Still Missing: Rethinking the D.B. Cooper Case and Other Mysterious Unsolved Disappearances (24 page)

According to U. P. Mulligan, in charge of the U. S. steamboat inspection service office here, a federal investigation will be started next week into the tragedy. The probe is held up awaiting return of two inspectors away on other missions. Meanwhile, an investigation under Pros. Atty. Clarence Lokker is going forward.

Funeral services for Capt. Brown will be held at the home, 1121 Columbus St., here tomorrow afternoon at 2 o’clock and at the Van Zantwick funeral home at 2:30 o’clock. Burial will be in Lake Forrest cemetery.

Wiley’s body was shipped today to Boothbay Harbor, Me. The body was accompanied by E. J. Morey, Benton Harbor, a life long friend.

Across the lake, the
Door County Advocate
reported the sad news of captain Anderson’s body recovery in an article dated September 20:

BODY OF CAPTAIN ANDERSON OF
ANDASTE
FOUND MONDAY

FUNERAL IS HELD HERE YESTERDAY FROM NEBEL HOME

The body of Capt. Albert Anderson of the ill-fated gravel freighter
Andaste
, which went down with a loss of 25 lives in a storm on Lake Michigan early last week Tuesday morning while bound from Grand Haven to Chicago with a load of gravel, was found by coast guards about a mile from the Grand Haven pier Monday morning. Nearby was floating a life preserver, according to Jack Anderson, his son, who went to Grand Haven Sunday with Dr. G. R. Egeland to take charge of the body in case it was found.

The captain’s coat was recovered shortly before the body, and this, together with the life preserver, evidently shows that the veteran seaman had made some struggle for his life. Another indication that all hope was not gone in the disaster was found Tuesday when a penciled message on a board was discovered signed “A. L. A.” The message read:

“Worst storm I have ever been in. Can’t stay up much longer. Hope we are saved.”

Mrs. Anderson said yesterday that she believed the message authentic because her husband frequently signed notes or letters by his initials.

14 BODIES RECOVERED

Fourteen of the bodies from the
Andaste
had been recovered up to Wednesday and it was reported that two more were found yesterday. Some had life preservers on and others did not. The first two bodies, those of the second engineer and the first mate, washed ashore near Holland, Michigan, Saturday. The second engineer had on a life belt and two ring buoys. Sunday the pilot house was found near Agnew, Michigan, and Monday seven bodies were recovered. Two more Tuesday brought the total up to fourteen.

The body of one of the men, who lives at Grand Haven, washed ashore almost at the back door of his home.

Capt. Anderson’s body was taken in charge of his son Jack and shipped here by rail, arriving Wednesday morning, while he and Dr. Egeland returned by car, crossing the lake on a Pere Marquette ferry from Ludington. Both the trips going and coming were rough and on the way back a violent storm broke bringing sleet and snow, the two reported.

WENT DOWN AT 3 A.M.

When the
Andaste
left Grand Haven at 9:30 Monday night last week, the weather was fine and the barometer showed no signs of dropping, Jack Anderson learned while across the lake, so there was no fear of a storm at that time. The wind must have broken loose suddenly from the southwest and then shifted forward the northwest, piling up a dangerous cross-sea. According to estimates, the boat was about 30 miles on its course southwest of Grand Haven when it foundered. Two watches on bodies found stopped at 3 o’clock.

Knowing that the ship would not last, Capt. Anderson, besides penciling a message on a cabin door, must have also made an effort to save some of the ship’s valuables and records. In his pocket was found a roll of bills mounting to $479. The fact that some of the bodies were clad only in underwear indicates also that some of the crew at least must have been notified of their possible fate and had tried to escape.

MANY AT FUNERAL

A large number attended Capt. Anderson’s funeral which was held from the home of Lester A. Nebel on Dewey avenue yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock with the Rev. E. F. Heimich officiating. Interment was at Bayside. The body arrived here on the morning train Wednesday and very few were permitted to view the remains.

Pallbearers at the funeral were Frank Shimmel, Frank Starr, John Moore, Art Anderson, Walter Woerfel and G. M. Stephenson.

