|
Shipwreck Accounts from Eastern Ontario Newspapers | |
| Here are the original newspaper accounts for these shipwrecks, as they appeared in the Brockville Recorder and Times, in the year indicated. The more you know about a shipwreck, the more you can enjoy your visit and help to preserve our underwater heritage. Take only pictures, Leave only bubbles. This page courtesy of Bottom Time Dive Charters. | |
| A.E. Vickery - 1889 | |
| Robert Gaskin - 1889 | |
| Rothesay - 1889 | |
| Keystorm - 1912 | |
| Muscallonge - 1936 | |
| Henry C. Daryaw - 1941 | |
| Lillie Parsons - 1963 | |
| Eastcliffe Hall - 1970 | |
Back to
SOS News | |
| Lillie Parsons |
 |
Aug 15, 1963 |
SKIN DIVERS
FIND HULL 200-FOOT SAILING VESSEL
Skin divers have found the hull of
a 200-foot sailing vessel on the bottom of the St. Lawrence in the Brockville
Narrows off Brockville's west end.
Deb Ring, Porky Graveline, Dewey
Whiteland, Mike Ford, Herb Sheridan and Jack Miles, all skin and scuba diving
club members, worked for six hours Wednesday to surface the estimated 400-pound
steering wheel and gear. Divers found the three-masted ship in 40 to 70 feet of
water in the main channel off Sparrow Island. The double hull of wood planking
lies bottoms up. A cargo of coal - chunks about four feet in diameter - spewed
out but the skin divers have found dishes, lamps, an anchor and the compass
binnacle.
Research which the divers have done with government records and
newspaper accounts leads them to guess that the ship was the Lilly Parsons, sunk
prior to 1880.
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|
Muscallonge |
|
Aug 15, 1936 |
SPECTACULAR
MARINE FIRE DESTROYS TUG MUSCALLONGE EAST OF TOWN EARLY
TO-DAY
VESSEL IGNITES FROM UNKNOWN CAUSE SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT -
CREW OF CAPTAIN AND 10 MEN SAVED
Burned Craft Had Fuel Cargo of
9,000 Gallons of Crude Oil - Hundreds Viewed Intense Blaze Which Continued for
Hours After Valuable Boat Was Beached - Explosion at 5:30 This Morning Spread
Flames Along Shore for Approximately 1,000 Feet.
The St. Lawrence river in the immediate vicinity of Brockville had its first marine fire, involving a vessel of importance in the lake trade, in more than a quarter of a century when the tug "Muscallonge", out of Montreal Friday morning destined for Port Credit and towing the small tug "Ajax" and the barge "Bruce Hudson", loaded with crude oil, was consumed on the beach of the Canadian shore about one and half miles east of the town this morning.
The Captain and crew of 10 men were saved from the burning craft which ignited from an unknown cause in midstream almost opposite the Ontario hospital property.
Captain S. Ahearn, of Port Dalhousie, swung the boat eastward after cutting away from the other tug and barge with the engine running full speed ahead drove the burning vessel head-on into the shallow rock bottom of the river at a point directly opposite the property of J.D. Wetherell, one and a half miles east of the town, at present occupied by H.W. Pollock and family, of Dorval, Que. The boat came to a stop with its prow approximately 20 feet distant form the rocky shore- line and in the interval between the discovery of the fire and the beaching of the boat, all of the crew, with the exception of the captain and chief engineer, Dorman Arbour, of Waubaushene, Ont., clambered to safety aboard the "Ajax" which followed the "Muscallonge" to shore with its bow tight against the stern of the burning boat at the starboard side.
One Jumped to Safety.
One member of the crew jumped
overboard and was picked up by Cleon Price and Bob Wygant, Brockville, who had
rushed to the scene with other residents of the summer colony in that vicinity
when the signals of distress and cries for help were heard from the river and
launched a rowboat from a dock.
Could Give No Aid.
The Brockville fire department was
notified by telephone of the outbreak aboard the boat and the platoon on duty at
the time responded with apparatus, followed by Fire Chief John Hattley and
members of the police department. Owing to the topographical nature of the
surroundings the heavy fire-fighting equipment could not be taken sufficiently
close to the burning boat to be of any assistance. Mayor Comstock was at the
scene shortly after the alarm sounded and endeavored to secure assistance from
Morristown, his plan being to enlist the service of the ferry boat on which the
LaFrance pumper might have been carried to the scene. Unfortunately Morristown
could not be reached by telephone at that hour and nothing could be done to save
the craft.
