Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 November 1887 — LOST ON THE LAKES. [ARTICLE]

LOST ON THE LAKES.

A Passenger Steamer Wrecked and All Hands Parish—A Crew of Twenty-two and An Unknown Number Passengers Drown on I,ake Michigan. The passenger propellor Vernon wa wrecked in the terrible gale th At swept Lake Michigan on the 29th, and her entire crew of twenty-two persons, and t ie passengers, number unknown, are supposed to have been lost. It involves a greater loss of life than any of the previous disasters on the lake this season, not excepting the propellor Champlain, which burned early in the Spring off the Charlevois, drowning twenty-four persons. A most singular coincidence is that the Vernon was the vessel which took the place of the Champlain in the Northern Michigan line, and had only been on the line since August 1. She was one of the finest furnished passen ger boats on the lakes, and had a valuation of $78,000. Capt. Moran of the ’steamship Superior, which arrived at Milwaukee late that night, brought the first news of. the wreck. His vessel passed three or four of the wrecked people at different times, who appealeu for assistance, but none could be given as the Superior itself was disabled and all hands were required to keep it out of the trough of the heavy sea. The Captain said: “When about six miles East Northeast, of Manitowoc, the cook, who had beenjieeping a lookout,called me on deck with , the information that a raft could be seen with a man on it. As I went on deck I could plainly see the man waving his hand to us. He was Blanding upright on ths raft, which was about half a mile, between us and the shore, an 1 the sea was washing over it. It appeared about twelve feet square, and as if it might be the top of a cabin. Poor fellow, he must have thought it cruel of us to pass by and leave him there to stiffer. Ten minutes later we, sighted another raft also, about a half mile inside of us. It was much smaller, apparently not more than four by eight feet, and looked like a piece of bui walks. On it was lying a man who, although still alive, probably did not discern us, as he was too far gone. We could see him dip his head as his frail little float was tossed about in the sea, as though he was about dead.

"We sa» » yawl with three men and one woman in it a little further south. There may, however, have been more of them lying down in the boat, the three we saw being on the seats. One of the men was standing up, holding his oar, with his coat swinging, to attract attention. Their hearts must have been gladdened in their expectation of help from us. ,How inhuman they r must have thought us when we passed them by, and within a mile, too, withou even turning our vessel toward them: But with our steering gear disabled as it was we could not stop opr vessel,and there was nothing for us to do but hope that some one of the vessels coming up the lake astern of us might discover them and pick them up.” The disaster occurred aboutsix miles Northwest of Two Rivers. It is generally believed thatof the estimated forty or fifty peisons aboard not a single soul survived.. It would seem almost im possible for any person to live in such a sea and exposed to the intense cold that prevailed. - .