Marine Record, August 7, 1884, page 2

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THE MARINE RECORD. DAMAGES 10 Till*. ALUEK1A. 'J'lie Detroit Free Press makes the follow- Ing statement In regard to the drimnges done ' to-the Alberta In the collision with the J. M. Osborne, and tho following Interviews with officers an to how It happened: The Canadian Pacific steamship Alberta arrived In port and was plnced In the drydock. When the water was pumped from the dock •nhugo hole,In the port bow of thn strsmor was revealed, the result of colliding with tho'stcambnrge John M. Osborne on Sun day. The whole bow on the port sldo was stove In as far as tho forward bulkhead and tho stem slightly bent. Tho bow On the starboard sldo Is also bent and bruised as far as tho bulkhead. Thore are eleven frames broken and nine plates brokon and badly bent. Mr. Klrby commenced a survey of tho damage yesterday, but will not bo through until somotime to day. - Captain Anderson, master of the steamship, refused to state unv fact* regarding the collision to a reporter, but said that tho accident took place In a tog and was unavoidable. " BTATKMKNT OF THE FIRST MA1F. G. W. Simpson, the first mate of the Al- ' berta, stated that before reaching Iroquois Point they encountered a heavy fog. "1 was on deck before we reached Iroquois and on reselling that plaoe the captain relieved die. I started to gn to ten, but' tho captain asked me to remain on deck, as. the fog did not show any .signs of lifting, and he te't some anxiety/After passing Point Iroquois I went to tea, nnd when I lelurned the log was still heavy nnd had not lifted any. We continued under check, sometimes actually stopping to makesure that we were all right in our course. The fog « histle on the Al¬ berta was sounded every two minutes. The captain and I stood on the bridftc constantly until we heard the fog signal at Whlteflsh Point, when I turned in. About 11 o'clock I was awakened by a terrible crash. I jumped up and ran on deck and perceived that we had collided with some craft. I ran down below to see If all the bulkhead sluices were closed, and found that they were all shut tight but one, which was partly open. Closing, this 1 started for the deck, and In going up the stairway heard calls tor the lifeboats. I then went to the forward freight hole and lilted the hatch. There was no water in that compartment, which assured me that there was no danger of sink Jug. On going on the promenade_deck 1 "S»w~tTieTiiIl8TinirrIggh)g"orihe steambarge, which waB at our starboard -aide. I saw a man climbing up the mlzzon rigging nf the steambarge. He had a child on his buck. I stepped over the rail and stood on the an¬ chor ol our boat holding onto the rail with one hand. In this position I took the child from the man and handed it to some person on our forward deck. Tho man again went .down audX waited until ha came up again with another child, which I took from him also. While standing on the anchor I heard some person on the barge call, 'some of ydu steamboat men come down and get this mail out of the Are hole ' Just then tho captain called to me a,nd f ran to the bridge. He said 'see to getting one of the life boats into the water.' I then ran aft and saw that thn second mate and some of the crew had a boat ready to push overboard. I then went forward and heard some one calling from the steambarge that one of the ladies was otl, but on making tin inquiry found that the ladles were all on our steamer. I then went bark to the bow of the Alberta and could hear water nulling Into the- steambarge. While standing in the bow some peieon handed me two books from the rigging In the steambnrge, which I supposed were the ship's books I placed the books In my loom and returned to the bow of the pinpeller. The barge was sinking vciy fast, and while I was standing there tho water was foaming over tho how of the barge, nnd In a few mill, utes she went down with a terrible mm. As tho Water was foaming over the lull oi tho barge I yelled to tho captain to but k out, and when the barge went down-we were about tncnty-fecluway. Our life-boat pulled over the place where Ihe bnige hnd sunk anil f liked up one man, who was taken on board, saw two yawls rowing around which were from tho barges the steambarge hail In ton. They returned