided between them, the two captains going in one with most of the officers, while to the other were allotted most of the common seamen. The two boats pulled away from the sinking steamer a few minutes before she followed the Albany.