The Water Witch
Be sure to read the two outstanding research articles in the sub-pages below. Great reads & tons of background on the Water Witch.
22 Nov 2021: DISCOVERY OF THE WATER WITCH - SEE WMMZ TV 13 PUBLIC RELEASE VIDEOS
22 Nov 2021: DISCOVERY OF THE WATER WITCH - SEE WMMZ TV 13 PUBLIC RELEASE VIDEOS
The Water Witch passing Marine City, Michigan 1862
- From Robert McGreevy's Lost Legends of the Lakes
The first in a trio of intriguing steamships built during the last years of Marine City's Wolverton shipyard, the Water Witch would eventually prove too innovative for propulsion technology of the day. (The trio of steamships included the Water Witch, 1861 1862; B. E Wade, 1862; and S. Clements, 1863. Some sources list 1861 as the year of construction.) Laid down in 1862 for her owner, Detroit industrialist, Eber Ward, it was hoped she would solve an engine shortage brought about by the ongoing Civil War.
At 168' in length and 368 gross tons, she was well within the design parameters for a mid-sized freight and passenger vessel of the period. Visible features were a bright red smokestack and reinforcing arches built into her sides that served to stiffen the flexible wooden hull.
But what really set her apart was the engine. She was powered by a transverse walking beam engine, one of only two known to be used on the lakes, although the concept had been tried successfully on the more sheltered Hudson River.
While commonly found powering sidewheel steamers, mounted lengthwise, this installation required the use of a cog gear drive train, turning a propeller. This unusual conversion allowed the use of an existing power plant instead of waiting for a new engine to be fabricated. The 14-year-old engine had originally powered the 1847 steamer Fashion, and had been used in at least one other ship, the Canadian of 1853.
New boilers were manufactured and mounted by Brennan of Marine City. The uncompleted hull was then towed to the Detroit Locomotive Works where the converted engine was installed. No information on how the gear train operated was documented other than with every stroke of the piston, the 9-foot diameter propeller made 2 & 1/2 revolutions.
This made for an extremely fast ship, for she was also constructed with fine hull lines resulting in speeds in the 16—18 mph range, at a time when 9 mph was considered fast. Records indicate that she attained such speeds with very little use of fuel, making the trip between Marine City and Detroit in 3 1/2 hours using only 1 1/2 cords of wood, half the amount a vessel of her size typically required.
Unfortunately, the dynamics of such a powerful engine in motion proved too much for her stern framing to withstand. In an era of trial and error, engineering the problem of excessive vibration must have been insurmountable. After only a few months in service, on June 27, 1862, while on a Lake Superior trip, her propeller shaft broke from its mounting blocks.
The results were disastrous.
Before the engine could be stopped, much of the planking around the stern was reduced to splinters. She immediately began to sink by the aft end, but fortunately a passing steamer towed her to safety.
This might have been the end of such an experimental vessel, but possibly in light of war-time needs, the decision was made to repair the damage. Although it's unclear where the work was done, she was back in operation for the 1863 season. Her builders must have been confident in her construction and the fact that one of her features was an early form of watertight bulkhead made from oak and India rubber that sealed the ship into two sections.
The Water Witch was then chartered by the Grand Trunk Railway for their newly developed route between Chicago, Illinois, and Sarnia, Ontario. With an undetermined number of passengers and crew, and a consist of freight and copper ore (some sources state she also carried silver ingots), she departed Chicago on November 8, 1863, for a late season run to Sarnia. The upbound Lake Michigan trip was routine. However, as she rounded the Straits and headed down Lake Huron, she encountered increasingly heavy seas that soon became a full southwesterly gale.
Several downbound vessels, including the schooner J.D. Norris caught in the same weather, reported following a steamer making good headway in spite of the heavy seas. Several hours passed; then, just off Aux Sable Point, the Water Witch seemed to suddenly vanish. The crew of the Norris refused to believe what they had just seen, some even climbing the rigging for a better view. However, all that remained visible was the tip of a mast, leaving not a trace of the estimated twenty-eight passengers and crew. They were never found.
Weeks later, around November 21, wreckage, including one of her three patented Francis metallic lifeboats, began to wash ashore by the Pointe aux Barques Light at the tip of Michigan's Thumb. Some of (the fragments proved most interesting because they bore evidence of an explosion!
A cabin door and sections of railing were splintered from the inside out. It was well known that all her woodwork was painted on the outside and faux grained on the inside. This raised the possibility that her stern, once more, vibrated apart, or perhaps the previous repairs failed. Cold water may have reached the boilers with a resulting explosion that even her watertight bulkhead could not withstand.
It was common belief that in some manner the gear train was responsible for her sinking. One newspaper, the Goderich Signal, speculated that "it was possible she became unmanageable by the disarrangement of her machinery or being too heavily laden to withstand the gale."
