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Mar x Apr, 1981 Page 31 THE WRECK OF THE WILLIAM BARNUM BY DR. CHARLES E. FELTNER Scores of scuba divers have enjoyed ex- ploring the wreck of the steamer William H. Barnum in the Straits of Mackinac. The mode- rate depths and proximity to the shore make diving on the Barnum a pleasant experience. This ship, which met her end in 1894, was launched at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon from the Springwells shipyard of master builder J. M. Jones of Detroit.!_ The date was April 5, 1873 and ice floes were still drifting down the Detroit River. The Barnum was built for A. C. Burt and W. C. Ralph of Detroit, each one half owners and was named after William H. Barnum who was president of Barnum mines in Ishpeming, Michigan. She was under the command of Captain W. O. Harrison, an experienced master and according to the Detroit Free Press,1__ was scheduled to carry ore from Escanaba. + Mr. Burt registered the Barnum at the Detroit District Custom House on May 30, 1873.2 She was listed as 218.6 x 34.6 x 16.2 and 973.15 tons. The cabin capacity of 77.65 tons (7765 cubic feet) was rather large for a freight vessel of this size. The Barnum had two masts, one deck, round stern, plain stem and was wooden-hulled. She was powered by a high pressure steam engine built by the Frontier Iron Works of Detroit, which was the first of a kind produced by this manu- facturer. Her boilers were made by the Detroit Locomotive Works and measured 17' long by 7' 4" in diameter. The total cost of the vessel was estimated at $80,000. ! Only one year later the Barnum was involved in her first major incident. On July 4, 1874, around 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday, the Barnum, with the schooner Thomas W. Ferry in tow, collided with the bark S. V. 2. Watson near Point Pelee on Lake Erie. The Barnum, up- bound without cargo, struck the Watson, downbound with 32,500 bushels of wheat for Buffalo, on her starboard side near the bow, sinking her in 28 feet of water. According to the account ofan officer aboard the Barnum, appropriate whistle signals were repeatedly given to the Watson, but she failed to heed them. In the collision, the bow of the Barnum suffered minimal damage but she lost a few stanchions from her stern when she was overrun by the Ferry. The Barnum rescued the crew of the Watson and stood by as the bark drifted about and slowly sank to the