After assisting in the rescue of the crew from the Muscallonge, the Ajax and Bruce Hudson stood by until nearly daylight, while some of the rescued crew were brought to Brockville in a motorboat. An American patrol boat cruised about the scene for a short time after the fire broke out.
The vivid reflection sent up by the flames from the boat, which was 143 feet in lingth and one of te largest tugs plying the Great Lakes, was sween on Barriefield Hill, just east of Kingston, about 12:30 a.m. by a motoring party who were travelling eastward and who broke their journey for hours to watch the flames consume the craft.
Hundreds of others, including people from Brockville, Maitland, Prescott, North Augusta and many summer campers were attracted to the scene and a considerable number remained until after dawn watching the spectacular sight.
Members of the Crew.
In addition to Captain Ahearn and
Chief Engineer Arbour, the crew of the Muscallonge consisted of T. Bell,
Midland, second engineer; Gideon Deschamps, Beauharnais, mate; Sid Smith,
Toronto, wheelsman; Jerry Henry, Toronto, oiler; Stanley Wilson, Goderich,
fireman; C. Brodeau, Waubaushene, fireman; Hugh Lawson, Toronto, cook; C.
Hartley, Port Dalhousie, deckhand.
The burned vessel, as well as the other tug and barge, belonged to the Lloyds Refinery Company, Port Credit, and the three left Montreal about six o'clock Friday morning, heading for Port Credit. All went well and the boats were running with a stiff easterly wind up the river when the fire was discovered shortly after midnight today. The blaze started, it is believed, in the boiler room and spread rapidly the length and breadth of the boat, which was entirely of wood construction.
Its steam boiler was fitted to burn fuel oil and 9,000 gallons of the crude substance were contained in its tanks amidships. The fire spread with such rapidity that it was impossible for the crew to reach the lifeboats and the Ajax immediately went to the rescue. Captain Ahearn was the last to leave the vessel and was given much deserved credit for successfully beaching the boat after it had ignited in midstream.
When the distress signals were sounded by the boat's whistle and cries of hte crew for assistance were heard ashore, cottagers along the waterfront turned on electric and flashlights and lent what aid they could. Captain Ahearn and Engineer Arbour were landed ashore and talked briefly with Mayor Comstock and Fire Chief Hartley before being given coffee and a lunch at a cottage nearby.
To a representative of the R. and T. at the scene Captain Ahearn stated that all of the crew had been accounted for but none of the personal effects of the men had been saved so quickly did the disastrous fire spread.
Oil Ignites in Hull.
Less than an hour after the
outbreak the superstructure of the craft had been consumed and 20 minutes later,
at 1:35 o'clock, the first roar of the igniting oil contained in the tug's tanks
was noted. It was not of an explosive nature, but rocked the craft and sent the
hundreds of spectators scurrying for safety in either direction along the high
shore. Cottagers endeavoured to protect their property as much as possible from
the myriad of sparks which floated high in the air westward.
At 2:40 o'clock there was a strong roar as the gas emanating from the oil in the tanks through vent pipes rising above the forward deck of the craft which was enveloped in flames ignited apparently under strong pressure.
Rain commenced to fall heavily at 2:50 o'clock and continued for several minutes thus reducing the hazard of the fire spreading to property along the shore, particularly to a cottage boathouse on the Wetherell property not 30 feet distant from the tug.
The anchor fell out of the Muscallonge at 3:10 o'clock into the river and shortly afterward the fire reached its greatest intensity. All of the superstructure had been consumed while above the flames and through the billowing smoke could plainly be seen the aluminum and black funnel and the exposed boiler and machinery.
The smoke rapidly grew in density and assumed a coal-black hue as the oil in the tanks was consumed. At intervals there were explosions of a mild nature within the boat's hull which was being gradually reduced to cinders.
Against the intense clouds of black smoke over the burning
ship, which floated westward in a north westerly direction across the town, the
metal funnel of the boat gradually assumed a bright red colour. Flames gushed
from its top and at times the spouts of fire were as bright as vivid lightning.
