Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Beeson's marine directory of the northwestern lakes. Season of navigation, 1909 by Harvey Childs Beeson pub. Beeson-Payne Co., Chicago, IL VESSELS LOST, SEASON OF 1908 ON THE NORTHWESTERN LAKES AND CONNECTING WATERS. Tug ALERT, 23 gross tons, built in 1874, owned by Grant, Smith & Locker of Detroit. Ran on rock November 23, 1908, near Lime Kiln Crossing on Detroit river, finally sinking in 14 feet of water, and broke in two. Tug ALZORA, about 10 tons, a gasoline tug owned by Louis Thiebert of Belle River, Mich., burned July 20, 1908, on Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Tug ANSPACH, 15 gross tons, built in 1879, owned by Laura V. Rudeck of Frankfort, Mich., foundered February 18, 1908 at Waukegan, Ill. Schooner H. P. BALDWIN, 495 gross tons, built in 1866, owned by Great Lakes Dredge Co. of Chicago, turned turtle on Lake Michigan August 27, 1908. One member of crew lost. Barge S. C. BALDWIN, 412 gross tons, built in 1871, Adolph Green of Green Bay, Wis., owner, foundered. Barge No. 2 (a car ferry), 1548 gross tons, built in 1895, Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Co., owners, capsized and abandoned. Schooner R. H. BECKER, 140 gross tons, built in 1867, owned by C. B. Freiberg, Sheboygan, Wis., capsized May 1, 1908, at Sheboygan, Wis. Schooner BELLE, 104 gross tons, built in 1856, owned by Capt. Dan Ludwig of Benton Harbor, Mich., stranded the night of December 11, 1908, near Big Point Sable, Lake Michigan, after parting from Steamer F. W. FLETCHER, which had her in tow. In the severe storm her crew had a narrow escape. Wrecking Scow BENNINGTON, 250 gross tons, built in 1891, owned by Reid Wrecking Co., Sarnia, Ont., foundered on Lake Superior while be- ing towed from Port Arthur to the Soo. Two lives were lost. Nature of the casualty unexplainable, the weather being fair. Schooner BERWYN, 269 gross tons, built in 1866, owned by J. P. Bates of Chicago, stranded in heavy fog November 22, 1908, after part- ing towing line of steamer WALTER VAIL on Plumb Island, Lake Michigan, and pounded to pieces. No cargo. Value of vessel $4,500. Schooner JAMES G. BLAINE, 555 gross tons, built in 1867, owned by the Geo. Hall Coal Co., Ogdensburg, N.Y., broke away from tug at en- trance to Oswego harbor on Lake Ontario, at 6 a.m., July 8, 1908. Had a cargo of bituminous coal. Value of vessel $4,500. Steamer D. M. CLEMSON, a bulk freighter of 5531 gross tonnage, built in 1903, a modern steel hull, owned by the Provident Steamship Co. of Duluth, Minn., disappeared on Lake Superior after leaving the Soo on her way to Duluth, about December 5, 1908. Nothing certain is known as to the casualty. There were 24 people aboard her, all of whom perish- ed. Only two bodies afterward came ashore. Propeller CRESCO, 62 tons, built in 1882, owned by the Estate of John W. Hatch of Waddington, N.Y., burned and sunk. Tug DEER, 47 gross tons, built in 1892, owned by Oscar Hurkett, of Au Sable, Mich., burned June 8, 1908, on Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Tug CORNELIUS W. DESMOND, 32 gross tons, built in 1899, Simon Schocht of Erie, Pa., owner, burned at Erie June 20, 1908. Tug TOM DOWLING, 36 gross tons, built in 1873, owned by Independent Tug Line of Duluth, destroyed by fire August 17, 1908, at Ashland, Wis. Steamer EAGLE, 182 gross tons, built in 1873, abandonded by owners and burned off Chicago by order of the U. S. Government on Dec. 21, 1908, as she was a derelict in