For whatever reason, this was the last anyone ever saw of the Water Witch. As for the other mysteries, her possible silver cargo and the exact location of the sinking may never be known. Even a rudimentary guess at her location is impossible due to the large area in which wreckage was strewn. If found, the cargo of silver would be newsworthy, but the true excitement would be in solving the mysteries of her unique engine design.
At 168' in length and 368 gross tons, she was well within the design parameters for a mid-sized freight and passenger vessel of the period. Visible features were a bright red smokestack and reinforcing arches built into her sides that served to stiffen the flexible wooden hull.
But what really set her apart was the engine. She was powered by a transverse walking beam engine, one of only two known to be used on the lakes, although the concept had been tried successfully on the more sheltered Hudson River.
While commonly found powering sidewheel steamers, mounted lengthwise, this installation required the use of a cog gear drive train, turning a propeller. This unusual conversion allowed the use of an existing power plant instead of waiting for a new engine to be fabricated. The 14-year-old engine had originally powered the 1847 steamer Fashion, and had been used in at least one other ship, the Canadian of 1853.
New boilers were manufactured and mounted by Brennan of Marine City. The uncompleted hull was then towed to the Detroit Locomotive Works where the converted engine was installed. No information on how the gear train operated was documented other than with every stroke of the piston, the 9-foot diameter propeller made 2 & 1/2 revolutions.
This made for an extremely fast ship, for she was also constructed with fine hull lines resulting in speeds in the 16—18 mph range, at a time when 9 mph was considered fast. Records indicate that she attained such speeds with very little use of fuel, making the trip between Marine City and Detroit in 3 1/2 hours using only 1 1/2 cords of wood, half the amount a vessel of her size typically required.
Unfortunately, the dynamics of such a powerful engine in motion proved too much for her stern framing to withstand. In an era of trial and error, engineering the problem of excessive vibration must have been insurmountable. After only a few months in service, on June 27, 1862, while on a Lake Superior trip, her propeller shaft broke from its mounting blocks.
The results were disastrous.
Before the engine could be stopped, much of the planking around the stern was reduced to splinters. She immediately began to sink by the aft end, but fortunately a passing steamer towed her to safety.
This might have been the end of such an experimental vessel, but possibly in light of war-time needs, the decision was made to repair the damage. Although it's unclear where the work was done, she was back in operation for the 1863 season. Her builders must have been confident in her construction and the fact that one of her features was an early form of watertight bulkhead made from oak and India rubber that sealed the ship into two sections.
The Water Witch was then chartered by the Grand Trunk Railway for their newly developed route between Chicago, Illinois, and Sarnia, Ontario. With an undetermined number of passengers and crew, and a consist of freight and copper ore (some sources state she also carried silver ingots), she departed Chicago on November 8, 1863, for a late season run to Sarnia. The upbound Lake Michigan trip was routine. However, as she rounded the Straits and headed down Lake Huron, she encountered increasingly heavy seas that soon became a full southwesterly gale.
Several downbound vessels, including the schooner J.D. Norris caught in the same weather, reported following a steamer making good headway in spite of the heavy seas. Several hours passed; then, just off Aux Sable Point, the Water Witch seemed to suddenly vanish. The crew of the Norris refused to believe what they had just seen, some even climbing the rigging for a better view. However, all that remained visible was the tip of a mast, leaving not a trace of the estimated twenty-eight passengers and crew. They were never found.
Weeks later, around November 21, wreckage, including one of her three patented Francis metallic lifeboats, began to wash ashore by the Pointe aux Barques Light at the tip of Michigan's Thumb. Some of (the fragments proved most interesting because they bore evidence of an explosion!
A cabin door and sections of railing were splintered from the inside out. It was well known that all her woodwork was painted on the outside and faux grained on the inside. This raised the possibility that her stern, once more, vibrated apart, or perhaps the previous repairs failed. Cold water may have reached the boilers with a resulting explosion that even her watertight bulkhead could not withstand.
It was common belief that in some manner the gear train was responsible for her sinking. One newspaper, the Goderich Signal, speculated that "it was possible she became unmanageable by the disarrangement of her machinery or being too heavily laden to withstand the gale."
For whatever reason, this was the last anyone ever saw of the Water Witch. As for the other mysteries, her possible silver cargo and the exact location of the sinking may never be known. Even a rudimentary guess at her location is impossible due to the large area in which wreckage was strewn. If found, the cargo of silver would be newsworthy, but the true excitement would be in solving the mysteries of her unique engine design.