At 4:47 o'clock the funnel collapsed and fell into the river to the est of the
boat with a hissing roar. The flames continued to soar skyward and the
Muscallonge was reduced to nothing but a skeleton, its gaping sides feeding the
fire right down to the water-line.
Tanks Explode
At 5:30 o' clock the four tanks within the
hull exploded almost simultaneously sending flames 80 feet into the air and
scattering fire into the grass and brush along the shore for a distance of
approximately 1,000 feet westward. The shock practically obliterated the remains
of the vessel. The fire department was again summoned to the scene and prevented
any property damage.
The Muscallonge was formerly owned by the Sim-Mac Line and had plied the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes for years. It was a powerful vessel, housing a wealth of machinery, and the loss will mount to many thousands of dollars. It is understood the vessel was insured.
Captian Ahearn is well known in Brockville having formerly been stationed here while in command of the tug "Chatson", owned by the J.P. Porter Company, St. Catharines, engaged in widening and deepening the channel in the Brockville Narrows. The tug "Ajax" is commanded by William Miner, of Burlington, and the barge "Bruce Hudson" by Captain Clarence McKellar of Sarnia.
The Department of Marine and Fisheries registry of Canadian steam
vessels states that the Muscallonge was built at Port Huron, Mich. In 1896. Its
port of registry was Montreal and it measured 128 feet in length by 24 feet and
five inches in breadth. Its gross tonnage was 360 and registered tonnage 245.
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|
Keystorm |
|
Oct 26, 1912 |
BIGGEST MARINE
DISASTER IN YEARS ON ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
Occurred This Morning in a Fog When Freighter, Keystorm, Sank in Deep Water -- Crew all Rescued -- Cargo of 2400 Tons of Soft Coal Went to Bottom -- The Boat was Valued at $120,000, and Looks Like a Total Loss.
The greatest marine accident for perhaps half a century occurred this morning shortly after four o'clock, at a point about twelve miles west of Brockville on the American side of the river, and at what is termed in marine charts as Scotch Island shoal. The name apparently is from a small islet in that vicinity, and bears a significance owing to the fact that a buoy of demarcation for channel navigation is situated on the same.
A Steal Freighter.
The boat meeting the disaster was the
Keystorm, a splendid steel freighter, the property of the Keystone Transit
Company, of Montreal, and was engaged in the coal carrying trade on its eventful
tripo, having taken on a cargo of soft coal of 2,400 tons at Charlotte, for the
Montreal Heat Light and Power Company. The craft left Charlotte yesterday, and
proceeded east all rightly until meeting with disaster.
A Big Boat.
The boat was 245 feet long, with a beam of
33 feet. It was in charge of a crew of 20 men, with Captain Daignault, of
Beauharnoic, the Chief Engineer Robinson, of Glasgow, Scotland.
The Cause and Where.
The point of the occurrence was
about two miles west of Alan's dock on the American side of the river and the
mishap entails a loss of $120,000. The cause of the accident so far as can be
learned was owing
to a heavy fog developing at a difficult place, and the craft got out
of its course. It struck a shoal on its starboard side, the impact being so
great as to tear away several feet of the hull to such an extent that she sank
quickly. So soo as the shock was felt the engines were stopped, and the pumps
speedily put to work. The latter were of no avail as the big freighter speedily
filled and the crew had to take to the life boats for a place of safety. Two
yawls were quickly lowered, and the crew landed safely on an island nearby. For
a time they anchored at the black buoy in the vicinity, and were able to visit
the boat again for personal effects, which all obtained. The accident as has
been said, occurred at 4:15, and was due, according to the statements of the
crew to a fog suddenly rising and beclouding the vision of the officer in
charge. The crew from their point of vantage saw the magnificent steamer go to
the bottom at 9 o'clock, five hours after the accident occurred. Owing to the
wind and fog and the heavy cargo she was badly impounded against the rocks, and
when disappearing from vew did so in a great burst of swell, which fairly
envelped her completely, and the big steamer shorn of her beauty and strength
went to a depth variously estimated at from 120 to 150 feet. The company owning
the lost craft has also three others still in the trade. They are the Key West,
Key Port and Key Bell.
The Crew Here.
