Indiana (Propeller), sunk, 1 Jun 1858

INDIANA Propeller, cargo iron ore, broke her stuffing box, which split her stern post, and she sank in 60 fathoms water, Lake Superior, Total loss. Property loss $10,100.
      Buffalo Commercial Advertiser
      Jan. 15, 1859 (1858 Casualty List)


" When about forty miles above Whitefish Point, and some ten miles from shore, at about eight o'clock on Sunday evening, her stuffing box, or stern pipe, burst, probably from over heating, which caused the splitting of her stern post, and she immediately commenced filling. The crew, consisting of seventeen men, including the captain, with the owner of the boat, and three passengers--twenty one men in all--were saved by taking to the small boats. The water made in her so fast, that she settled to her guards in about fifteen or twenty minutes, putting out her fires. The crew, after taking to the two small boats, attempted to tow the propeller ashore, but as one of the boats had a plank stove in lowering, and needed bailing all the time, they finally left her. She went down in about sixty fathoms water.
The crew reached the shore, camped overnight, and next morning rigged some sails to their boats and started for Whitefish Point, which they reached on Tuesday. The same day they were taken on board the schooner St. PAUL, Capt. Mosher, bound down, and reached the Sault Wednesday evening. The INDIANA was an old craft, having been built some ten or twelve years since. She was owned by Frank Perew of Cleveland. She was probably worth
about $20,000and was insured for $9,000---of which $2,300 was in the North Western, and
the remainder in the Toledo Mutual and the Merchantile Mutual of New York. E.C. Bancroft had chartered her for the season for the sum of $6,000. Her cargo, consisting of
280 tons of iron ore from the Cleveland Mining Company, was, we believe, also insured.
      Cleveland Morning leader
      June 14, 1858

      . . . . .

LOSS OF THE PROPELLER INDIANA. - By the arrival of the IRON CITY we are informed of the sinking of the propeller INDIANA on Lake Superior. She was owned here by Capt. Frank Perew, and was on her way here from Marquette with about 250 tons iron ore, and pig iron, for the Cleveland Iron Mining Company. When about eighteen miles above Whitefish Point and eight miles from the shore, the stuffing box, of "Sleeve," through which the propeller shaft passes though the stern burst. Her engines began to work badly, and an attempt was made to improve her action by raising her stern further out of the water. In a short time her stern post split, when she filled rapidly, and sunk in from two hundred and twenty to two hundred and fifty feet of water. The crew, over twenty in number, escaped in the small boat and made their way to Whitefish Point, where they were taken up by the schooner St. JAMES and brought to the Sault. News of the accident was brought to Marquette by the propeller MINERAL ROCK, and the IRON CITY.
      Buffalo Republic & Times
      Monday, June 14, 1858