British Whig (Kingston, ON), 26 Aug 1912
- Full Text
p.2 Report From Britanic - Report from the steamer Britannic, which went aground at Morrisburg, states that the vessel is on very hard and that it will require two or three vessels to pull her off. It was at first reported that the vessel was laden with coal, but it appears that she was running light. The steamers Cornwall and Saginaw are doing their best at the scene.
Steamer Ran Aground (I.M.C.) - Britannic, Saginaw to scene.
p.5 Visgar Not Guilty -
Aug. 27, 1912
p.1 Lake Steamer Aground - in Straits of Mackinac.
p.2 Britannic Still On Shoal - Up to Tuesday afternoon no word had been received in the city of the release of the steamer Britannic, which is ashore at Weaver's Point, below Morrisburg. The Calvin Company's wrecking steamer Cornwall and the Saginaw, of the Donnelly Wrecking Co. are at the scene, and the crews are working hard. The steamer is owned by H. McMorran, of Port Colborne, and carried coal to Montreal.
Steamers Were Fined - for selling liquour without license - America, Thousand Islander, Caspian, and North King.
p.5 A Schooner Collided - with str. Aletha at Swift's wharf; Keewatin lost bowsprit.
Movement of Vessels -
p.6 Kegs of U.S. Money - found near Smith's Falls - could be connected with pay for Rideau Canal workers.
Aug. 28, 1912
p.1 New Welland Canal - raise level of river.
p.2 I.M.C. -
p.8 In Terrific Storm - Kingston Schooners in Trouble Off Big Sodus - Eccles, Voges, Calkins, Briton, Major Ferry.
Oswego Palladium, Tuesday, August 27, 1912
A Bad Night in the Lake
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Schooner Voges Lost Nearly all Her Sails
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The Katie Eccles Lost Her Power Yawl When the Davis Broke -
Captain Bill Scott, of the Tug Tonawanda, Had a Busy Night
of It Bringing in the Cripples
With sails blown into rags and tatters and with fore and main booms and gaffs lying in pieces on the deck, which was littered with wreckage from aloft, the schooner Voges, of Deseronto, Captain McGowan, skipper and owner, reached port this morning after the crew had a night of harrowing experiences on the lake, and fought through the all-night storm of wind, rain and lightning with a crippled ship.
The Voges, with only headsails in place and some of these split, staggered into view this morning from the direction of the Main Duck Islands and was picked up four miles in the lake by Captain Scott, of the Tonawanda, and from her appearance as she made her way up the river the schooner looked to have passed through a hurricane.
She was four miles off Big Sodus last night when the storm broke and was caught with mainsail and all head sail on, and before the wind had blown from the Northwest more than a minute the boat was heeled to her rail, and taking water rapidly.
In the thick of the squall of wind and rain the main truck broke and the rigging on one side fell to the deck and at the same time the main gaff broke in two or three places simultaneously and the canvass was blown from the bolt ropes, the main boom breaking as it hit the deckhouse. The wheel became jammed with the wreckage and Captain McGowan, his one sailor, Eugene Jenks, and a young stationary engineer worked half an hour before the sail was shortened and the deck cleared enough tout the craft before the wind. This done in seemingly no time, the Duck Islands were picked up and the wind shifted to the Northeast and blew just as violently. Back to this shore came the Voges and the wind shifting again was headed back to the Canadian shore, when another shift brought her back to this port and safety.
Captain McGowan, who sailed the steamer Resolute in days gone by, said this morning that in all his sailing he never saw the wind blow so hard and hang on so long as it did last night. while the sea ran mountains high and swept the deck with every surge. Jenks, a salt water sailor, made his first and last trip on the lakes, so he said today, and will hereafter stick to the place where the sea runs one way and the wind blows from one direction. The lightning, too, was fearful and it is probable that the Voges will just make enough repairs to get back to Deseronto, where she will be laid up for the season.
The schooners Britton, Bertie Calkins and Kate Eccles were also off this port when the storm broke and every one of them had a lively half hour shortening sail and getting into safety. The Eccles lost her power yawl in the turmoil, the sheets of rain filling it and the extra weight broke the davits.
The Calkins had a hard time making the entrance to the harbor, as the wind drove down in sheets and the man at the wheel could not see much beyond the bows. The Tonawanda was busy picking them up, but when the Britton came in after standing off and on the harbor for hours, it was past midnight and a heavy sea was rolling in between the piers.
Aug. 29, 1912
p.1 Rescue Schooner's Crew - off Thunder Bay Island.
p.2
VESSEL ON A SHOAL.
Working on the Steamer Britannic Near Morrisburg.
Two Wrecking Steamers and a Tug Are At the Scene.
It was reported, Thursday morning, that the steamer Britannic, which went aground at Weaver's Point, below Morrisburg, last Saturday, was still "hard and safe on." Having jumped the one shoal, she went well up onto another, and is now lying almost broadside to the current. The wrecking steamers Cornwall and Saginaw of the Calvin and Donnelly Wrecking companies, and the tug Frontenac of the former, are still on the scene of the accident, working hard to release the steamer.
(I.M.C.) - Davis Dry Dock -
-str. La Monde still at Davis drydock; Keewatin.
p.7 Child Died Suddenly - on board str. Toiler.
Aug. 30, 1912
p.2 I.M.C. - barge John Gaskin.
p.8 Port Arthur Sailor's Home -
Sailors Missionary Returns -
Aug. 31, 1912
p.2 Convicts On Cruise - 25 years ago in Penitentiary yacht.
p.8 I.M.C. - Julia B. Merrill.
From a message received at Garden Island on Friday night, stated that the steamer Britannic is still ashore at Weaver's Point, below Morrisburg, in spite of nearly a week's efforts by the Calvin and Donnelly Wrecking companies. The plan of operations, which has been followed out this week to pull her off, may have to be abandoned, and another plan undertaken to free the stranded vessel.
- Media Type
- Text
- Newspaper
- Item Type
- Clippings
- Date of Publication
- 26 Aug 1912
- Local identifier
- KN.18171
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 44.22976 Longitude: -76.48098
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- Donor
- Rick Neilson
- Creative Commons licence
- [more details]
- Copyright Statement
- Public domain: Copyright has expired according to the applicable Canadian or American laws. No restrictions on use.
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- Maritime History of the Great LakesEmail:walter@maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca
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