The news of the disaster caused almost
consternation in Brockville, as many reports were in circulation as it was
thought that the crew were lost. Happily such was not the case, and they were
rescued from their moored position, and conveyed here in a motorboat, the
property of Hon. Clifford Sifton. They left here this afternoon for Montreal.
Amoung the crew was the chef, James Sperro, of Prescott.
Other Accidents
Other accidents in that vicinity were
the burning of the old steamer Kingston, now the Cornwall of the Calvin Company,
was burned near Corn Island with a loss of two lives. Some years later the
Ocean, a popular propeller, was sunk near Dark Island without loss of life.
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The sounding of the water where the steamer Keystorm sank shows
that instead of being in 150 feet of water, as at first thought, she is covered
by 26 feet forward and 36 feet aft. The steamer turned over on her side, which
accounts for her masts not being visible above water. It was because the masts
were not to be seen that it was thought the boat had slid off the shoal into
deep water. It is probable that work will soon be started at raising the
steamer.
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Sentence of the Mate
With regard to John Leboeuf, the
mate, the court censured him for neglecting to call the master when the weather
became thick, and for his lack of initiative in not stopping the engines when he
lost his bearings. His disregard of the compass course to be steered was gross
and culpable negligence and the court accordingly suspended his certificate for
two years from November 1, 1912, till November 1, 1914. The court further
suggested that a printed card of all courses and distances on the various runs
should be hung in the pilot house for instant reference whenever the leading
lights or marks should, as in this case, become obscured.
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- - -
|
Henry C. Daryaw |
|
Nov 21, 1941 |
Collier
Henry C. Daryaw Founders Near Brockville
FIREMAN BELIEVED DROWNED
- POSSIBLY STUNNED IN CRASH
Robert Groleau, Montebello, Que., Only
Crew Member Missing
WRECKED CRAFT IS NEAR SHORE
When
Engine Reversed, Ship Moved Off Shoal and Sank.
Bound from Sodus, N.Y.,
to Dalhousie, N.B., to enter the Atlantic coastal trade, the collier Henry C.
Daryaw struck a shoal and sank almost immediately six miles west of Brockville
about 5:30 o'clock this morning at a point near the five-mile
lighthouse.
Robert Groleau, aged 29, of Montebello, Que., a fireman
aboard the boat, was believed drowned and operations were commenced by
provincial and R.C.M.P. police to recover the body. A heavy fog blanketed the
river at a point where river traffic changes from the American to the Canadian
channel and was too close to change course.
It crashed head-on into
the shoal, which is about 100 yards off the Canadian shore. The engines were
reversed and when the boat eased off the rock, it listed and sank stern first
almost immediately. About six feet of the bow are protruding above the
water.
Some of the crew jumped from the ship onto the shoal and others
into the icy water. One lifeboat was salvaged from the collier and with this six
men at a time were rowed ashore. When all were ashore they made their way to No.
2 highway and hitch-hiked to Brockville where circumstances of the wreck were
related to the police while the men dried their clothing and warmed themselves.
The captain of the boat, Hyacinth Latraverse, of Montreal, would not discuss the
incident. He had been master of the boat only two weeks. Jean Gautier, of
Montebello, half-brother of the man believed drowned, said Groleau was a fireman
on board the collier and possibly struck his head and was rendered unconscious
in the impact when the boat hit the shoal. He was not seen by the other crew
members later. Groleau's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Groleau, live in
Montebello.
Provincial Constable Ward Kennedy and R.C.M.P. Constable
Ralph Edge were called in to investigate and commenced operations immediately in
an effort to recover the body. There were 19 men aboard the boat, among them H.
Daryaw, son of the owner, who is a craneman. The other crew members in addition
to the captain included: Seraphino Traversy, second mate, Pierreville, Que.;
Louis Labbe, Leclaireville; Arthur Traversy,
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-
|
A. E. Vickery |
Chicago Inter Ocean |
Aug 21, 1889 |
ALMOST A MURDER
ON BOARD
The sinking of Chicago schooner Vickery near Alexandria bay
came near being the cause of a tragedy. Captain Massey, though he has traveled
the St. Lawrence a dozen times, owing to so many lights in island cottages,
thought it best to go to Clayton and get a pilot. Webber, and old river man, was
secured and had not been aboard fifteen minutes when the schooner went aground.