Special music consisted of a solo by Everett M. Valentine of Ephraim, accompanied by Mrs. Valentine.

The floral offerings were exceptionally beautiful, but perhaps outstanding was a beautiful piece from the Construction Materials Company of Chicago by which Capt. Anderson was employed.

Among those here from outside were Carl Anderson, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mrs Mamie Gallagher, Miss Grace Gallagher, Mr. White, Mr. Pittson, Mrs Michael O’Brien, Miss Belle O’Brien, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence O’Brien, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Doherty, all of Green Bay; Sam Newman and Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Zastrow, of Algoma.

NATIVE TO THIS CITY

Capt. Anderson was a native of this city, born October 28, 1866, a son of the late Andrew and Nicklena Nelson Anderson. He was married here August 18, 1898, to Miss Georglana Remillard who survives, together with three children, Madonna, Hack and Merle, all of this city. One brother, Carl, of Tulsa, Okla., three half sisters, Mrs L. A. Nebel and Misses Jessie and Alice Anderson, of this city, and the captain’s stepmother, Mrs. Christine Anderson, of this city, also survive.

Capt. Anderson has spent most of his life sailing on the lakes. He has long been a member of the Lake Tugmen’s Protective Association.

WRECK MOVIE COMING HERE

LOCAL THEATER MANAGER HAS ENGAGED
ANDASTE
PICTURES NEXT WEEK

Miss Margaret VandenBerg, manager of the Crescent Theatre, alive to the value of publicity for her business and her city, wired to the Pathe and Universal News Reel people at Detroit to get pictures of the interesting details of wreckage, funerals and those connected with the recovery of the bodies of the
Andaste
, Construction Materials Co. boat, which sank in Lake Michigan on Sept. 9.

The response was immediate and two groups came in to cover the story. These pictures will be shown at the Crescent Theatre next week. The exact date to be announced later, and then over the world as one of the greatest lake disasters in years.

Pictures of Capt. Anderson’s body being placed on the train; the wreckage, strewn along the shore; the Coast Guard, who have been indefatigable in their efforts to secure every body, were among the scenes taken. Also the funeral cortege, when four funeral cars followed by a long line of automobiles, wound its way to the beautiful Lake Forest Cemetery, the final resting places of the sailors, who had no people to claim them and were laid to rest in one lot in a beautiful part of this cemetery.

These pictures will be shown around the world, placing the name Grand Haven before the public as little else could do many who have left the old town now in the four corners of the globe, will doubtless get a thrill when they see familiar places and faces perhaps.

When the shock of the loss of the
Andaste
dissipated slightly, people started asking questions and demanding answers. A coroner’s inquest was scheduled in Holland Michigan to get to the bottom of things.
Grand Haven Daily Tribune
, September 24, 1929.

SINKING FACTS AIRED BEFORE
INQUEST JURY

ANDASTE
TRAGEDY AGAIN REVIEWED
IN EFFORT TO EXPLAIN ITS CAUSE

CAPTAIN PRAISES PORT HERE

The inquest of the
Andaste
disaster, which is being held here today in the supervisor’s room at the court house by Coroner Gilbert VandeWater prosecuting attorney, C.A. Lokker, and assistant, Hay DenHerder, has up until noon failed to reveal any conclusive explanation of the sinking. Either the boat, the loading, or the weather, or all might have been responsible for the tragedy which took place sometime during the night of Sept. 9 and took the lives of 25 men, leaving not one survivor to tell just what happened.

The inquest is being heard by a jury of six business men from Holland, Mayor E.C. Brooks, E.P. Stephen, furniture manufacturer; Will Visser, merchant; Wynand Wichers, cashier of the First State Bank; G.T. Haan, retired druggist and Henry Winter, cashier of the Peoples Bank. This morning men from the Construction Materials Co., captains of lake ships, federal inspectors and local men told facts about the boat, the cargo, the life preservers, the life boats, the conditions of the machinery, the weather conditions of the lake and on shore, etc. So far apparently nothing has been unearthed to which negligence of inspectors, crew or owners could be attached.