the Chicago river. Steamer THOMAS FRIANT, 81 gross tons, built in 1884, Benj. Lewis of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., owner, burned at dock in that city December 22, 1908. Propeller FRONTENAC, 626 gross tons, built in 1868, owned by H. C. Burrell of Lorain, O., destroyed by fire at that place and hull may possibly be rebuilt. Schooner FULTON, 256 gross tons, built in 1854, owned by M. Bashore of Marine City, Mich., foundered at Toledo, O. Tug GEORGE R. HAND, 34 gross tons, built in 1881, R. P. Thompson of Port Huron, Mich., owner, burned January 3, 1908, at Ecorse, below Detroit, Mich. Gas Yacht J. M. HARVEY, 22 tons, built in 1896, Edward R. Oswald of Milwaukee, Wis., owner, stranded, proving a total loss. Steam Yacht HELEN, 31 gross tons, built in 1895, J. W. McQueen, Detroit, Mich., owner, burned May 29, 1908, at Detroit. Total loss. Gasoline Yacht HOLIDAY, about 10 tons burden, built in 1906, owned by Macatawa Park Resort Co., of Holland, Mich., burned at that place September 19, 1908. Valued at $2,500. Schooner HOUGHTON (Canadian), 332 gross tons, built in 1873, Wallaceburg Sugar Co., of Wallaceburg, Ont., owners, sprang a leak and sank on Lake St. Clair. Propeller CHAUNCEY HURLBUT, 1009 gross tons, built in 1874, owned by Harris W. Baker of Detroit, Mich., sprang a leak and was beached Sept- ember 6, 1908, near Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, and became a total loss. Schooner LIZZIE A. LAW, 747 gross tons, built in 1875, owned by the Edw. Hines Lumber Co. of Chicago, stranded October 20, 1908, on East Shore of Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior, ten miles from Portage Entry, and pounded to pieces. Schooner T. G. LESTER, 257 gross tons, built in 1868, owned by Butler Bros. and Hoff Co., of Detroit, Mich., foundered at Detroit, March 30, 1908. Tug W. J. McCARTER, 18 gross tons, built in 1886, owned by Simon Schocht, Erie, Pa., burned at Erie June 20th, 1908. Tug ROBERT McDONALD, 97 gross tons, built in 1907, formerly a sail- ing vessel owned by Jas. H. Bell of Kingston, Ont., burned July 17th, 1908, at Sackett's Harbor on Lake Ontario. Schooner JESSIE MARTIN, 42 gross tons, built in 1881, Charles P. Christensen, of Manitowoc, Wis., owner, waterlogged on Lake Michigan August 21, 1908, broke in two and was abandoned. Tug WILLIAM MAXWELL, 43 gross tons, built in 1883, owned by the A. Booth Co., was wrecked Sept. 19, 1908, on Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron, proving a total loss. Steam Canal Boat H. & A. MORSE, 133 gross tons, built in 1887, John A. Byrnes, Buffalo, N.Y., owner, was destroyed by fire. Steamer NESHOTO, 2255 gross tons, built in 1889, owned by the Gilchrist Transportation Co. of Cleveland, ran ashore in thick weather on Sept. 28, 1908, at Crisp Point, Lake Superior, and went to pieces. Her cargo of 2822 tons of iron ore, valued at $3 per ton, and the ves- sel, valued at $50,000, proved a total loss. No insurance. Steamer NORTH STAR, 2476 gross tons, built in 1889, owned by the Mutual Transit Co. of Buffalo, N.Y., sunk by her sister ship, the NORTHERN QUEEN, on November 24, 1908, off Port Sanilac on Lake Huron. Loss on vessel and cargo about $250,000. Insurance $120,000. Wreck lies in 90 feet of water. Barge ODEN, 96 gross tons, built in 1890, John H. Hanson of Duluth, Minn., owner, foundered. Steamer OREGON, 779 gross tons, built in 1882, owned by John W. Squires of Michigan City, Ind., grounded on Dyment Shoal, North Channel, St. Clair river