People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1893 — LOST IN THE LAKE. [ARTICLE]

LOST IN THE LAKE.

A Yacht Capsizes at Chicago Daring a Violent Squall and Four Persons Are Drowned—Fears of Other Loss of Life on Lake Michigan—A Disaster Abroad. Chicago, July 10.—A furious wind and rainstorm swept over the city between 5 and 6 o’clock Sunday evening and caught many a craft on Lake Michigan. Four persons are known to have been drowned and in several cases boats were capsized and narrow escapes from drowning were had. By the capsizing or the sailing yacht Chesapeake near the life saving station nine people were thrown into the water and four of them were drowned. Their bodies were not recovered. The dead are: Themistotles Thambolis, of Athens, Greece; William B. Cornish, of Chicago; Ethel H. Chase, of Boston; Harvey Marlow, of Chicago The Chesapeake was a well built yacht and was owned by the Avery brothers, William and Fred. The former is captain and is counted skillful in handling a sailboat The party had been out during the afternoon and had been enjoying the pleasant sailing. When the storm struck them they were unprepared to battle against the sudden fury and before and on board had time to prepare for the emergency they were all in the water. Some were able to swim, but others were not, and before assistance arrived four lives had been lost.

When the yacht capsized the Avery brothers and Gray swam to the assistance of Miss Compton and succeeded in getting her back to the overturned yacht, where they clung until Capt. Mcßae, of the tug Robert Terrance, who witnessed the disaster, came to their assistance. Miss Compton and Gray were unconscious when rescued and they were taken to the life saving station. It was feared at first that both would die, but they were finally revived. Ethel Chase, the young lady who was drowned, lived in Boston and was visiting friends in this city. As the vessel capsized she was caught in the rigging and held under water until dead despite the efforts of the survivors to release her. Her body was afterwards carried away by the force of the waves.

Just before the storm came up two boys, each about 16 years of age, hired a boat at the foot of Barry avenue. They were about a mile from shore when the squall struck them. At midnight neither the boat nor its occupants had reached shore and it is feared ths boys were drowned. The sloop yacht Seashell started out early in the afternoon for a sail and after leaving Ijie slip and passing through the gap at Van Buren street shaped her course about southwest. On board were ten young men, several of whom had a share in the ownership of the yacht. They were all new in handling a sailboat, and when the squall struck them they were probably helpless. The boat was crowded by this large number of people, and those who were unable to act at the crisis were in the way of the others who knew something of the workings of a boat. As quick action was the only thing that could have saved the boat and its human load, it is thought highly probable that they were capsized and drowned. The police at South Chicago were notified Sunday night that during the storm three young men had been seen struggling in the lake off Cheltenham. It is believed they were drowned, but who they were is not known. Their boat was not recovered.

Chicago. July 10.—A windstorm of terrific force, followed by a heavy downpour of rain, passed over the White City a few minutes before 6 Sunday evening - , doing - considerable damage to the different buildings and the exhibits stored within. Some damage —principally in broken glass—was done in nearly all the buildings, but the exact amount of harm done the displays by the soaking they received will not be known until the exhibitors appear to-day. The big captive balloon on Midway Plaisance was burst by the force of the cyclone and is a total loss. It had just landed a load of passengers. The loss is estimated at $35,000. London, July 10 —An accident resulting in the Hoss of twenty lives took place off Skegness, a watering place on the east coast of England. A party went from the village for a day’s sail in a yacht. They were caught in a heavy, squall when some distance off shore and the yacht capsized. Before assistance could reach the people struggling in the water twenty of them, were drowned.