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Collision of the Great Lakes steamers Atlantic and Ogdensburg on Lake Erie, August 20, 1852. From Gleason’s Pictorial, Saturday, September 11, 1852. Courtesy of norwayheritage.com.
The Helles
An Immigrant Story of Tragedy and Triumph
I
n 1851, Stephen Olsen Helle returned to Valdres, Norway, from America to bring his mother and fiancée to the home he had prepared for them in the New World. After the three had left Vang, completed their ocean voyage westward, and made the trip through the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, the party booked passage on the Atlantic for the trip to Wisconsin. In the early morning hours of August 20, 1852, Lake Erie in the area above Long Point was blanketed in heavy fog and the darkness was extreme. Passenger Erik Thorstad later recalled what happened in a letter he sent from Ixonia, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, to parents and siblings in Øyer, Norway, on November 9, 1852. Since it was already late in the evening and I felt very sleepy, I opened my chest, took off my coat and laid it, together with my money and my watch, in the chest. I took out my bed clothes, made me a bed on the chest, and lay down to sleep. But when it was about half past one in the morning I awoke with a heavy shock. Immediately suspecting that another boat had run into ours, I hastened up at once. Since there was great confusion and fright among the passengers, I asked several if our boat had been damaged. But I did not get any reassuring answer. I could not believe that there was any immediate danger, for the engines were still in motion. I went up to the top deck, and then I was convinced at once that the 4
steamer must have been damaged, for many people were lowering about with the greatest haste. Many from the lowest deck got into the boat directly, and as the boat had taken in water on being lowered, it sank immediately and all were drowned. Thereupon I went down to the second deck, hoping to find means of rescue. At that very moment the water rushed into the boat and the engines stopped. Then a pitiful cry arose. I and one of my comrades had taken hold of the stairs which led from the second to the third deck, but soon there was so many hands on it that we let go, knowing that we could not thus be saved. We thereupon climbed up to the third deck, where the pilot was at the wheel. I had altogether given up hope of being saved, for the boat began to sink more and more, and the water almost reached up there. While we stood thus, much distressed, we saw several people putting out a small boat, whereupon we at once hastened to help. We succeeded in getting it well out, and I was one of the first to get into the boat. When there were as many as the boat could hold, it was fortunately pushed away from the steamer. As oars were wanting, we rowed with our hands, and several bailed water from the boat with their hats. A ray of light, which we had seen far away when we were on the wreck and which we had taken for a lighthouse, we soon found to be a steamer hurrying to Vesterheim