The captain got excited and attacked the pilot with a revolver, using violent
language and pointing the weapon at him. The mate, a brother of the captain,
instantly sprang for Massey's arm, discharging the revolver and sending the
bullet into the deck. The revolver fell on the hatch and was picked up by the
mate and thrown overboard. Captain Massey states that he would have certainly
shot Webber, but now that he is cooled off, is glad the thing happened the way
it did. Pilot Webber made himself scarce. Captain Massey sailed the Vickery for
seven years, and the carelessness of the pilot lost her, hence the cause of his
desperate action. Efforts will be made to raise the vessel.
|
Eastcliffe Hall |
Kingston Whig |
July 14, 1970 |
FREIGHTER SINKS IN
SEAWAY; 9 TRAPPED BELOW DECK DIE
Cornwall (CP)
A freighter
sank in the St. Lawrence seaway after striking a rock early today, apparently
carrying nine persons to death in a bow-first plunge and leaving 12 survivors
clinging to wreckage. The 349-foot, 4,000-ton Eastcliffe Hall, owned in Montreal
and carrying pig iron from Sorel, Que., to Cleveland, sank within three minutes
after striking a shoal about 4 a.m., 18 miles west of here. The sky was mostly
clear and the river clam. Sgt.-Maj. J.E. Legate of the provincial police said
there were 21 aboard and he was certain the missing, who were below decks when
the ship struck, were drowned. His figures were confirmed by Roger Belanger,
director of the eastern region of the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, Montreal.
Police said divers recovered the captain's body almost immediately and those of
three others by noon. Those still missing were believed trapped in the ship.
James Fraser, superintendent of engineering for Hall Shipping Ltd., owners of
the ship, said the captain was Albert Groulx of Montreal. He said the captain's
son, Alan, 16, was among the missing. Also believed drowned were a woman and
child, members of the family of the chief engineer.
Two survivors were
taken to hospital at Winchester, Ont., about 30 miles south of Ottawa, and
released after treatment. Survivor Patrick Tollins of St. Catharines, Ont., a
wheelsman, said the vessel had grounded on mud half an hour before the sinking,
but resumed its course 10 minutes later after freeing itself.
"About 15 minutes later we really hit hard. The people below decks didn't stand a chance. We went down bow first in a matter of minutes. The forepeak filled with water and the men on deck started running toward the lifeboats. We tried to clear the boats but couldn't because of the angle of the vessel. She started to slide forward again as though she had slipped off a shelf and the men started jumping off the stern."
Marcel Gendron, the second engineer, said he and third engineer John Scott were thrown 50 feet into the air. As the ship went down increasing pressure blew off two hatches. "As we hit the water everything and everyone was sucked under with the ship." Mr. Gendron said the crew members in the water grabbed anything that was floating "and eight of us got together and tied together a sort of raft." He estimated they floated three or four miles downstream in the hour before they were picked up. Third engineer Scott said:
"I thought I had had it. First I was sucked down, then the hatch blew and I shot up into the air. "All I could see was the sky before I came down again and went under with the suction from the ship. When I saw the sky a second time I thought how lucky I was."
The ship sank about a mile off Chrysler Park marina. Marina owner Leroy Hamilton said the shoal is outside the marked seaway channel. Captain Jack Stowe, chief marine officer for the seaway authority in Cornwall, said the 1,300-foot-wide channel is well marked, but there are hazards. The shoal is marked on charts. He said the sinking is the first in the restricted lanes and canals of the seaway's international section between Montreal and Lake Ontario. Sgt.-Maj. Legate said the captain's body was recovered from the wheelhouse. Six divers were searching the wreck, with more being flown by helicopter from Belleville. The divers could stay down only 20 minutes at a time because they were working more than 40 feet below the surface, Sgt.-Maj. Legate said. The sinking was first reported to police by Mrs. Walter Wells, whose husband owns a motel near the marina.
"It was a great boom which woke me up. Then we began to hear people shouting 'Help, help.'"
Sgt.-Maj. Legate said police sped to
the site of the sinking in launches. They picked up 11 survivors clinging to
wreckage and the 12th floating in the river a short distance away. The
Eastcliffe Hall is the fourth ship owned by the Montreal company to sink in the
seaway or its extension within six years. Three crew members were drowned Sept.