to the barges, but I can't tell whether they picked up any person or not. Those of the crew whom we had onboard wcic placed on the steambarge Hccla, which was brought Into the neighborhood of the disaster by hearing the alarm whistles. Af¬ ter everything was over the captain nnd I went between decks and found that there Was no danger of sinking. , We enmo to the conclusion that our duiiiago was so serious that it would he prudent not to continue on our route, and so we headed for the Snult, where we arrived about 1 o'olook on Mon¬ day morning. Part of the Alberta's cargo was unloaded, and a telegram was sentjo the munagers of the line, notifying them of the disaster. A reply was received which ordered us to^jp to Detroit for repairs If the damages \ySie of a serious character At the tlinearf the collision the passengers ap peared vftry courageous, and not a scream was heaiqjroni the women. All the pas- sengorsnveroUett at tho Sault to await the , next steamer. I think that tho whole affair was over and the steambarge sunk out of sight In less than thirty minutes from the time the orash took place. Martin J. Burns, second engineer on the Osborne, arrived In port yesterday from the Siiulloo the steambarge Business. Burns made tho following statement: "I was asleep In my room shortly heforo the acci¬ dent, but was aroused by hearing tho signal to Increase tho'speed of tho bnrgo. I Jumped up, and could hear the fiolBO*bf a propollor coming through the water. I looked out of my door nnd sawn steamer about twenty feet away and nlmoafc upon us. A moment more she .struck us just aft of tho mlzzen mast Tho crash was terrible, and the Alberta camo Into us with such force that she crashed right througli the hull Into tho boiler, In which there miist havo been a liUgo hole knocked, for as soon as wo were struck trio room I was In was Instantly filled with scalding stoam. I shut tho door nnd throw myself on tho floor, being almost smothered, I reullzed that If I stayed In the room but a few moments It was certain death, so I got up and attempted to raiso the window with the Intention of get¬ ting out. On raising the window the steam lushed In so fast that It forced me back. 1 then went to the door nnd oponed it. With a desperate effort I managed to get out. I held my right hand up to my face for pro¬ tection, and on rushing out of the door. It was terribly scalded, as you can see. After getting out of my loom I ran around to tho stern and got upon the hurricane deck, and from there managed to get aboard the Al¬ berta, where I was luruished with ulothos, having hnd nothing on but my night dress. "In going around to the stern I met Cap¬ tain Wllford's two little children, Miss Ella Ford, friend of the captain and his wife, C. L. Scoville, chief ei.gineer, Jamea Taylor, fireman, and Thomas Barnes, deckhand. All of these persons were saved except Barnes, who went down Into the tire holo tosivo his partner, Mat Coi ners, and was, unable to get back owing to the barge tilling witli water, and both perished. There wob an¬ other deck hand lost, but I forgot his name. I th,|nk it was a piissenge~r on the Alberta named Cook that curried the captain's children up the rigging. This man went back to the hold to try and save the fireman, hut he was unable to get back and perished. We were all placed on board the steambarge Hecla, and Irom that barge part of the crew were transferred to the barge Thomas GawTl, one of the Osborne's tow barges which fussed down yesterdav In tow of the 'Hecla. was put oft at the Sault, where I had my scalded arm bandaged. When I went to bed thero was a heavy fog and the Osborne wai sounding her signals regularly." ------------------■ m------------------ MUTINY AND MURDER, . The startling story thnt the, orew of the schooner Julia Baker, from New York for Point a'Pitre, had mutinied, killed the cap¬ tain, John Lewis, and had been selling the cargo in tho West Indies, led the owners of the vessel, Warner & Merrltt, to send the fol¬ lowing dispatch by telegraph: /"PaiUDKLPiiu, Pa., Aug. 1, 1884.