The Sea Wing Disaster 123 Years Ago Today.
The steamer Sea Wing left Red Wing, Minn., Sunday afternoon with 250 passengers on board bound for Lake City, where the encampment of the state militia is in progress. At several small towns along the shore of Lake Pepin enough people were taken on board to make about 350 when the boat reached its destination. A barge was in tow which carried 100 of this number.
Late in the afternoon the party re-embarked for home and was in the middle of the lake when a cyclone struck the little city. The boat became unmanageable at once. The barge was cut loose, and after an hour the helpless craft drifted to shore with about twenty persons on board. The other 150 or more were drowned.
THE STEAMER SWAMPED
A number of those on the barge jumped and swam ashore. As the barge floated again into deep water those on the barge saw the steamer as it was carried helplessly out in the middle of the lake, and as they were being tossed about on the raging waters they were horrified a moment later to see the steamer capsize and its cargo of 150 people thrown into the lake.
THE LAKE FULL OF DROWNING PEOPLE
In 10 minutes more the 25 or so who had obtained momentary safety on the boat could observe no others of the boat’s crew or passengers floating on the surface of the waves. Afterward, however, as a flash of lightning lighted up the surface of the lake, the sight of an occasional white dress of a drowning woman or child was observable, but it was impossible for those who witnessed the horrible sight to lend any aid. Those remaining began calling for help from the shore.
