Maize (Schooner), U16615, collision, 21 May 1880

COLLISION ON LAKE ONTARIO.
      The Schooners J. BENTLEY and MAIZE Collide off Genesee Saturday Morning.
      The schooner J. BENTLEY, Captain William Heatherington, left Toronto for Oswego Wednesday night with 350,000 feet of lumber. Concerning a collision between her and the schooner MAIZE, Captain Heatherington makes the following statement:
"About one o'clock Saturday morning, when about twelve miles off Genesee River, we saw a vessel's light on the starboard bow; we were standing on the port tack and the other vessel on the starboard tack, both bound down the lake; as soon as the light was discovered our wheel was put hard down, letting our vessel come to; before she came head to the wind, the schooner MAIZE struck us on the starboard bow, stem on, carrying away our lanyards from the starboard forerigging, forestaysail and jib, etc.; the MAIZE lost her bowsprit, jibboom and foremast; it was awful thick - almost as I ever saw it.
"When the vessels came together a man was knocked overboard from the MAIZE, but his shipmates picked him up. We could hear another of the Maize's crew, who, I think, under the wreck, forehead on the vessel, beseeching his shipmates to come to his assistance. Then the vessels separated and almost immediately we lost sight of the MAIZE; we repaired our wreck in about an hour and went back to the assistance of the MAIZE, but could not find her. We remained around until daylight but without success. We were going into Genesee to send a tug to her assistance, but the wind came fair from the eastward, making it about as easy for us to make our port of destination, which we did, arriving here Saturday night at dark.
"When the MAIZE was discovered she was only about a vessel's length distant - so close that one of my men, who stood about 25 feet from the jib sheets, had to abandon an attempt to light them up, lest he should be caught at it, by the vessels coming together. They did not come together with enough force to cut a 4x6 gunwale on our vessel entirely through."
The MAIZE, Captain Heatherington thinks, could not have been damaged more than stated above, she having struck stem on. He thinks she was picked up by some of the propellers on their way down from the canal. The MAIZE was corn laden from Toledo to Ogdensburg.
      Capt. Wakely of the schr. GARIBALDI saw a vessel without a spar off Charlotte after daylight Saturday - doubtless the MAIZE.
      Oswego Palladium
      Monday, May 24, 1880
     


      Schooner MAIZE. U. S. No. 16615. Of 267.09 tons. Home port, Toledo, Ohio.
      Merchant Vessel List, U. S., 1869