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Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== TWELVE WORST MARITIME DISASTERS IN GREAT LAKE HISTORY (based on number of casualties) ------------------------------- 3. C. P. Griffith: Burned Location: Lake Erie, in sight of shore off Willoughbeach, Lake County, Ohio. Date: June 17, 1850 Casualties: about 250-295* - 326 on passenger list, 31* survivors. Number of casualties varies on different documents. Type: Sidewheel steamship Builder: Daniel R. Stebbins Owner: Charles C. Roby Master: Capt. Charles C. Roby En route from Buffalo, N.Y., to Chicago, Il. Fire started in the hold and rapidly spread througout the ship, flames being fanned by the wind as the Griffith tried to make shore. Victims, most without identification, were buried in a mass grave on a knoll. Erosion has washed the burial site away. Loss of the Lake Erie Steamer Griffith From the Buffalo Republic ------------- We are indebted to Capt. Norton, Express messen- ger, for the following Extra from the Cleveland True Democrat: Monday, June 17th, 1 o'clock P.M. Death has visited us in fearful form and with terri- ble effect. The steamer G.P. Griffith, was consumed about daylight this morning, and we fear some two hundred souls perished amid flame and water! When the first alarm was given, the passengers were cool and collected. It was thought the boat could reach the land - for which she was steering - and that thus all would be saved. But, sadly, the steamer struck upon a sand bar, half a mile off shore, and then panic reigned. The passen- gers, according to those who were saved, became wild with despair, and plunged madly into the water as if life was safe there! Death, alas! came to them amid the gurgling sounds of the watery waste, and by scores they left their home on earth, for their home, we hope, in heaven. Of the cause of the fire, we know nothing. And the saved, unfortunately, can explain nothing. They were asleep and in bed. All they know is, that about three o'clock - or about daybreak - the alarm of fire was given. The shore was in sight. Hope said it could be reached, and all were still. But when the bar was struck, hope was converted into despair, and, wildly, death by fire was shunned to meet death amid the waters. The passengers plunged into the lake, and but few were saved. Mr. G.R. Parks, postmaster, of Rochester, Pa. and well known to our citizens, was aboard, and one of the saved. We give his account as he gave it to us. He was roused at or near 4 A.M. The fire was then burning in the rims of the chimneys of the boat. They were distant from land 3 miles. The se- cond **** ordered the boat ashore, which was imme- diately obeyed. When within half a mile of shore she grounded - The flames had not then burst out in the forward part of the cabin. But immediately after the pilot house was enveloped. The command was then given from one of the offi- cers to the passengers to save themselves. Many of them immediately jumped overboard, when the captain called to the men below to throw the wood, which was on fire, overboard. Men, then in the cabin, and on the lower deck, jumped overboard in crowds, some twenty at a time. The captain remained on the upper deck, near his state-room, forward of the wheel-house. After all the passengers had jumped overboard, the captain threw the barber's wife, his mother-in-law, wife and child, into the lake and plunged in himself. He remained a moment on the surface, when, with his wife in his arms, they both sank together. Not a female or child - fifteen were counted - was saved, except the barber's wife. There were, at least, according to Mr. Parks' esti- mate, two hundred and fifty emigrants, chiefly from England and Germany, forty-five or fifty cabin pas- sengers, besides the crew, numbering about 25. The number of those saved on the beach was only forty! Mr. Parks was on the wheel. He could not swim. While there, scores floated round him, shrieking mad- ly, save me! save me! He could do nothing. He felt like giving up. But with a few others he held on, and soon the struggle was over, and all was quiet save the sound of the waters as they beat against the char- red hull of the steamer. This was the first trip Capt. Roby had made. The people on the shore were alive with anxiety, and did all they could to relieve them. After daylight, search was made for the bodies. - Two and three were taken up at a time, and they were laid upon the shore. It was a sad sight to behold. Their requiem, the moaning of the surf; their death-place, the wild lake shore. Stranger and relative lay there, young and old, as quietly and still, as if in their temples nought had been burned save what might be incense in heaven! No books were saved. A list, therefore, of the names of the passengers cannot be given. These we must catch up as we can. The accident has been at- tended with a fearful loss of life - as fearful as any we have had - and