Door County Advocate (Sturgeon Bay, WI), 10 Aug 1904

The Lost Scow Heard From. The Advocate received the following letter on Saturday:

NORTH MANITOU ISLAND, Mich., Sept. 22

To the Marine Editor of the Advocate:

A large scow is ashore on the west side of this island, which we believe belongs to Sturgeon Bay. I went to her this morning with my crew, and found she had a hole in her bottom forward about 18x30 inches and one in the stern about the same size, but above the water line. She has 8 feet of water forward and 3 ½ feet aft. There are boulders around her but she lays easy and there is deep water astern of her. She is in fair condition, and we believe she can be pulled off.

T. ST. PETER, Keeper L. S. S.

Lars Jensen, manager of the Sturgeon Bay Stone Co., was apprised of the contents of the letter, but is of the opinion that the boat would not be worth going after, so will make no effort to recover her.

The scow is the one lost along with the barge Alert by the tug Duncan City last week. It would appear from this that she either stranded the night of the storm and was overlooked or was carried by the island that night and brought back the next day by the NW wind that prevailed.

Since sending the above Capt. St. Peter has found still more wreckage which he reports as follows:

NORTH MANITOU ISLAND, Sept. 26.

To the Editor of the Advocate:

Since writing to you in regard to that scow on the beach, wreckage has been found on the west of the island. Two doors painted white on one side and green on the other, two mattresses and one quilt, also a board upon which was the name Alert in white letters upon a black field was found as well as broken windows, pieces of mouldings, etc.

T. ST. PETER, Keeper L. S. S.

This would indicate that the Alert had foundered in the vicinity of the island and is being torn to pieces by the action of the waters.