Alva Bradley (Schooner), U1910, aground, 23 Oct 1887

ANOTHER SEVERE STORM SUNDAY
Marquette: - The schooners GEORGE SHERMAN and ALVA BRADLEY were wrecked near here. The crew of the SHERMAN escaped, and the crew of the BRADLEY are thought to be wandering around in the woods. The LAWRENCE is also thought to be lost.
      Port Huron Daily Times
      Monday, October 24, 1887



Cleveland.---Owners of the schooner ALVA BRADLEY received a dispatch Tuesday morning from Marquette saying that the Portage lake life-saving crew had rescued the entire crew of the schooner ALVA BRADLEY. The crew of the ALVA BRADLEY is undoubtedly composed entirely of seamen from this neighborhood. She has ten to twelve men, all told. The officers of the boat are Captain Parsons and mate John Sherrod, both of Vermillion.
      The Marine Record
      Thurs. Oct. 27, 1887 p. 1


Schooner ALVA BRADLEY of 617 tons, Home port, Cleveland. Owned by Bradley. Built 1870 and classed as A 2. On October 23, 1887, vessel with a cargo of coal, went ashore on Lake Superior. Property loss $12,000
      1887 Casualty List (Partial Loss)
      The Marine Record, Dec. 15, 1887


Marquette.---A terrible storm set in at daylight on the 22nd. The wind blew from the northeast and north with a velocity of forty-five miles per hour all day. A blinding snow storm raged, making the gale doubly dangerous for vessels. Two disasters are known and more are feared. The captain and crew of the schooner GEORGE SHERMAN have just come into the city and report the SHERMAN a total wreck on Shot Point, about ten miles from Marquette, with no lives lost. The ALVA BRADLEY struck at about the same place a little before the SHERMAN, and Captain Gifford thinks her crew also escaped. The SHERMAN left the Sault at 7 o'clock Saturday evening and was in company with the BRADLEY until Sunday afternoon when the vessels seperated.
As soon as it was found that the crew of the ALVA BRADLEY were still on board, a tug was telegraphed for, and the ADAMS went down to attempt a rescue of the imperiled crew but could not get in to her. The waves dashed 20 feet over the stern of the BRADLEY, and her crew were flying a flag of distress and ringing the ship's bell. The ADAMS was compelled to give up and return to the city, when the Portage Canal life-saving crew were telegraphed for, Superintendent Watson, of the railroad company, offering to hold the night express for them and their boat. At 10 o'clock Monday the life-savers under Captain A.Ocha arrived, on their second visit to Marquette inside of a year, having come over 110 miles from their station with their boat since being telegraphed for, late in the afternoon. The boat was on a car next to the engine and very fast time was made on the run down. The car was immediately run down on the merchandise pier and the boat launched. It is fully eight miles across to Shot Point. The life boat was accompanied by the tug ADAMS. It was a bright moonlight night, wind west, and bitterly cold, more like a lake Superior December night than October. The life boat men suffered greatly on their trip but the thought of what the poor fellows on the BRADLEY were undergoing allowed no hesitation. It is doubtful if they have had anything to eat since going on the rocks Sunday afternoon, and they certainly could not keep warm or dry. The crew were all taken off by the Portage Canal life savers at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning. This crew has done noble work and deserve government medals. The ALVA BRADLEY, 617 tons was built in Cleveland by Quayle & Martin in 1870, is owned by Bradley of Cleveland, classed A 2, and valued at $25,000
      The Marine Record
      Thurs. Oct. 27, 1887 p. 5


Marquette.---The Bradley has been lightered of considerable coal, and a few hours more would probably have effected her release. Five large pumps are on her.
      The Marine Record
      Thurs. Nov. 3, 1887 p. 1


Marquette.---A diver stopped a big hole in the ALVA BRADLEY today and one pump now keeps the water down. The other two will be taken off. With the exception of the big hole mentioned, the diver reports her bottom in fair condition.
      The Marine Record
      Thurs. Nov. 10, 1887 p. 5


Schooner ALVA BRADLEY. U. S. No. 1910. Of 649.18 gross tons; 616.72 tons net. Built Cleveland, Ohio, 1870. Home port, Cleveland, Ohio. 189.5 x 32.0 x 13.9
      Merchant Vessel List, U. S., 1885