Still Missing: Rethinking the D.B. Cooper Case and Other Mysterious Unsolved Disappearances (21 page)

IS TWO DAYS OVERDUE

BELIEVE CRAFT MAY HAVE BEEN VICTIM OF MONDAY’S STORM

Grand Haven, Sept. 12---Apprehension had turned into alarm here Thursday where there still was no word from the
Andaste
, a Construction Materials Co. gravel freighter which left this port at 8:45 p.m. Monday for South Chicago, and has not been heard from since. The boat was manned by a crew of 24 officers and men. It was due in South Chicago Tuesday morning

Fear was expressed here Thursday that the craft, heavily loaded with two-inch stone, may have been a victim of Monday night’s lake storm. Lake veterans here stated that the heavy seas may have caused the gravel load to shift to one side of the boat and to have sunk the ship “like a stone.”

ENTERTAINS NO HOPE

Capt. Peter Boets, superintendent of the company’s yards at Ferrysburg, stated Thursday he could entertain no hope the freighter would be found afloat. He said the
Andaste
had been out about three hours Monday night, when the severe storm broke and probably sent the freighter to the lake bottom so quickly there was no chance of saving the vessel and little opportunity for the members of the crew to save themselves.

Capt. Boets had taken the Freedom, a Construction Material Co. tug, out Wednesday night and had searched the lake within a 50-mile radius without finding any trace of the missing ship. It was Boet’s opinion the freighter could not have gone more than 50 miles from the local harbor before Monday night’s storm broke.

J.R. Sensibar of Chicago, president of the Construction Materials Co., and R. C. Yoeman, his assistant, came over to Grand Haven on the Chicago boat Wednesday night to direct the search for the
Andaste
from here Thursday. Both expressed themselves as gravely alarmed over the situation.

COAST GUARDS LOOKING.

Capt. William Preston of the local coast guard station Thursday had not given up the idea that Anderson was hiding somewhere out of touch with the world and oblivious to the fear which is being caused by his non appearance.

Joseph Collins of Grand Haven, wheelsman on the boat all year, laid off Sunday for a two weeks’ vacation. He said today the boat was in good condition and could not understand what could have happened other than that the load of two-inch stone which she carried might have shifted and rolled her over.

The
Cort
, a similar whaleback, had the same experience on Lake Erie, just outside of Detroit, three years ago, he said.

The
Andaste
has been making four trips a week from Ferrysburg to Chicago. She was put in excellent condition at the Johnston Bros. this winter with $25,000 expended on her. Hatches, plates, combers and engines were all in excellent condition. She was inspected by the local officers April 23.

The
Andaste
is one of the local fleet including the Sandmaster, Sandcraft and Fred W. Green owned or leased by the Construction firm for carrying gravel and sand from Ferrysburg to points on the Great Lakes.

Four freighters out of Chicago directly crossing the course of the
Andaste
have reported they saw no trace of her Monday night. A 60-mile gale was blowing and many boats were forced into ports.

The
Alabama
was several hours late in a terrific pounding by the big seas. A doctor was called when she got in port.

The boat left on her first trip this spring with a near tragedy when the tug
Liberty
, towing her from Ferrysburg, overturned and four men narrowly escaped drowning. The steamer
Hennepin
owned by the Construction Material Co., foundered in mid lake, two years ago in August with no loss of life.

Ernest Kasperson a brother of Frank, the wheelsman, was to have shipped with the lost boat but something prevented. Earl Zietlow, a son of William Zietlow, 14 years old, is thought to have been aboard, shipping for the first time Monday night.

Capt. William Preston of the local Coast Guard left about 10:30 a.m. with four men for Gary, Ind., working up the lake to Kenosha. He will zig zag across the lake. Capt. William Kingcade of the Milwaukee station crossed the lake and came in here about 9 a.m. he will go north then cross the lake and scour that section. Every Coast Guard station has been notified to be on the lookout.

Officials of the company stated this morning the tonnage of the
Andaste
was 2,600 tons and that she was not heavily loaded as she carried between 1,900 and 2,000 tons on the Monday night sailing.

VESSEL’S HISTORY

The steamer
Andaste
took over the gravel run for the Construction Materials Co. after the sinking of the steam barge
Hennepin
off South Haven two or three years ago. She had previously been under charter to the Construction Materials Co. by the Cleveland Cliffs, her original owners, but in 1928 was carrying for Leathem D. Smith of Sturgeon Bay. The two later formed the Leathem-Smith Cliffs Co., her present owners, according to the inspection certificate.

A similar incident took place in November, 1928, when the
Andaste
cleared Muskegon for Milwaukee, loaded. She ran into a stiff blow and was missing for about 24 hours, considerable apprehension being felt for her safety. Later she was reported as far North as Sturgeon Bay.

The
Andaste
was one of several new design ships to be launched in 1892. the vessels of this type, including the ill fated
Clifton
, of the same type as the
Andaste
, did not turn out as expected and being of the semi-whaleback type, they were dubbed “pigs” or MacDougall’s dreams,” after the designer. Many credited Capt. Alexander Graham with being the originator also and a number of boats of this type left the ways at Superior, Wis.

The
Clifton
sank with 28 on board in Lake Huron on the morning of September 22, 1924 as near as the time could be set. She had left Sturgeon Bay with a cargo of stone and passed the Straits of Mackinaw late Sunday. A 50-mile gale lashed the upper lakes Monday morning and seamen felt that the
Clifton
could not have weathered the seas. Later the pilot house and some hatch covers were found afloat on the lake and a ship’s clock that had stopped was found, setting the probable time of the disaster around 4 a.m.