—To the collector of custo'rs at Key West, Fla.: We have reason to believe that Captain Lewis, ofthe-schooner Julia Baker, has been murdered, aud that tbe person calling him¬ self Lewis Is an impostor. Kindly ascertain what has been going on; why the vessel de¬ viated from hor course; what has become of her cargo, and all particulars. Things ap- fiear very mysterious and demand a sharp nvestlgation. Telegraph full particulars quickly. Warner & Mkrbitt." The following answer was recelred: "Key Whst, Fla , Aug. 1,1884.—To Wai- ner A Merritt, Philadelphia, Pa,: The mas¬ ter assigns no reason lor deviating from his course. He has noted ilie.piotest, claiming the foremast Bpruug and the craft leaking. A survov has been held to-day. He rcccom- mpiids the discharge of the cargo. The orlg Inal manifest was,lost. The lumler was washed overboard, and a poitlon of the Hour Is missing. 'I lie master's statement Is ram¬ bling and coutllctlng, Send a description of the original Captain Lewis. We have taken possession of the vessel and nre awaiting your further Instructions. "Ramon AeYiiiez." It Is said tho Julia Baker has been cruising in West India waters, selling her cargo, principally Hour, nt rates much below tho market price. Captain Lewis was about 10 years of age, rather tall and stout, nnd the description o( the present commander Is al together dilteront. Albeit Merrltt, of the firm of Warner & Merrltt, expressed the opinion that a mutiny occurred on board the schoonci; that a fight took place, In which Captain Lewis was killed, and that the crew, seeing they were in for It, determined to sell the cargo and escape. Warner & Merrltt received a dispatch from tho Collector at Key West stated tile captain and four moil ol tho schooner Julia linker had been arrested. "DKJCPER WATER, LARGER SHIPS." ' Under tho above title tho Chicago Times has tlio-followlng Interesting article on tho Improvement of tho channel, at the Lime Kiln crossing: As amended liy tho Somite, tho rlvor and harbor bill appropriated $200,000 for Do- trolt river (Instead of $100,000,)'$16,000 for Pentwutor, $411,000 for Superior Bay and harbor, and $85,000 for Grand Mnrnli liar bor. The Lime Klin crossing Is In Dotrolt river, anil ovory largo vessel hound up and down the lakes must pass thnt point. It Is solid rook bottom! nnd tho woikof blasting nnd drodging nut the rock hns been going on forfsovernl years. Thero nro swlft.onr- rents In'tho river there, nnd whon there are storms raging the Btago of water fluctuates tully live feet. Craft how engaged In lake commorco draw fifteen to seventeen foot of water, nnd oraft of still larger, dimensions will bo built If the depth of 'water at Ihe Lime Kilns is made sufficient mid Safe. Ow¬ ing to tho blasting already done, "there are sharp ledges of rock which must be cleared away. Slnco tho .work bogau attheLlmo Kllntv-throenr four years ago, the lake ship¬ ping has inkon rapid strides. It has made such era It as tho Onoko (three thousand tons of coal) nnd the Golden Age (115,000 bushels of grain possible, Tho enlargement of St. Mary's canal and Canadian enterprise In enlarging tho Wetland canal have also aided, and Instead of 500 ton vessels, tho lakes now have whole fleets nf 2,000-ton ves¬ sels, and transportation has been cheapened from 18 cents per bushel on oom to Bultalo to 2 cents nnd 3 cents per bushel. The inp- proved channels and tho complete surveys and charts have also helped the introduction of Iron shipbuilding on the lakes. An iron boat Is more durable than wood if she has sea loom, but the Iron Is nlore easily punc¬ tured than wood when it comes in contact with a snnjpor a sunken rock. When tho iron propellers first dame out they met with so many accidents that the underwriters charged three times the rateschaiged wood¬ en craft, and Ihe owners finally put them Into drydock nnd covered the Iron hulls with wood. Tho Inst few years new Iron boats have come out and they are proving verf successful, and the rate of insurance is the some as on wooden craft. A dozen of the finest steamers on. tho lakes nttw are Iron and others are In course of construction. The new lake revenue cutter Fessenden,iiisi put afloat on Lake Erie, was built it Buffalo, nnd is Iron—a faot which will greatly en courage the building of lion merchant oraft. Without Ihe Improvement of the Lime Kiln crossing, linuever, these iron boms would not he possible. The propeller Merchant, (lie first iron craft on the hikes, wet several valuable grain cargoes at the 'Lime Kilns. Her career was one succession ofcoatly'.dls- asteis