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The LYON got an early start in 1896 arriving in Buffalo on April 4, with grain. This proved to be a good omen, for the only trouble the steamer had that entire season was in mid- November. She experienced a minor grounding at an elevator in Buffalo when attempting to dock to unload. She was easily released. The 1897 season found the steamer hauling grain and ore from Lake Superior on downbound trips and coal on upound trips. On September 9th, while on Lake Huron bound light for Escanaba, her after cabins caught fire. The crew was able to contain and extinguish the flames before any major damage had been done. The cause of the fire was not known. Later that same month on the 19th, an unusal accident took the life of one of the LYON's crewman. The steamer was towing the schooner GEORGER when the towline between the two vessels parted. Apparently, the snapped line struck Martin White, resulting in his death. Things remained unchanged through the 1898 season. It was also a trouble free season and 1899 proved to be another good season for the LYON. She had but a single delay when on June 28 she lost her shoe in a storm on Lake Erie. She was picked up by the steamer R.E. SCHUCK and towed to Detroit for repairs. It would seem that the 1898 and 1899 seasons were the calm before the storm, for the new century would bring the demise of the beleaguered vessel. The last voyage of the LYON began at Marquette where the vessel loaded a cargo of iron ore for Cleveland. The steamer cleared Marquette with a 13 man crew, under the command of Captain A.H. Sengham of Marine City. In addition to the crew, the wife of the ship's steward was aboard. In tow of the LYON was the barge F.A. GEORGER. The GEORGER was to be delivered to Ashtabula before the LYON could unload at Cleveland. The downbound journey was uneventful and the steamer dropped her consort at Ashtabula late Tuesday evening, the llth of September, 1900. Clearing Ashtabula, the vessel headed for Cleveland to unload. Allegedly, her chief engineer, Charles Willows, complained to the captain about the poor quality of coal at Cleveland and persuaded him to alter his course for Fairport where better quality coal might be found. The LYON arrived at Fairport but suitable fuel could not be found, so the master decided to head to Erie for fuel. The steamer headed eastward away from her final destination. Conditions on the Lake had changed rather dramatically. Seas were beginning to build and the LYON rolled heavily. On the 12th, when about 25 miles east of Ashtabula, the wind and waves began to take their toll on the vessel. It was Captain Senghas' opinion it would be easier to make Erie with the wind and waves to her back. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the vessel began to leak. The captain sent a Portion of the crew into the hold in an attempt to find the leak and repair it if possible. While these men were below, an enormous wave mounted the LYON from the stern and crashed onto ner decks arnidships. The weigit of all this water and her heavy load of ore was too much for the old hull to take and the vessel cracked in two. The vessel quickly settled by her head, trapping many of the men below. The rapidity with which the vessel sank left no opportunity for the lifeboats to be launched, and those who had been able to make their way on deck had been thrown into the turbulent waters amongst the mass of debris. Six of those aboard, W. H. Braund, Peter Bishop, both wheelsman, D. Brown, second engineer, John Spencer, fireman Charles Allen, deckhand, and Mrs. Alaston, wife of the steward, were able to make their way to shore, However, nine of the her crew found a watery grave. The loss of the JOHN B. LYON should have come as no big surprise. There were many factors that should have pointed out the upcoming tragedy. First, after the sinking of the JOHN B. LYON, one of the survivors, fireman John Spencer, stated that the vessel was overloaded and that she might have weathered the storm except for this condition. - The steamer had been loaded down to 18 feet. Although there was apparently no inquiry into these charges, it is very likely that the LYON was overloaded. In order to make the smaller vessels profitable, the vessel masters had to find ways to make their vessels productive. One easy way was to load additional cargo that the vessel had not been designed to handle. Secondly, the LYON probably had more than her fair share of mishaps. These collisions, groundings and sinkings only served to weaken an already deteriorating hull. Finally, the ferocity of the storm was something that occurred with regularity on the Great Lakes, and considering the other conditions of his boat, Captain Senghas should have sought shelter at Ashtabula when the storm first began to build. Thus ended the saga of the JOHN B. LYON ww