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CRUISER VIGILANT SANK POACHING TUG
TWO MEN DROWNED
[Welland Tribune, 9 June 1905]
Port Stanley, Ont. June 7-This morning about 9.15 the Government cruiser Vigilant, Capt. Dunn, sighted a fishing tug about six miles east of Middle Island in Lake Erie and five miles north of the boundary line. The captain changed his course and made towards the tug, which proved to be the Grace M. of Lorain, Ohio, Capt. William Galbraith. The tug went quite near her Capt. Dunn signalled with his whistle for her crew to check. No attention was paid to stop, but the tug shot past the Vigilant with full steam.
Captain Dunn turned and soon overhauled her, but the tug continued to dodge the Valiant notwithstanding the fact that Capt. Dunn had fired across her bows several times. The Vigilant was again coming up on the tug when she again attempted to cross the Vigilant’s bow. Capt. Dunn seeing there was likely to be a collision, stopped and backed full steam.
He had his boat well stopped when they came together, but the momentum of the Vigilant was sufficient to roll the Grace M. over and she sank. Capt. Dunn rescued Capt. Galbraith, Engineer Wm. Rulleson, and D, Poppelwell, a fisherman. Two fisherman named Martin Oleson of Cleveland and Wm. Anderson of Lorrain were drowned.
Capt. Galbraith admits that Capt. Dunn was in no way to blame, and now his sorrow realizes he should have obeyed Capt. Dunn’s signals and stopped his boat when ordered to do so.
The Vigilant succeeded the Petrel on Lake Erie this year. The big legal fight over the seizure of the Kitty D. by the Petrel is well known. It has lasted two years and has cost thousands of dollars.
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