Wednesday, November twelfth. The worst storm in the history of the lake is now just a tragic memory, as Moose County tries to assess the damage and pick up the pieces. Farmers report livestock frozen in the fields. Commercial fisheries have lost their means of livelihood. Since fishing is a major industry on the North Shore, the economic impact on Moose County could be serious. The entire shoreline is littered with wreckage: wharfs, commercial buildings, fishing boats, houses, pleasure craft, summer cottages, and government rescue stations. Worst of all is the loss of life. Almost two hundred sailors were drowned, and bodies are still washing up on the Canadian shore. In rural areas, many persons are reported missing. It is now presumed that they lost their way in the blizzard and have frozen to death.
A Lifesaving Station was able to rescue the crew of the five-hundred-foot steamer
wrecked on the reef. They were rescued after thirty-six hours of desperate attempts. Twenty-five officers and men—and a woman cook who was praised for her bravery—were brought safely to shore by the surfboat. The wreckage will remain on the reef until spring, when salvage operations will begin.
Many crews were less fortunate. Boats capsized or broke in two or “crumpled like eggshells,” according to one observer. What appeared to be a large whale, drifting in the lake, was the hull of a large freighter, upside down and kept afloat by air bubbles. It later sank to the bottom.
Among the fortunate survivors of the storm were six duck hunters who went out before the storm and were marooned all night on Lone Tree Island. They were rescued on Monday, suffering from exposure and on the verge of pneumonia. One of them is standing by to give our listeners a firsthand account of a terrifying adventure.
(Picks up phone) Operator, ready for the Mooseville call. Hello. Yes, this is the WPKX newsroom. Sir, will you tell us how you happened to be out on that island during the storm?
HUNTER ON TAPE
: Well, me and five other fellas rented a boat Sunday mornin’ and went out to the island for some birds. We was just gettin’ set up when the wind come up. Nobody thought much about it. But then I heard that spooky whistlin’ sound that means trouble. We was two miles from the mainland, and I wanted to get the heck out of there. But the other fellas, they wanted to get a few shots before quittin’. The wind got real bad then. Even the ducks, they was flyin’ backwards, like.
We could see our boat tossin’ around, and the first thing we know, she broke loose and headed for open water. By that time it was gettin’ awful cold. There we was—alone on an island with nothin’ but a little shack and some miserable trees. We was dressed warm, but we went to the shack and made a fire in the little stove there. Next thing, it started to snow. I never seen such a blizzard. All around us—nothin’ but white. And then the lake, she started to rise. Kept creepin’ closer to the shack. We huddled around the stove until the water busted right in and put the fire out. Whole island was flooded. By the time it got dark, we was standin’ in freezin’ water up to our waist. Somebody said we should tie ourselves together with a piece o’ rope. Don’t know why, but we did. Then the shanty, it started to move. We’re gonna be swept into the bay, I thought. But that durned shanty got stuck between a coupla trees, and there we hung, like trapped animals.
NEWSCASTER
: Sir, how long did the blow continue?
HUNTER ON TAPE
: Musta been sixteen, eighteen hours. Calmed down about two in the mornin’, and we was still there, shiverin’ and tied together, when they come lookin’ for us, in a boat from Mooseville.
NEWSCASTER
: What did you do to keep your spirits up during this . . . this nightmare? I mean, did you talk? Sing? Tell jokes?
HUNTER ON TAPE
: (Pause) Well, we talked—we talked about our families. And I guess we prayed a lot.
NEWSCASTER
: Thank you, sir. We’re glad you all got back alive. And take care of that cough!
The news from Fishport was not so good. The bodies of two duck hunters were washed up on the beach, not far from the spot where their wrecked boat was found.
Near Deep Harbor, the storm tossed up a gruesome reminder of an unsolved mystery. Seven years ago, a tugboat with a crew of five disappeared just outside the harbor. According to eyewitnesses, one minute it was there, and the next minute it was gone. No trace of boat or crew was ever found. During Sunday’s storm, the waves churned up the smokestack and cabin of this long-lost boat. With it was one body, badly decomposed after seven summers and seven winters at the bottom of the lake. Deep Harbor also reports that the concrete breakwater failed to withstand the pounding of the waves. Three hundred feet of the breakwater washed away, the waves rolling huge chunks of concrete like marbles.
