People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1893 — LOST IN LAKE HURON. [ARTICLE]

LOST IN LAKE HURON.

Two Big Steamer* Collide and Sink—Two Dosen Drowned. Sand Beach, Mich., Nov. A—The steel steamer Albany, of the Western Transit company, and the iron steamer Philadelphia, of the Anchor line, collided on Lake Huron off Point Aux Barques at 2 o’clock Tuesday morning in a dense fog. The Albany was taken in tow by the Philadelphia, but sank in half an hour.itscrew goingon board the Anchor liner. Shortly afterward ihe Philadelphia went down in 200 feet of water. The crew took to two lifeboats. One had twenty-two persons on board and reached the shore in safety. The other boat contained twentyfour people. It was capsized and all on board were lost The Philadelphia caught the Albany just forward of No. 2 gangway, smashing in the steel plates and pushing its nose several feet into the Albany’s body. The Philadelphia’s nose was smashed flat but for a few minutes after backing away seemed to make but little water. The Philadelphia immediately put out a line and took the Albany in tow, making for the shore at Point Aux Barques, 12 miles distant The Albany made water rapidly, and less than thirty minutes later the men took to the yawl. A few minutes after the tow line was cut the Albany went down stern first in 200 feet of water. The Philadelphia waited until Capt A. J. McDonald and his crew came up, when they were taken aboard.

Full steam was then put on for the shore, but in its water-logged condition little headway was made. By this time the wind began to blow, lifting I the fog. The Philadelphia at this time : began to settle. Capt. Huff decided to ' abandon it for the yawls. CapL McDonald and seven of his crew were taken into the smaller yawl by Capt j Huff of the Philadelphia, who com- ■ pleted from his men the crew of fourteen decided upon as the carrying capacity of the yawl. The wind was by this time blowing stiffly f<om the north, lifting a choppy sea. Into the larger boat twenty-four men from both crews 1 were loaded. It was realized that the load,was a dangerous one. An attempt was made for the boats to keep in com- ! pany, but the fog was so dense that they were soon parted and the two captains reached shore at 8 o’clock this morning. They were confident that the other i boat was entirely safe, as they had no | trouble themselves. As the morning hours went by and the second boat did not appear the i captains called on the Point Aux ; Barques life saving crew to go in j search of it. The fog had then lifted. ! After pulling out into the lake for j several miles the life savers found \ the missing boat bottom up. In the immediate vicinity they found ■ eleven bodies, all wearing life pre- ' servers marked “Str. Philadelphia.” j The bodies were put on the steamer ■ City of Concord, bound for Tawas. No survivors could be found, and it is sup- j posed that the remaining thirteen in i the upturned boat did not wear the • preservers and sank immediately after it capsized. The Albany was built in Detroit in 1884, was worth 8200,000 and was par- 1 tially insured. She belonged to the j Western Transportation line, and cartied a cargo of grain and flour valued at $57,000.

The Philadelphia belonged to the Anchor line, and was built by David Bell at Buffalo in 1876. She was worth 880,000. Her cargo consisted of coal and merchandise. This is the fourth accident which the Anchor line has suffered this season. First, the steamer Codorus was cut dowm and sunk at Duluth, then the Conestoga went ashdre in Lake St. Clair in the big October gale and badly damaged its cargo, and the Wissahickon caught fire at its dock at Erie and was badly damaged. The losses will foot up 8150,000.