Many Boats Forced to Seek Shelter

BY GEORGE CALLAHAN.
(Marine Editor of The Leader

A large number of vessels were caught in the storm that swept the upper lakes Friday night and yesterday, and many of the big freighters were forced to seek shelter. The high wind was accompanied by a blinding snowstorm which made navigation very dangerous. At the head of Lake Superior, Friday night,the wind blew at the rate of 60 miles an hour from the northwest and a large number of sloops were held in port. The United States Weather Bureau reported that the wind reached a velocity of 68 miles an hour at Houghton. A big sea was running and a dispatch last night said that the boats would not venture out until today.

The captain of the big steamer Wilpen reported by wireless from Isle Royale yesterday afternoon that many ships were in shelter from the north-west gale and snowstorm in that vicinity. Freighters were all late in making Duluth and the steamer Alberta was the only boat to arrive at the Canadian head of the lakes. The temperature was 20 above at Duluth yesterday afternoon and a cold wave was predicted. A coal dock was wrecked at Duluth by the gale, but no other damage to shipping was reported on Lake Superior.

Boats were held in port on Lake Michigan by the northwest gale and snowstorm. At Escanaba the wind was blowing at the rate of forty-five miles an hour and work on the ore docks was stopped.

The steamer Louisiana, bound from Milwaukee to Alpena without cargo, went ashore on Washington Island, Lake Michigan, at 3 o'clock Saturday morning. The old boat caught fire and the captain reports she is a total loss. All the members of the crew reached the island in the small boats and they will be sent to Milwaukee. The Louisiana was in command of Captain Fred McDonald, of Detroit. The steamer was insured for $15,000 against fire. The Louisiana was bound for Alpena to load stone for Fairport.

The Louisiana was owned by the Thompson Steamship Company of this city, of which J. R. Davock is manager. The steamer was built in 1887, and her capacity was 2,800 gross tons. She was 267 feet keel, 39 feet beam and 21 feet deep.

Boats lost very little time on Lake Erie on account of weather. The wind was fresh and shifted considerably but there was not much sea. The steamer Follette, upbound for Buffalo, stopped here yesterday morning to pick up the barge Alice B. Morris. The Follette had another barge in tow and the boats put back for shelter late yesterday afternoon, after being out a number of hours.

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BOATS LATE AT DULUTH.

DULUTH, November 8.--Fire destroyed the engine and boilerhouse at the Reiss coal dock, No. 3, at Superior last night, and will put the dock out of commission for a week while repairs are being made. The northwest gale last night wrecked three unloading rigs at the Boston coal dock at Duluth. This will reduce the unloading capacity of the dock to three rigs for the balance of the season.

The steamer H. P. Bope picked up one of her own cables in her wheel this morning while leaving the Great Northern ore docks at Superior. A diver from the Union Towing & Wrecking Co. is at work trying to get the cable out.

The northwest gale reached a velocity of 60 miles an hour at 7 o'clock last night and suddenly died out. The weather today is cold and clear and the wind about 20 miles an hour from the northwest. No snow appeared at this point. Boats arriving are from six to eight hours late.