5, 1964, when the Leacliffe Hall collided with a Greek freighter and sank 65
miles downstream from Quebec City. The Lawrencecliffe Hall collided with a
British ship and sank November, 1965, in the St. Lawrence River, and in October,
1966, the Stonefax sank near St. Catharines, after colliding with a Norwegian
freighter.
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Eastcliffe Hall
The
Ottawa Citizen
Aug 1, 1984
SALVAGED WALLET RECALLS FREIGHTER'S
SINKING
Edwin Fudge lost his wallet one early morning 14 years ago,
and figured he'd never see it again. Unlike most people, he didn't leave it in a
restaurant or let it drop out of his pocket. It sank with a ship.
Fudge was a deckhand
aboard the pig iron carrier Eastcliffe Hall when it sank in the St. Lawrence
Seaway just past Cornwall on July 14, 1970. In his rush to escape, he left his
wallet in the pocket of a shirt hanging on a wall peg by the door of the
sleeping quarters. There it stayed until one Saturday last month, when Cornwall
scuba diver Ronald MacDonald peered through murky water into the Eastcliffe
Hall's sleeping quarters as he waited for his diving buddy to join him.
"I was just looking around the entrance, passing the time. I saw what looked like a rag on the wall behind a piece of metal. But it was only when I pulled it off the door that I realized it was a shirt, and started looking for pockets.
The wallet contained Fudge's faded union and
social insurance cards, but no money. "I wouldn't mind having it back," said
Fudge, now 46, contacted aboard the Canadoc, making its way up the St. Lawrence
at Montreal. But the wallet had deteriorated badly and would be difficult to
mail. Nine passengers and crew members died in the 1970 sinking. The
100-metre-long ship, en route from Sorel, Que., to Saginaw, Mich., had just
passed Cornwall when the drunken skipper crashed it into a submerged concrete
pier he never should have been near. The skipper was among those who died. Fudge
was reluctant to discuss the accident. "That was 14 years ago and talking about
it is bringing back bad memories I'd rather not remember." All he would say was
that he was jolted from his sleep at 4 a.m. by the screech of tearing hull plate
and the rush of water into the forward sleeping quarters. Fudge, and four or
five others who made it out of the sleeping quarters, grabbed life jackets and
headed for the lifeboats, but didn't have time to deploy them. They landed in
the water about seven minutes after the initial impact.
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- -
|
Robert Gaskin |
|
Sep 18, 1889 |
IN HARD
LUCK
The Wrecking Schooner Gaskin Struck by a Pontoon, and Goes to
Bottom
Mr. Leslie, who has undertaken to bring the sunken steamer
Armstrong to the surface, is in hard luck, and today met with another set back
which will not only prove a serious loss, but will still further delay the
operations in connection with raising the wreck. As our readers are aware two
additional pontoons were being sunk, to give more power in bringing up the
wrecked steamer, and to-day the work of forcing air into one of these was begun.
All was going well, and prospects looked bright for bringing the Armstrong to
the surface, when suddenly about one o'clock the chain holding one of the
pontoons gave way and it came to the surface with terrific force, striking and
wrecking the schooner Gaskin on the bottom and making a large hole in her. Those
who saw the accident state that when the pontoon struck the schooner she
careened over and it looked as though she would upset. The pontoon, however,
glided from underneath her, and the water pouring into the hole which had meen
made in the bottom, the schooner sank almost immediately, the men who were on
her having barely time to jump to the tug McArthur which lay along
side.
The loss will prove a very heavy one to Mr. Leslie as his wrecking
apparatus, pumps, divers outfit, etc., was all on the schooner and went to the
bottom with her. The men who were employed on the schooner also lose all their
belongings, as the schooner sank with such rapidity that they had no time to
make an effort to save anything. From the position in which the vessel went down
it is thought that she in all probability settled down upon the Armstrong; at
all events if not on top she must be immediately alongside of her. At the time
of writing it is not known whether or not an effort will be made to raise the
Gaskin, but there seems no doubt that an effort will be made at all events to
bring her plant to the surface, as it is very valuable.
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- -
|
Rothesay |
|
Sep 13, 1889 |
A FATAL RIVER
DISASTER.
