File:History of Milwaukee, city and county (1922) (14803380123).jpg

Identifier: historyofmilwauk01bruc (find matches)
Title: History of Milwaukee, city and county
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Bruce, William George, 1856-1949 Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), b. 1844
Subjects: Milwaukee (Wis.) -- History Milwaukee County (Wis.) -- History
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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had struck her forward of the paddle box on the port side, thebroken stump of her bowsprit entering the sal i where many of the pas-sengers, largely composed of young people, were occupied in dancing andmerry-making at the time. A great hole was opened in her side reachingfar below the water line and the water began pouring in flooding the engineroom and lower decks. The steamer was proceeding north about five milesfrom shore and was then about opposite Highland Park, a village twenty-three miles from Chicago. As Milwaukee is eighty-five miles from Chicagothe steamer had covered a little more than a quarter of the distance to thatport which was the destination of the great majoriy of her passengers. There was a gale blowing from the northeast accompanied by rain, andthe waves were running high. The steamer was brought to a stop imme-diately after the collision and three boats were lowered manned by sailorsprovided with mattresses and sail-cloth for the purpose of stopping the hole 129
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- y. *$ B$£ - - -- - -£ Z _ y -- 5^ THE STORY OF THE LADY ELGIN DISASTER 131 in her side; but the oars were broken or lost in the attempt and the boatsdrifted away, eventually arriving on the neighboring shore with their occu-pants in safety though no passengers were with them. It was the reportof these men that gave the first intelligence of the disaster mi shore andwhich was telegraphed to Chicago from the Highland Park Railroad Station. Foundering of the Steamer.—Large quantities of wreckage were loosenedas the steamer went down, and the passengers seized upon any object thatwould serve to keep them afloat. In the cargo was a drove of cattle andthe struggling animals were precipitated into the lake among the passengers.Many found a precarious hold on the backs of these animals as they swamabout, although none of the cattle reached the shore alive. A large pieceof the hurricane deck of the steamer became detached at the moment whenthe steamer went down, and on this raft-like obj

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