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From: "Maggie Stewart, OH Archives" <>
Subject: Fw: Tid Bits - Part 69 A - 1
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:21:39 -0500


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From: "Mags" <>
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Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 4:09 AM
Subject: Tid Bits - Part 69 A

Contributed for use in
USGenWeb Archives
by Darlene E. Kelley
Oct. 16, 2005

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Historical Collections of Ohio
And Then They Went West
Know Your Ohio
Tid Bits -- Part 69 A
by Darlene E. Kelley
Notes by
S. Kelly

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tid Bits - Part 69 A.

Ohio Shipwrecks

There are hundreds of shipwrecks sitting in Ohio's waters, and each of
them writes another page in Ohio's state history. It used to be legal
for anyone to harvest artifacts from these shipwreck scenes and many
people did so. ( Today it is illegal and protected by state law.) There
is plenty of material to write about with Lake Erie being a site of
about 1500 shipwrecks including about 600 in Ohio waters. There are
about 30% of those in the western basin, the area of Lake Erie near
Vermillion and points west.
+++++++++++++++++

Bradstreet's Landing

A fleet of batteaux carrying 1200 English troops and 300 Indian allies
was pounded to pieces by a fierce storm on October 21, 1764 through
October 23rd, on a narrow beach in Rocky River, Ohio.

While returning from Fort Detroit which was under siege by an alliance
of tribes led by Pontiac, Colonel John Bradstreet ordered his fleet to
put ashore for the night. The Iroquois who accompanied him warned that a
great storm appeared to be approaching. Bradstreet did not heed their
warning and refused to proceed to the safety of the nearby Rocky or
Cuyahoga River. Half of the boats were destroyed on the beach and most
of the army was subsequently forced to travel on foot through enemy
territory to the Niagara River. " For three days the tempest raged
unceasingly, and when the angry Lake began to resume its tranquility, it
was found that the remaining boats were insufficient to convey the
troops. A large body of Indians, together with a detachment of
provincials, were therefore ordered to make their way to Niagara, along
the pathless borders of the Lake. They accordingly set out, and after
many days of hardship reached their destination, through such had been
their sufferings from fatique, cold and hunger, from wading swamps,
swimming creeks and rivers, and pushing their way through tangled
thickets, that many of the provincials perished miserably in the woods.
On the 4th of November, seventeen days after their departure from
Sandusky, the main body of the army arrived in safety at Niagara, and
the whole, embarking on lake Ontario, proceeded to Oswego. Fortune still
seemed adverse to them, for a second tempest arose, and one of the
schooners crowed with troops, floundered in sight of Oswego. Most of
these men were saved. "

+++++++++++++++++

The following does not include every accident and collision, nor does it
include the innunerable incidents involving small pleasure boats and
private yachts, but rather those disasters which befell commercial
vessels resulting in total or near total loss. Some may have been
removed whenever possible salvage could be done. Also many of these
wrecks involved vessels running ashore where they broke up. In these
cases little if anything of the wreck would survive considering the
nature of the weather. Any remains on a beach or sandbar would have
likely be pulverized over time by wave action. Portions of remains in
deeper waters which protruded from or reached near the surface would
eventually be ground off by the action of winter ice flows. Only those
vessels which sank in relatively deep water and away from harbors and
shipping lanes are likely to remain in place where they sank and be
somewhat intact.

LUCILLE; Propeller steamer of 136 tons sank in August, 1906 one mile
East of Turtle Island Light. It was unconfirmed that this vessel was
raised and removed.

MYRA; Schooner of 61 feet left Toledo, Ohio following a track through
ice flows made by a tug. After traveling between 7 and 8 miles, the
vessel became trapped in the ice and sank in shallow water on December
4, 1871. The Myra carried a cargo of wheat at the time.

ACORN; Schooner sank July, 1849 near West Sister Island due to collision
with the steamer TROY.

JANE RALSTON; Wooden schooner of 137 feet sank in a storm on July 21,
1910 in the western end of lake Erie. The vessel was later raised and
towed to Sandusky, Ohio.

WISCONSIN; Steamer of 700 tons sank in 1853 near West Sister Island due
to a collision with steamer Brunswick.

JOHN F. EDDY; Wooden freight barge of 259 ft sank November 13, 1920 in
rough waether near West Sister Island. At the time the Eddy was being
towed by the tug Custodian and carried a load of coal. The wreck was
later dynamited as a hazard to navigation.

VISITOR; Small schooner sank in a strom on the night of May 16, 1855 off
West Sister Island. The crew of two climbed the mast and remained there
until it broke off. The Captain then drowned while the remaining crewmen
was rescued by the schooner Andover. The Visitor carried a cargo of
stone.

FAME; Schooner sank August 31, 1858 after capsizing in a squall three
miles off Monroe, Michigan.

GENERAL FRANZ SIGEL; Freight schooner of 137 feet sank July 8, 1903 off
the Monroe, Michigan lighthouse.

ROY; Wooden tug of 79 ft sank in 1895, 1.5 East of Stony Point when its
hull was cut by ice. There is an unconfirmed report that this vessel was
raised and removed.

C.W.WELLS; Wooden propeller tug of 66 ft, discovered to be afire near
the Bar Point lightship on October 16, 1897. The crew abandoned the
vessel in a raft and rowed ashore. The Wells was later towed into
Amherstburg and rebuilt.

IRON AGE; Wooden freight steamer of 212 ft. sank June 4, 1909 off Bar
Point. The sinking was due to a fire which burned the vessel to the
waterline. The wreck was subsequently dynamited since it obstructed the
shipping channel.

CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE; Wooden 3 mast freight schooner of 153 ft. struck
Niagara reef in a gale while heavily laden with iron ore and broke apart
on November 21, 1900. The vessels crew was rescued by the steamer J.K.
Secor.

ROLAND; Wooden bulk freight propeller steamer of 109 ft sank at Green
Island in 1892. There is an unconfirmed report that this vessel was
raised and removed.

MOSES AND ELIAS; Schooner stranded in November 1851 off Middle Bass
Island. Due to its size and situation this vessel was raised and
removed.

T.M.MOORE; Wooden steam propelled tug owned by Thomas Megrue Moore, of
52 ft stranded and burned to a total loss December 22, 1898 on
Rattlesnake Island.

AMARETTA MOSHER; Two masted freight schooner of 139 ft. sank in a storm
in November 29, 1902 after being blown onto Starve Island reef near Port
Clinton, Ohio. The vessel carried a cargo of coal at the time.














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