In the works of Hugh P. Mulligan, U.S. Inspector of Boilers, “I do not know of a more able boat and I have no idea what happened or what occasion arose which precipitated the boat to the bottom of Lake Michigan. I believe the sinking will always remain one of those sea secrets which are never given up.”

Capt. J. Crawford, master of the Alabama, a Goodrich steamer, testified as to the passage that night. He says he was awakened about 1:12am as his ship took four bad rolls, and he immediately warned the second mate to hold her into the wind. Both he and the second mate, he said, saw lights which did not appear to be morning on a ship to the west and north of them. Neither officer heard sirens or saw flares. The head and range lights told them the ship was headed west and as the wind was reaching a peak velocity of about 60 miles. They supposed the captain was heading for the west shore. They passed the City of Grand Rapids about 1:50 going to Chicago from this port. The gale was sufficient to shift part of their cargo but no apprehension was felt, the Captain declared. He arrived in this port at 4:43 am, declaring he would not have attempted to get into Holland or Muskegon as Grand Haven was always the best harbor in any storm.

He testified it was a dark but clear night, and they could have seen lights for at least 10 miles. He was notified by wireless on Sept. 11 by the Chicago office to be on the lookout for the
Andaste
. Wireless operators are on duty every minute while on the lake and never fail to get the messages, he declared.

The second mate, Henry Erbe, testified corroborating the statements of the captain. He said the lights he saw, and did not recognize, were west and north of the Chicago course. The City of Grand Rapids was only about one mile west when they passed her at 1:50 am. He said it was a bad night.

John Swift, owning a cottage nine miles north of the Holland Harbor on Lake Michigan told the Jurymen he was awakened about 1:00 am with a terrific wind. He noticed lights of a ship seemingly close to shore. He dressed and attended to things about the cottage, retiring at about 4:00 am when he still saw the light. Arising at 6:00 am there was not a trace of anything, he said.

Questioned as to why he did not notify the Holland Coast Guard he said he thought it would have been ridiculous as their lights were visible and the lookout could have seen any vessel in distress. He felt there was trouble of some kind however.

The federal inspectors, Hugh P. Mulligan, Bernard J. Gellick, and Peter Thompson gave testimony as to the inspection of the
Andaste
at Ferrysburg on Mar. 1,5,12, and April 23 and 25.

In each instance they reported the ship to have been in excellent condition. It the words of H.P. Mulligan inspector of boilers, “I do not know of a more able boat.” She was built in 1892 he said, and altered in 1921, but her boilers and machinery were all in excellent condition, following extensive repairs at the Johnston Boiler Works, which necessitated frequent inspection by him.

He said there was testimony in the local office taken at the investigation of the overturning of the tug, Liberty, which showed the life boats on the
Andaste
had been swung and lowered three feet preparatory to assisting the four men who were thrown into the water when the tug sank. This was given by Clarence Kasperson, brother of Frank Kasperson, who died aboard the
Andaste
.

Capt. Gellick, inspector of hulls, explained carefully the lifesaving equipment and the destruction of three condemned life preservers, the renewal of at least three more which were not up to standard making 37 new type life preservers in first class condition. There are no federal regulations as to where they shall be placed, he said.

The life boats were personally inspected by the assistant, Peter Thompson, equipped he said with 12 costen lights in an air tight compartment. They were equipped with a rudder and steering oar according to regulations. They were steel with air bulk heads capable of holding 18 men. Both Gellick and Thompson thought if the ship had been in the trough of the sea it would have been impossible to have launched them. If they went down with the ship with their lashings unstripped, Capt. Thompson was of the opinion it might take some time before chafing of the sea could loosen them and they could float.

The life boats were a new type built in Brooklyn in 1926. They were 20 feet by 6 feet beam and 2.5 feet deep. There was no life raft, which is not required on freight boats, both officers testified.

Dr. Addison testified that a body is stiff a few hours after dead by drowning but soon loosens up due to water action and is limp after being in the water over 10 hours. Further testimony showed the bodies to have been limp. He stated it was his opinion the condition of the bodies found would not indicate how long they had been dead and that a post mortem would be necessary to ascertain whether a person had drowned or died from exposure.