Harvest Home (Schooner), U11211, sunk, 1 Sep 1876

The schooner HARVEST HOME sank on Lake Michigan while bound from Chicago to Cleveland with a load of scrap iron when about 26 miles from land in the vicinity of Grand Haven. The crew were taken off by the schooner GRACIE M. FILER just as the boat was going down.
      Port Huron Daily Times
      Monday, September 11, 1876



ANOTHER SERIOUS DISASTER. -- The schooner HARVEST HOME, which left here Tuesday evening with a load of scrap iron for Cleveland, sprung a leak Thursday morning about twenty-five miles west of Grand haven. She filled with water very rapidly, and the schooner GRACE M. FILER, which was in the neighborhood at the time, had just time to take the crew off the wrecked craft before she went down. Shortly after going down her stern came up again and the crew of the FILER succeeded in picking up the signboard of the craft. There was a crew of five men and a woman cook on board of the HARVEST HOME at the time of the disaster. The men refused to come to Chicago on the FILER, but preferred to row to Grand Haven in the yawl, a distance of twenty-five miles. The woman cook came here on the FILER. The HARVEST HOME was built in 1862 at Detroit by J. M. Jones. She was rated B 2, and had a tonnage of 325. Her value was about $5,000. She was owned by Captain Christie and others of Cleveland. It is stated that she was insured. --- Chicago Tribune, 9th.
      Cleveland Herald
      Tuesday, September 12, 1876
     
     
     
      As announced exclusively in the Inter-Ocean of Saturday, the strangely-acting crew of the foundered schooner HARVEST HOME made the land at Muskegon, and are now doubtless on their way to Cleveland, the home of the owner of the vessel. The HARVEST HOME, it is now learned, was largely repaired in 1875, and classed A 2½ The cargo was shipped by the Union Rolling Mills, and was insured in the Mercantile, Mutual and Orient companies for $17. 000.
      Cleveland Herald
      Wednesday, September 13, 1876

     
     
There is no doubt that the wreckage seen off Milwaukee belonged to the schooner HARVEST HOME, as the stern of that unfortunate craft is reported to have come ashore at Kenosha on Tuesday evening.
      Cleveland Herald
      Tuesday, September 19, 1876
     
     
     
      THE SCHOONER "HARVEST HOME" -- It will be remembered that a few days ago two of the crew of the schooner Harvest Home made their appearance in Chicago and made lengthy statements in regard to the disaster, intimating that everything possible was not done to save the vessel after she sprung a leak. Captain Crowl, of Cleveland, the owner of the HARVEST HOME, telegraphed the Inter-Ocean that the protest would be sent to the Union Rolling Mill Company, of Chicago, the shippers of the cargo, and that document would tell the story of the captain and mate. The protest arrived on Saturday, and our reporter, upon application, was allowed to take a copy, which is as follows:
      "At 7 o'clock A. M. Wednesday, when about fifteen miles off the east shore, nearly opposite Grand Haven, Mich., the schooner rolled her topmast out broke her halyards, lost her foresail, her forerigging parted, and her foremast head sprung. From this time the vessel was unmanageable. She commenced to leak, and the leak increased all the time. The wind went down about 5 o'clock, Wednesday evening. We kept the pumps going all the time until 6 o'clock Thursday morning. The water was gaining steadily, and was then up to the deck, the deck midships being under water. About 6:30 Thursday morning, when about forty miles west of Muskegon, Mich., 1 (Captain Niland) and the crew abandoned the schooner, taking to the boat, and in five or six minutes after we left her she sunk -- vessel and cargo total losses. We arrived in the boat at the mouth of Muskegon River about 10:30 o'clock Thursday night."
      "JAMES NILAND, Master.
      "JOHN GALE. Mate.
      "CHARLES NELSON, Seaman,
      Taken before David. Erwin, Notary,
      Muskegon county, Mich.
This statement does not agree at all with that of the sailors who refused to sign the protest, and, whatever else may be said, it is only fair to call attention to the important omission that Captain Niland has made. He does not explain why he and his crew (who afterward seemed to have quarreled) left the schooner FILER, which picked them up, and when they were safe, to risk making the east shore, a distance of twenty-five miles, in an open yawl. --- Inter-Ocean.
      Cleveland Herald
      Wednesday, September 20, 1876


Schooner HARVEST HOME. U. S. No. 11211. Of 325.65 tons. Home port, Erie, Pa.
      Merchant Vessel List, U. S., 1871