WATER WITCH
She had an unusual "cog-wheel" engine with a transverse walking beam, according to several newspaper accounts. Her engine reportedly came from the sidewheeler FASHION, wrecked in 1856(qv). She was often noted as the fastest propeller on the lakes, reputedly able to reach 18 mph! She was also equipped with an early watertight bulkhead 30 ft abaft her stem, made of oak timbers and India-rubber. Other innovations included an interlinked windlass and capstan and a new design of pony engine. Owned by the Ward Line. Sources: hgl,eas,hmc,lhl,is(4-70),gs,slh,sol,h,lhdc,nsp Vessel Name
WATER WITCH Build Year 1862 Official Number AMERICAN Construction Build City Newport (Marine City) Build State MI Vessel Type Propeller Number of Decks 1 Hull Materials Wood Builder Name Jacob L. Wolverton Ownership Original Owner Florence Brindle Original Owner Location Newport Power (Sail) Propulsion Type Screw Sail Number Masts 1 Power (Mechanical) Engine Type Vertical Beam (Walking Beam) Dimensions Length 163' 9" Beam 25' 4" Depth 9' 4" Tonnage Old Style 369 68/95 Final Disposition Final Location Off Au Sable Point or Saginaw Bay. Lake Huron. Final Date Month 11 Final Date Day 11 Final Date Year 1863 Final How Foundered in gale. Final Notes
Peter J. VanderLinden Newspaper Clippings Lytle List John E. Poole notes, Bowling Green State University H.G. Runge Collection, Milwaukee Public Library Enrollments, U.S. National Archives Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit-Mercy Donald V. Baut David Swayze Shipwreck Database C.E. Feltner Enrollments Datab Unique ID 151493 NEW STYLE OF PROPELLER
Detroit Free Press April 27 and 30, 1862 Detroit Free Press, April 27, 1862 NEW STYLE OF PROPELLER - Many of our citizens along the docks on Friday evening were taken somewhat by surprise on seeing a steamer approaching the city from up the river propelled by an engine with walking-beam working the contrary way, that is, athwartships the decks, and not fore-and-aft, the usual way. On her arrival at Brady's dock, she proved to be the new propeller Water Witch, built recently at Newport,* on the River St. Clair, and intended for the Lake Superior route. Her propelling shaft is governed by a walking beam, which is geared to it in connection with her machinery, and moving in the manner above described. It is decidedly a new and novel get-up on the lakes, although not altogether so East, where the experiment has in one or two instances been successfully carried into operation. The revolutions of the wheel are more rapid and of greater force than those at present in use, and work otherwise to a better advantage. The Water Witch is an excellent model for running, and is in every way well adapted for the route which she is intended for. *Now Marine City, MI Detroit Free Press, April 30, 1862 THE WATER WITCH - The new propeller Water Witch, at present lying at Brady's dock, was yesterday visited by many of our citizens, including several of our leading shipwrights. By the latter she was pronounced - as we have already intimated - to be built strong and substantial, and of a model in advance of all others that have as yet made their appearance at our docks. One excellent feature of her hull is a water-tight bulkhead built of solid oak timber, inlaid with India rubber lining, some thirty feet abaft her stem. The complete destruction of the boat forward of this bulkhead would by no means prevent her from proceeding on her voyage, and in an event there is a portion of the hull which cannot be submerged. A new invention is that of her capstan and windlass, which can be worked together or separate, being connected on an entirely new plan. Her pony engine is in advance of all others we have yet seen. Of her speed it is stated that one and a half cords of wood propelled her from Newport to this city in three and a half hours running time. Her cabin accommodation are not wanting in any respect. She was modeled and constructed throughout by Capt. J. L. Wolverton, and, we believe is the eighteenth or twentieth steamer he built in his day. Her officers are: Capt. Sweeney, commander; Mr. Belman, mate; Mr. McIntyre, 2d do; Mr. Rouse, engineer; Mr. Stonebraker, 2d do; Mr. Gordon, clerk; and Mr. Adams, steward - all men of good experience. NOTE: WATER WITCH's powerplant, also known as a "cog-wheel engine" was the only one known to have been installed on a large (164 ft., 458 t.) vessel on the lakes. It made her one of the fastest steamboats on fresh water, able to make the reckless speed of 18 mph! She disappeared in a gale somewhere off the mouth of Saginaw Bay, November 11, 1863. |
News Articles