every means should be taken - not only to pay every respect to the dead, but to ascertain the cause of the disaster and the names of those who perished. ASHTABULA, June 17 By Mr. D. Spencer, of Ashtabula, who was a pas- senger on the Griffith, we learn the following: I saved myself by swimming ashore. There were 300 passengers on board, and out of that number 50 only were saved. The steamer was about three-fourths of a mile from shore when she was abandoned, and 15 miles east of Cleveland. The fire was supposed to have originated from the boilers or the furnace. The passengers were thick around the boat and a great many that could not swim would hold on to oth- ers and drown them as well as themselves. It was a sorrowful and heart-rending scene. The manner in which I got out of their way was by jump- ing about 20 feet into the water, and took directly out into the lake and then swam up a little distance to get out of the reach of others and to prevent them pulling me down. I then swam for the shore. There were about 5,000 people on shore when I reached it, from Cleveland, Willoughby, Painsville, and Fairport. From the Buffalo Commercial We are indebted to the mate of the steamer Em- pire, which arrived here about 10 o'clock this fore- noon, for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, of last evening, which contains additional particulars. The Empire passed close to the wreck. She met the steamer Diamond, which had been chartered by the authorities of Cleveland, having in tow a scow, whose deck was covered with dead bodies. We learn that only two females were saved. These fortunately procured a settee, and were taken out of danger by a waiter who was himself saved. Capt. Roby, we are told, threw his wife and child and wife's mother overboard, and then jumped into the water himself, which was the last that was seen of him alive. The steward was found grasping in his hand Capt. Roby's child, whom he endeavored to save, and as was supposed, lost his life in consequence. CLEVELAND, Monday, 11 A.M. The Delaware is in, and we learn by D.M. Reed, who was on board the Griffith, the following addition- al particulars: He says there were about forty cabin passengers, only seven of whom are saved; thinks there must have been from two hundred and fifty to three hun- dred deck passengers, mostly German, and only about thirty in all saved. The fire was discovered about half past three this morning, about the smoke pipes. The crew endea- vored to extinguish it without alarming the passen- gers, but the flames spread so rapidly that the cry was soon raised, "save yourselves!" The hurricane deck was literally packed with emi- grants sleeping, and when the fire was announced as beyond control, the utmost confusion and terror reign- ed. The boat was immediately headed towards land and grounded some 600 yards from shore. But the heat had been son intense that most of the passengers had jumped overboard, preferring a watery grave to death by fire. The poor emigrants were crowded forward and lit- erally pushed overboard by those retreating from the flames. Some had presence of mind enough to throw overboard their chests and swim upon them, but near- ly all were lost. Both yawl boats were so badly burn- ed as to be useless. When the Delaware left, several yawl boats and skiffs were hooking up the bodies. The beach was strewed with them for several rods. They lay so thick upon the bottom of the Lake and in such shallow wa- ter, that they were finding them and taking them ashore by the boat load. A Coroner and his jury were in attendance to as- certain names, residences &c., which report we hope to have for this day's paper. Capt. Roby had just had his life insured for $6,000. 3 P.M. - FURTHER INCIDENTS. - It is said one man was hooked up from the bottom of the Lake, with an infant child clasped tightly in his arms. A group of five or six emigrants, men, women and chil- dren, were found with their arms closely locked to- gether, evidently having left the boat and sunk in that condition. Four o'clock P.M. - The following further particu- lars we learn from Mr. James Stacy, who has just re- turned from the wreck. It was supposed that the most of the passengers jumped overboard - but it appears that the boat is literally covered with the bones of the burned. The citizens in the vicinity of the disaster are doing all in their power to make the survivors more comfortable. A large trench is being dug to bury these unfortu- nate persons. The whole number of bodies is 14* [140 or 149]. The number saved, as near as can be ascertained at pre- sent is 25. The Griffith is a new boat - this being her second season - of second class in respect to size. Capt. Roby purchased her last week, and this was his first trip as her first officer. Those who were saved, state that it became neces- sary, to escape from being burned, to leave the boat, within some 8 minutes after the first alarm was given - that