THE ROTHESAY AND MYRA COLLIDE AND GO TO BOTTOM NEAR
PRESCOTT.
The Engineer and Fireman of the Myra are Drowned - The
Disaster Causes Great Excitement - The Rothesay's Passengers Safe - Hundreds
Visit the Scene - Full and Interesting Particulars.
The summer of
1889 will likely long be remembered by vessel men on the St. Lawrence, bringing
as it has more disasters and accidents to steam crafts than has ever before been
chronicled in one season. It would require several columns of an ordinary
newspaper to accurately describe the various accidents which have occurred
between Montreal and Kingston and in most cases to steam craft of some
description. The steamers Algerian, Armstrong, St. Lawrence, Rivla and some
others whose names we cannot now remember, have found temporary resting places
on the river bed, while the yachts Gipsey, Magic, Zephyr, Sport, Cora Maud and
several more of the mosquitoes got into chancery more or less with shoals and
sunken spars. With one exception, however, these had fortunately been attended
with the loss of but one life, but in the disaster near Prescott last night, in
which the famous steamer Rothesay collided with the tug Myra, both being sunk,
two human lives were sacrificed.
News of the disaster reached here at a
late hour last night, but the details were somewhat meager. At an early hour
this morning a Recorder representative visited the scene of the disaster,
driving down over the Prescott road, and reaching the spot shortly before ten
o'clock. Long before the spot was reached, a collection of small yachts, sailing
skiffs, and row boats could be seen collected near the shore, below what is
known as the Blue Church, and in the centre of all lay the "Greyhound of the St.
Lawrence," shorn of her beauty and power, but still, we are happy to state, in a
shape which promises her speedy return to her old haunts. The wrecked boat lies
directly opposite the brick stables of Mr. J.P. Wisers' stock and training farm,
a short distance this side of Prescott, and about two lengths of herself from
shore. Getting alongside the wrecked boat, by means of a small skiff, our
representative clambered over the railing just forward of the starboard paddle
box and was soon in a position to view the nature and extent of the Rothesay's
injuries. All her upper deck from the bow to a point in her saloon just forward
of her stairway landing is out of water and this portion presents very little
change. The sofas, chairs, mirrors and other saloon fixtures are in their places
to a large extent, but aft of the stairway a far different view is presented. As
one approaches in that direction he finds his way cut off by water, only enough
to wet the soles of his shoes for a short distance, but deepening rapidly as he
advances until amidships when all trace of the vessels interior is lost in the
clear fluid. Tables, some of them with their cloths still on, were floating
about in company with chairs and other fittings while one or two garments
appearing in the flood showed where some nervous passenger had abandoned
property of life.
An outside
view shows the wrecked steamer to be resting easily on mud bottom and as she is
slightly sheltered from the east wind blowing to-day by a jutting point below,
no damage was being done to her light outer works. She had very nearly reached
shore when her fires were put out by the rapidly advancing water, so near in
fact that not more than eight or nine feet of her bow is hidden from sight. The
bottom slants gradually , which puts the stern of the wrecked steamer in about
24 feet of water, thus leaving her hurricane deck at that point, a few inches
above the surface. Her stem is almost entirely torn away by the force of the
collision, and at this point she took the water which soon brought her to the
bottom. Just aft of her starboard paddle box there is another bad smash, this
being caused by the tug's barge which struck her at that point. Beyond this
there are thought to be no injuries, at least none are visible, and she rests
on an even keel.
A few rods south of where the Rothesay lay was a spot
marked by a buoy and surrounded at the time of our visit with a fleet of small
boats. Here in about 33 feet of water and with the top of her smoke stack within
two feet of the surface, rests the tug Myra, and the bodies of her engineer and
fireman. At least no trace of either one has been found, and at the time of our
visit both had been given up for lost. We were unable to interview any of the
tug's officers or crew, as all had been taken to Ogdensburg, but the general
supposition is that the two men lost were killed either by the collision or the
escaping steam from the tug's boiler. This theory is pretty clearly
substantiated by Capt. Cameron, of the Rothesay, and several others, who state
that cries of agony were plainly heard immediately after the boats came
together. The fireman is also known to have been an expert swimmer and could
easily have saved himself had he got out of the tug unharmed. Both bodies are
supposed to be still on the boat and at eleven o'clock no attempt to recover
them had been made.