lo the Insurance companies. Slio dually struck on Raelne roof. A wooden boat would have been lesuued, but the Mer¬ chant was punctured, and, once sunk, she could not be raised, having nothing of the buoyancy thap n wooden craft possesses. She proved a total loss with her1 'ca>go, and nothing Is to be seen of here¬ in looking over the old Hies of the San- duBky Clarion, of which the Register Is the outgrowth, wo find In the Issue of Maroh 5, 1827, a detailed review of the commerce of Stindu'ky from the Issue of the first Issue of that paper hi April, 1822,up to Maroh, 1827. It appears (hut the number of arrivals by lake oacli year was as follows: In 1822,178; 1838,100; 1824,25-1; 1825,280; 1820, 855. Of tho in rivals in 1822 six were steamboats, (the Chippewa, Henty Clny, Superior, Pi¬ oneer, Niagara and Wki. Penn.) The short¬ est season of navigations was that of 1823— from March 81st to pecember 18th; and the longest in 1824—from January let to De¬ cember 20th, tho bay being closed for two days only.—Sandusky Raj liter. | A TALE OF SUFFERING: Captain .Williams, of the schooner Wind sor, which arrived In port yesterday after¬ noon, relates the particulars of the hardships and Bulterlngs of two yaohtmen, ofTSheboj - gan, Wis. When the^Wlndsor wiib jibout sixteen miles northeast ol Sheboygan, Mon¬ day cvonlug just before dark, Captain Williams dl»covereu%n object several miles ahead which he at first made out to be a small row boat. The solioonei's glasses ueie brought to bear on the strange object, and after a time Captain Williams thought he could make out a man signaling with a hand¬ kerchief. The Windsor's course was made directly for the object, and before an hour had elapsed she u as close enough for Cap¬ tain Williams to see two men dinging to' the bottom of some small craft. Holding on Jo tho keel with one hand they were wildly waving their coats with the other, hoping to attract the attention of the Windsor's orew. Finally Jhe vossel was abreast of the casta¬ ways, and her yawl was lowered nnd manned, and under Captain Williams' dlrec tlons was pointed for the men. Just as they reached the capsized boat one ot the men throw up his hands add tumbled Into the wat¬ er from sheer Inability to-hold on to his east any longer. He sank beneath tho surface without a struggle, and must have drowned but foi one of tho Windsor's crew jumping overboard and bringing him to the surface, Tho rescued and rescuer were drawn Intatho boat, and the remaining castaway was also taken from his perilous position.' Ho had no sooner been seated In tbe Windsor's yawl than be fell in a dead faint. As the weather was threatening Captain Williams abandoned the capsized yacht to tier fate, and put out for the Windsor with tho two mon he had snatched from the Jaws of death, for death would have been only a matter of a low hours to both men but for tho timely appearance of tho Windsor. Both tho castaways wore lifted aboaid tho vessel, wliero restoratives wore applied with succssb. Tho mon gave their names as John Nelson and William Lawler, and said they belonged at Sheboy¬ gan. Last Saturday forenoon they agroed to enjoy a little recreation by taking a sail In a small yacht upon the lake. The boat was engaged and the wind being brisk thoy were soon out far enough to escape the notice of persons ashore The aky began to grow threatening about 11:80 o'olook but neither Nclsortlflor LBWlor anticipated danger, and thoy did not take the precaution to lower their cnnvoB, consequently the hurricane wjilch played such havoc hore a few hours later struck them about noon with all sail set. The little boat turned over with the rapidity of a flash of lightning and both her occupants were tumbled Into the tecthlnir lake. Being powerful swimmers they suc¬ ceeded In reaching the capsized yacht and crawled upon her bottom and It required all their strength to hold on. Boated In this perilous position during tile heavy rain storm which followed their sufferings were Intense. The fierce northwest wind carried thorn out Into the lake where thore watcon slilerable lea, and tho small boat commencpii to break up. During Saturday night tho castaways saw the lights ot several vcssolj nnd they cried themselves hoarse In vain at¬ tempts to attract the attention of the look¬ outs. When daylight broke