fifteen to twenty females were seen to plunge at the same moment into the water, and seizing hold of each other, struggled a moment and sunk to rise no more. The men were no less panic stricken, for they jump- ed into the water, regardless of all hazard, in such numbers that they went to the bottom in compact masses. Mr. Heth states that he reached the shore after a great effort, so great that every struggle he made, blood would gush from his nostrils. He was entirely exhausted and had to remain some half hour before he could return to the wreck to seek for his wife and four children, whom he had one by one helped into the water rather than see them perish by fire. He got a boat and assistance and returned. When he approached the wreck, so clear and placid was the water, that he could see the bodies on the bottom as distinctly as upon the surface. He could distinguish his wife by her dress, and his children also, and had no difficulty in rescuing the bodies at once of his whole family. He took them ashore and had them put on board the Troy and brought to this city. The hull of the boat laid in seven feet water, and around the wreck could be seen at the bottom, lying in groups, numbers of bodies clinched with a **** hold upon each other. More from the wreck of the G.P. Griffith. From the Buffalo Morning Express. We learn from Capt. Titus of the Queen City, who spent some time at the wreck of the Griffith on Tues- day, that there had been recovered in all, 156 bodies. The hull of the boat before it sank, represented a great number of human bones, indicating clearly that many were overtaken by the flames and consumed. This circumstances renders it impossible, as the books are destroyed, even to ascertain now, how many in all have been lost. The hull has now sunk in some 8 feet water and lies with her smoke pipe extending a- bove the lake to indicate the spot where occurred one of the most dreadful disasters that has ever yet marked the history of the lake. Schenectady NY Cabinet, Monday, June 17, 1850 ---------------------------------------------------------- Captain Charles C. Roby is found on the 1850 Federal Census of Perrysburg, Wood County, OH - Stamped page 105B. In 1850 the Census "DAY" was June 1st and anyone who was living on that day would be included on the census. Charles C. Roby (age 35) is shown with his wife, Amelia R., (age 32) and daughter, Abby A. (age 12). His occupation is written as Merchant as he had not yet purchased the Griffith. Daniel R. Stebbins (age 42), Engineer, is found on the 1850 Federal Census of Waynesfield Twp, Lucas County, OH., Page 18B, along with his wife, Mary (age 32) and daughter, Sarah C. (age 9). Daniel R. Stebbins died at Toledo, September 6, 1874, aged 68 years. He was born at Ft. Edward, New York, October 4, 1806. His youth was spent at Sacketts Harbor, New York, and he came to Maumee in 1835, whence he removed to Toledo about 1860. For many years he acted as engineer on several different Lake Steamers. In 1847 the Steamer G. P. Griffith was built at Maumee, chiefly under his superintendence, he becoming the Chief Engineer. The burning of this craft, June 17, 1850, a few miles below Cleveland, was an event of great affliction and sadness. She was a total loss, with her cargo. But the most serious feature of the event was the loss of life, which amounted to about 300, of 331 on board. Included in these were the Captain, C.C. Roby, wife and daughter; Mrs. Wilkinson, mother of Mrs. Roby; and a Mr. Palmer of Toledo. The origin of the disaster was not clear. It was related by an eye-witness, that when hope of suppressing the flames was gone, Captain Roby gathered about him his family, and the last words uttered by him were: "Dear wife, prepare to meet the worst." Then clasping her in his arms convulsively, and kissing her, as quick as thought he whirled her over the railing and into the Lake. He then seized his wife's mother and threw her overboard, then his little daughter, and closed the sad scene by jumping after them, all to take their chances of life, which were against them. The event always followed Mr. Stebbins with most depressing influence, while the physical injury sustained was permanent. For some time after coming to Toledo he acted as Engineer at the Wabash Grain Elevators. In 1837, he was married with Miss Mary Palmer, who with one daughter, Mrs. Joseph Paige, yet reside in Toledo. Mr. Stebbins was a man of uprightness and honor in all his intercourse with others. History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, OH ======================================================================= Sources: "Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes" , Dana Thomas Bowen, 1952 "History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, OH" Munsell & Co., 1888 - pg 684 newspaper article: Schenectady, NY Cabinet, June 17, 1850 1850 Federal Census, Perrysburg, Wood County, OH 1850 Federal Census, Lucas County, OH.