Just who is responsible for the accident is a matter
for dispute at present and will probably remain so until an investigation is
held. Rumors were current at the scene of the wreck that the tug men claimed no
answer was made by the Rothesay to their whistles but this is strongly denied by
the Rothesay's officers. Captain Cameron when found was quietly talking to a
group of men on the forward deck and in most respects was the coolest man
encountered. When asked if he had any objections to making a statement for
publication he replied that he had not, and then briefly stated what he knew of
the accident. Just previous to the collision he had left the upper deck in
command of his mate, John Lashay, and gone to the saloon. He was in conversation
with a lady passenger when he heard two whistles and knowing their import, made
a hurried exit from the saloon. As he came out he saw the tug broadside on the
heading for Buckley's dock. She was then so near that he considered a collision
inevitable and so told Lashay. At this time he was ascending the ladder to the
hurricane deck and before he could get there the crash came. The Rothesay's
sharp stem struck the Myra a little aft of amidships and though her engines were
reversed at the time, she had still such headway that she went more than half
way through the tug. The Rothesay's engines were still working on the reverse,
gradually she drew out from the tug and was then headed for shore. The tug had a
light barge in tow and was bound west. Despite the tug's injuries she remained
afloat until after the Rothesay sank. As soon as possible two of the four large
life boats carried on the Rothesay were lowered and in these most of the
passengers were taken ashore in safety. Altogether there was not what could be
considered a panic although one male passenger created considerable trouble and
was finally sat upon by the captain and ordered to keep still. There were plenty
of life preservers on board and before the boat went down most of the passengers
had been equipped with them.
Samuel Finucan, a brother of Mr. John
Finucan, the Rothesay's manager, was at the wheel when the accident occurred.
When interviewed he said, "I was alone in the wheel house when the tug was
sighted. Lashay, the mate, was at the bells outside the wheel house. When I saw
the tugs lights she was just straight for us but must have been nearer than I
thought. I gave her two whistles which called for her to take the wrong side.
She replied with one meaning that she would take the right side and the next
instant Lashay rang the bells to reverse. Our engines were reversed when we
struck her. It was not moonlight at the time but could not be called a dark
night. We struck the tug between the pilot house and the engine room and she
sank in about twenty minutes.
Lashay, the mate who was in command of the
Rothesay, has given practically the same statement as Mr. Finucan makes. Among
the passengers on board was the boat's manager, Mr. John Finucan, his wife and
family. He was one of the first men encountered at the wreck and despite the
hard luck which has overtaken him and in which he has the warmest sympathy of
his many friends along the river, took the matter philosophically. Though not
much inclined to talk to our representative he found time to say: "We left
Brockville at 7:45 and reached the scene of the accident about 8:30. I was
inside the saloon at the time, and, therefore, am not in a position to say how
the accident occurred. I heard our boat blow two whistles and knowing what it
meant went into the engine room. Was there when the crash came. Came up to the
upper deck and assisted to get life preservers on members of my own family and
other passengers."
Notes:
Wm. Sullivan, the fireman of the tug who met
his death, was a native of Ogdensburg and about 19 years of age. Samuel Jorden,
the engineer, belonged to Waddington, N.Y., and leaves a wife and two or three
children. He had not been on the boat all season but took the place of an
engineer named Davidson who left earlier in the season.
A son of Manager
Finucan, a lad about 15 years of age, is said to have behaved with remarkable
coolness, and did an excellent service in assisting passengers to properly equip
themselves with life preservers.
The tug Myra was owned by the Ogdensburg
Coal and Towing Co. and is probably a total wreck though her machinery can
doubtless be saved, as she lies in comparatively shallow water.
Mr.
Herbert Lane, who is well known to residents of Union Park, rescued two ladies
from the Rothesay's cabin and a like service was performed by Mr. Will
McCarthy.
The Rothesay is insured for $10,000 in an American company, an
agent of which had been sent for before we left the wreck. She is owned by a
wealthy gentleman named Mr. Smith, of St. Albans, Vt., and had been leased for
the season by a local company of which Mr. John Finucan was manager. An officer
of the boat stated this morning that he thought she could be raised from her
present position and placed on the dry dock for less than $2,000.
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