and later burned on August 24, 1908. Part of coal cargo was saved. Steamer PESHTIGO, 817 gross tons, built in 1869, owned by F. B. Chesbrough, of Boston, Mass., stranded October 24, 1908, on Round Island, in the Straits of Mackinaw in very bad weather. After ten days of wrecking operations she was given up as a total loss. Steamer PASCAL P. PRATT, 1927 gross tons, built in 1888, owned by Chas. O. Jenkins and others of Cleveland was destroyed by fire November 19, 1908, on Lake Erie near Long Point. Fire started in her engine room. Vessel totally destroyed but partially insured. Her crew escaped to Port Dover on the Canada side. Gas Fish Tug RHINE, 10 gross tons burden, built in 1904, owned by Capt. H. F. Hanrath of Frankfort, Mich., was wrecked on or off the pier at Frankfort on the night of December 26, 1908. Her crew of four men all perished. Schooner ROB ROY, 97 gross tons, built in 1868, Emanuel Halgren, Marinette, Wis., owner, stranded April 27, 1908, at Arthur's Bay, Lake Michigan. Sloop Yacht SCORPION, 14 gross tons, built in 1894, E. A. Davis, Erie, Pa., owner, burned at Erie May 23, 1908. Schooner SEAMAN, 181 gross tons, built in 1848, the oldest vessel on the Great Lakes, owned by M. O. Parker of Milwaukee, Wis., stranded November 22, 1908, on a shoal in Death's Door, Green Bay, Lake Michigan, and went to pieces. Tug SARAH SMITH, 45 gross tons, built in 1883, owned by R. L. Osborn of Duluth, Minn., was destroyed by fire. Propeller SOO CITY, 670 gross tons, built in 1888, for many years operated as a passenger steamer between Chicago and Holland, and later between Chicago and Michigan City, and owned by the Indiana Transporta- tion Co., of Michigan City and sold by them to Felix Jackson of Velasco, Texas, cleared from Quebec on November 14, 1908, and disap- peared on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Pieces of wreckage from this ves- sel were found, but nothing was ever heard from the 20 people aboard the steamer, all of whom doubtless perished. She was valued at $30,000. Steamer CHARLES A. STREET, 512 gross tons, built in 1888, J. B. Lozen of New Baltimore, Mich., owner, was burned on Lake Huron July 20, 1908, one mile north of Richmondville and 11 miles north of Port Sani- lac Light; loss, $3,200; insured for $1,800. Vessel had no cargo and was towing three barges. Steamer SYRACUSE (a sand sucker), 85 gross tons, built in 1897, owned by Mollnix Brothers of Toledo, O., broke in two and sank in Swan Creek last summer, proving a total loss. Steam Yacht TITANIA, 73 gross tons, built in 1875, Fix Bros., Buffalo, N.Y., owners wrecked by collision. Scow TRADER, 291 gross tons, built at Buffalo in 1903, owned by Fox and Halloway of Buffalo, sank July 8, 1908, at foot of Strawberry Island in the Niagara river, proving a total loss. Barge UNCLE PAUL, 67 gross tons, built in 1900, owned by Geo. H. Herrick of Chaumont, N.Y., sunk. Steamer VIVIAN, 95 gross tons, built in 1907, Morris W. Wheeler of Massena, N.Y., owner, sank at Waddington, N.Y., December 21, 1908, and reported a total loss. Schooner WAUNETTA, 6 gross tons, built in 1897, owned by Henry Schafer of Grand Haven, Mich., burned in the Straits of Mackinaw. Steamer WONDER, 99 gross tons, built in 1889, owned by the Ashtabula Sand & Gravel Co. of Ashtabula, foundered on Lake Erie Sept. 10, 1908, while being towed from where she had grounded near Ashtabula on Sept. 6, 1908, and proved a total loss. ===========================================================================