Built in Cleveland 37 years ago, the
Andaste
was originally listed as 266-feet in length. She was rebuilt in 1921 and shortened to 246 feet but the beam of 30 feet and draught of 17.9 feet remained the same. Her gross tonnage was listed officially as 1,439 tons. The Leathem Smith Cliffs Co. was given as her owner and she was under charter to the Construction Materials Co. Those who knew the
Andaste
said that she was capable of eight or nine miles an hour.

The following day, Friday, the 13th of September, the
Grand Haven Tribune
published the following article concerning the questionable recovery of a hat and giving heart wrenching details about some of the missing crew members:

The
Andaste
heading up the Grand River at Grand Haven, MI.

STRAW HAT IS ONLY CLUE IN VESSEL LOSS

TWO FOUND OFF KENOSHA;
CAPTAIN OF
ANDASTE
WORE ONE
WHEN HE LEFT

CRAFT COMBING LOWER LAKE

South Lake Michigan still is being scoured in search for some clue of the
Andaste
and her crew of 25 men, last seen leaving this port Monday about 9 p.m.

Capt. Preston and the local Coast Guard crew are not yet back. Crews from many other stations are combing the lake. Planes from the Great Lakes Naval Station which searched the west Thursday, are due along the Michigan coast today.

From Cleveland today came word that officials of the Andaste Steamship Co., owners of the missing craft chartered by the Construction Materials Co., have given up their vessel as lost.

Two searching boats from Chicago came in port early this morning. A big yacht, The
Marj III
, owned by J.H. Oberfelder of the Chicago Yacht Club, placed at the disposal of the Old Chicago Coast Guard Station was in the charge of Capt G O. Anderson and a Coast Guard boat with Capt. Stebbins and Capt. Brown from Jackson Street Station.

They left Chicago at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and cruised the course of the
Andaste
without a trace of her fate. They left here about 9:00 a.m. for further search on this side of the lake.

A tip came from Kenosha, Wis., this morning that two straw hats had been found about 30 miles out. Capt. A. L. Anderson was known to have had a straw hat on when he left. Frank Barnett of the Construction Materials Co. kidded him about wearing it so late in the season. He helped the captain select it in Chicago about six weeks ago. He described it as a soft straw turned up in front with a green band size about 7 ¼. The description was sent to Kenosha but nothing further has been heard here.

President J.R. Sensibar of the Construction Materials Co. left Thursday for Chicago driving with Peter Boet as far as Michigan City where he took the trolley for Chicago. R. C. Yoemans remained but today is in Manistee. The officers have done everything possible to find the lost boat. While hope has not been entirely abandoned, each hour it grows thinner and friends and relatives of the crew are becoming reconciled to discovery of clues to loss of the ship.

As near as can be learned the Grand Haven men aboard are Charles Brown, first officer; Frank Kasperson, watch; Fred Nienhouse, sailor; Earl Zietlow, porter and George Watts, second cook. George Evans, an oiler and Joe Collins, a wheelsman, laid off a trip William Johnson, living at 117 Elliott street, left the boat two weeks ago. He was the porter.

Earl Zietlow, youngest member of the crew, made his first trip as porter, going aboard Sunday night. He asked Joe Collins for a job. Collins said he looked pretty young but they were in need of a porter and invited him aboard. He saw him later peeling potatoes and Zietlow said he liked the job fine.

According to Mrs. Brown, wife of Charles Brown, the officers were expecting to get away a day sooner than they did but were delayed in loading the cargo. She said the boat was in good condition and had only recently heard her husband say they had had a little engine trouble.

Watts has been boarding at the home of Thomas Madigan. He is 60 years old and was a janitor at the public schools before he went sailing.

Frank Kasperson is well known here and lived with his brother, Ernie Kasperson, 205 Clinton street. He is 32 years old and has been on the
Andaste
for two years. Previous to sailing from this port he was employed as a steward on the
Fred W. Green
. (He) was expecting to take that berth on the
Andaste
and by the merest chance was not on the steamer.

Harry G. Lutes of Benton Harbor is well known as he lived here with his family two years ago, when he was an engineer on the
Gen. Meade
and assisted in repairing her during the winter. He is a member of the local Elks and was a frequent visitor at the club house.

Both Capt. Anderson and Charles Brown were on the
Hennepin
when she foundered two years ago in Lake Michigan and both were known to have been resourceful at that time. The boat was being towed by the
Ufasco
and the crew escaped on her.

Albert J. Boyink, residing here on Franklin street, had a narrow escape from the
Andaste
tragedy. A good friend of J. J. McCadde, second officer, Mr. Boyink was to have made the trip Monday night when the boat sailed but work here compelled him to forgo the voyage. He was to have gone with McCadde when the latter came back. Mc Cadde is well known here and kept his car here. His fiancée resides in Chicago and he has a brother in Cleveland.

The following article was published in the
Grand Haven Daily Tribune
on Saturday, the 14th, putting an end to any hope that surviving crew members of the missing vessel would be located. The article describes the first encounter with wreckage from the disaster. Coincidently, the discovery was made on Friday the 13th:

WRECK EXTRA!

Editor’s Note: For the benefit of mail subscribers the following story, published on the streets and carrier routes of Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg, is republished in full.