British Whig (Kingston, ON), Nov. 14, 1883

p.3

MARINE NOTES.

The schr. Eureka is in port, laden with coal for the Gas Company.

The tug Protection, which was thought to have been lost with all hands, has been heard from.

The divided parts of the steamships Athabasca and Alberta were at Brockville last night. They are expected here tonight or tomorrow.

The schr. Edward Blake, by her accident at Port Colborne, lost her jibboom and bowsprit and all her sails. She is leaking badly. Her cargo of coal for Kingston will have to be discharged.

The steamer Rupert had to abandon her trip to Port Arthur owing to a leakage. The crew left her at Sarnia and refused to go farther on account of her unsafe condition. She was chartered by John Ryan to take up supplies.

The schr. Mary, of St. Catharines, ran ashore near Conneaut, Ohio, and was blown high and dry on shore. The crew jumped on land and by carrying a line made the schooner fast to an apple tree in an orchard.

The Oswego Palladium says the schr. Vision, which was driven ashore near the Midland shops Sunday night, was lying in rather bad shape yesterday morning, but did not appear to be greatly damaged. When the sea runs down she will probably be high and dry.

Chicago vessel men do not credit the report that the schr. Arab is lying off Grand Haven. They say it must be some other vessel. They have no doubt that the Arab has gone to the bottom with her crew. Lake Michigan is very rough. Further disasters are anticipated.

The tug which went to the relief of the schr. Elizabeth Jones on Racine reef returned to Chicago last night, unable to reach her owing to the roughness of the water. She is reported to be in great danger of going to pieces. She is owned at Buffalo and is valued at $25,000. Part of her cargo of corn has been saved.

The schr. Wm. Home, of Detroit, with a cargo of wheat, bound for Kingston, was struck by a squall Sunday evening about 9 o'clock, off Thirty Mile Point. She reached Sackett's Harbur on Monday morning nearly a wreck, her sails one spar and a jibboom gone. Her cargo was also shifted. Cannot learn whether or not the cargo is damaged, but understand she is making considerable water.

All the men on the tug Protection are safe but two, Capt. William Kelly and a fireman, who were lost on the schooner Arab, which sank off Racine on Sunday morning. The Protection was disabled while taking off the Arab's crew by a rope catching in the wheel. The steambarge A. Kelly towed the Protection until she herself became disabled on Monday night. The tug then drifted until she came to anchor near Saugatuck. Of 19 men on the two vessels 17 were saved.

VISION'S ADVENTURES.

The storm off Oswego on Sunday and Monday nights was furious. About ten o'clock the life saving crew sighted the Vision, of Kingston, struggling to get into port. It soon became apparent that she must go ashore and the life boat was mounted and started down the beach. At 10:30 the vessel struck, but almost immediately worked off and started out into the lake. She drifted towards the shore again and went on again. She had hardly struck when Capt. Blackburn and his gallant crew had his surf boat in the water and his crew ashore. The schooner is well up, broadside on with every sea breaking over her. She is a small scow built schooner, commanded by Captain Steve Tyo. She carried a crew of three men.

A Fearful Night.

The mate of the craft told a reporter the following story of their experience: "We left Kingston last Friday night with a cargo of barley consigned to Irwin & Sloan. That night we were compelled to seek shelter under South Bay Point. On Sunday morning we again started for Oswego. The storm struck us with terrific fury. We were carrying at the time a full mainsail and foresail, flying jib and staysail. The vessel was thrown on her beam ends with the lee rail completely under water, and had not the cabin door been tightly closed she would have foundered. The jib was blown away. The Captain was at the wheel and shouted that the vessel would not mind her helm. I managed to get to the fore sheet and let go of it and the vessel righted. We then shortened canvass and drifted to leeward rapidly until we finally struck the beach, head on, near the fort bank.

A Runaway Vessel.

After pounding a moment, with every wave breaking over her, she turned partially around, slipped off the rocks and started out into the lake again. We finally decided to put her ashore and the Captain ran to the wheel to bring her up, when he discovered that the rudder was gone. The foresail was up and we could not get it down, and the fierce wind sent the vessel flying through the big waves and we were nearly smothered with spray. We finally managed to get the anchor loose and let it go by the run. It caught the bottom, brought the schooner's head to the wind and she drifted ashore. The next thing I heard after the vessel struck was somebody shouting over the side, "Come! Hurry! Get aboard here lively!" I looked over the rail and saw the life boat was alongside. You bet your life we were not long in tumbling into that boat. We were chilled through, wet to the skin, and did not stop to save a thing."