Sunday morn¬ ing tbore was not a slpglo sail in sight, but they were hopeful that they would soon be plukod up by a pasting steamboat. Their hopes wero not fulfilled, By Sunday noon both the men began to experience tho pangs of hunger, as neither had eaten anything since early Saturday morning, ami this, coupled with the sun's scoarchlng rays, re¬ duced them in n stale of weakness which made It Impossible for thorn to hold on to tho keel of tho boat. Monday night numerous squalls struck them, and they suffered from poltlng rain again. Both men had nearly themselves up as lost, and would soon for the appearanoe ot tho __. \hey sighted her in tho distance tfiey qlurtgto the bottom of-the' capsized jacht with renewed Btiength, but when they saw the Wlndsor'aJJoatapproach- Ing their Joy was so great thatBieJr relaxed their caution. Lawler nearly lost his life through It after all. Captain Williams landed both tho men in Sheboygan.—litter Ocean, July 31. _________^_________ Wt6POSED STEAMER LINE. Tho placing of ti steamer on the route be¬ tween this port nnd the Thousand Islands, by tho New York, Ontario & WosTBrn Com¬ pany was a stroke of policy destined, with¬ out doubt, to prove a paying Investment. Railroad travel is not so enticing to pjeas nre seekers, who have abundance of time, an to induce them to accept It In preference to n steamboat excursion where cool breezes refresh the system and beautiful scenery captivates the eye. The single steamer put In service ty the N. Y. O. & W. Company Is probably but the nucleus of a line which will bring a large amount of summer travel through Our city, especially from the east. It Is said that negotiation is now pending between the officials of lira Delaware, Lack¬ awanna & Western auu those of the New Yoik, Ontario & Western for the establish¬ ment of a line of steamers to run In connec¬ tion with both roads between here and the Islands, and possibly extend tho route to Montreal. It Is believed this can be done advantageously for both companies, and be the means ot securing the greater part of the summer travel Tpm the east to the Islands, Montrenl antTtlie White Mountains. The proposal Is, to place two first-class up¬ per saloon steamers on the route. There can be no question but the proposed ar¬ rangement, It perfected, will be the means of attracting a largely increased number ol tourism ihiougli oilr "city. There is every reason to believe that t|ie negotiations now pending will result In the establishment of the proposed line, it Is to be hoped no ob¬ stacle jnay arise to pi event Its accomplish- niont.—Oawcyo Times LAUNCH OF A GREAT SHIP. The Cunard Lino steamer Umbrla, the largest vessel afloat excepting the Great Eastern and the City of Rome, was launched June 25th, from tlio j-nrd of John Elder 4 Co , Fairfield, Govan, for tho Cunard Com- naiiy. She measures 8,000 tons gross, her length Is 520 feet, her breadth 67 feet, and her depth 40 feet. Ilei engines are designed to Indicate 12,500 horse power, tho most powerlul marine engines yot constructed. She was named the Umbrla (jy the Hon, Mrs. Hope. She is built entirely of steel, Is di¬ vided into ten water tight compartments, and has flvo decks. The promenade deck extends for 300 feet over-:ho whole breadth ot flie vessel, and the saloons will all be pro- portlonatejyllnigo. It was matter of^romark among tlrocompany present at the" launch that it Is less than ten months since the keol orthe vessel wiib laid. The now ship will run between Now York and Liverpool WORK ON THkVm.LAND CANAL The Canadian government has become convinced that In the intereat of Canadian trade the Welland canal should be opened so as to give fourteen feet of water on tho sill*. and tliat this Important work should be be¬ gun at an early date, so that It may be com¬ pleted bjt the spring of 1880. Much work lias boon nil endy done with thnt desirable ond In vlow. Port Colborne nnd Port D"'" houslo-nre now finished so that vessels drawing fourteen feet of water can enter. The foundations of all the permanent struc¬ tures of the canal are at the proper doptli, and what Is needed Is In tome places to raise the bauk-so-astonllord the requisite depth of water. When finished, vessels carrying large cargoes can pats through. 'V-s,

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