Propeller WATER WITCH, cargo flour, foundered with all on board, in Saginaw Bay. Buffalo Commercial Advertiser Wednesday, January 20, 1864 . . . . . Detroit, Nov. 17. -- The screw steamer WATER WITCH is reported to have foundered in the late gale, in Saginaw Bay and all on board supposed lost. Buffalo Evening Courier & republic Tuesday, November 17, 1863 . . . . . THE PROPELLER WATER WITCH LOST. - This propeller has been on the Chicago and Goderich route during the season. She belongs to E. Ward, of Detroit. The engineer of the steamer FASHION was put into her when she first came out. The Captain of the B.F. WADE reports that she was lost on Lake Huron. A metallic life-boat, picked up in Saginaw Bay by Capt. J. Osborn, of the schooner HYPHEN, near Point au Sauble, on the 12th, probably belongs to the WATER WITCH. It is feared the crew as well as the propeller are lost. Buffalo Daily Courier Thursday, November 19, 1863 . . . . . The WATER WITCH, a propeller owned by E.B. Ward, of Detroit, and running from Chicago to Sarnia in connection with the Grand Trunk, has been wrecked in Saginaw Bay, and all hands are supposed to be lost. The Detroit Advertiser says that the WATER WITCH was built at Newport and came out in 1861, and ran last year in the Cleveland, Detroit and Lake Superior Line. She was probably the swiftest propeller on the lakes, and was of remarkably staunch build, but her machinery was an experiment, consisting of a cog-wheel engine and walking-beam working athwartships. It is possible that she became unmanageable by the disarrangement of some part of her machinery, but the disaster may have been caused by her being too heavily laden to weather the gale. Goderich Signal Tuesday, November 24, 1863 Nothing has yet been learned as to the fate of the crew of the ill-fated propeller WATER WITCH. It is supposed that they all went down with the sinking ship. The propeller METEOR, in returning from the Bruce Mines, went in search of the crew, but her search was in vain. Buffalo Daily Courier Thursday, December 3, 1863 . . . . . The propeller WATER WITCH which foundered about 20 years ago between Port Huron and Point Aux Barques was about 500 tons, very sharp and noted for fast running, being capable of making 18 m.p.h. A Bay City man now claims to know where she sank. It is supposed she went down bow first, which accounts for none of her crew ever being found. Port Huron Daily Times Friday, October 27, 1882 Steam screw WATER WITCH. Of 369 tons gross. Built Newport, Mich., 1862. First home port, Detroit, Mich. DISPOSITION. -- Foundered October 1863 in Saginaw Bay, Mich., with the loss of 20 lives. Merchant Steam Vessels of the U. S. A. Lytle - Holdcamper List, 1790 to 1868 Notes: Reason: sunk Lives: 20 Hull damage: $30,000 Cargo: $15,000 Freight: flour Remarks: Total loss Date of Original: 1863 From <http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/38181/data> Full Text
VESSELS LOST. Buffalo, Nov. 4 Among the disasters caused by the recent storm, the following are reported: Schooner Chief Justice Marshall is ashore between Barcelona and Dunkirk, crew saved. A dispatch from State Line, says that the schooner Bugby, of Buffalo, is ashore there and a total wreck, crew all lost. Three of them were washed ashore. The schooner E. C. Williams is also wrecked, part of the crew saved. The Captain of the propeller Water Which reports seeing the upper works of a propeller off Gravelly Bay this morning. He thinks that it belonged to the propeller California, but is not certain. Propeller Water Witch Publication: Cleveland Leader (Cleveland, OH), 1 May 1862 Description Full Text PROPELLER WATER WITCH.--The new propeller Water Witch, of Newport, on the river St. Clair, which has been got up with a new style of gear to her propelling power, altogether different from any heretofore used on our lakes, made her appearance on Friday evening, landing at Brady's dock for a few moments. Her machinery is operated by a walking beam engine, with gearing, which, it is stated, turns the wheel at a much greater velocity than those at present in use on other propellers. At a distance the Water Witch presents a decidedly novel appearance -- the beam moving crossways of the deck, or athwartship, instead of fore-and-aft, as on side-wheel steamers. The lateness of the hour of her arrival prevented us from going on board to examine this steamer, but those who have are loud in her praise. Her model has been got up with an eye to speed, and we doubt not she will exhibit some tail running. She is intended for the Lake Superior trade, and soon will be in readiness to commence her regular trips. Media Type: Newspaper Text Item Type: Clippings Date of Publication: 1 May 1862 Subject(s): Water Witch (Propeller) Language of Item: English
[more details] Copyright Statement: Public domain: Copyright has expired according to the applicable Canadian or American laws. No restrictions on use. Contact Maritime History of the Great Lakes Email [email protected] WWW address http://www.MaritimeHistoryOfTheGreatLakes.ca/ From <http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/113286/data> From Ontonagon Publication: Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), 16 Jun 1862, p. 3 Description Comments (0) Full Text From Ontonagon The elegant steamer Illinois, which left Ontonagon on the 10st inst., arrived in port yesterday. From Mr. CHARLES ATWOOD, Clerk of the Illinois, we are indebted for the steamer's log, which will be read with interest by many of our readers: Steamer Illinois left Ontonagon on her return trip Tuesday morning, June 10th, at 10 o'clock. From two passengers from La Pointe, we learned the following particulars relative to the propeller Water Witch: She was lying at La Pointe in a disabled condition. On Saturday the 7th, when 12 miles out from that place she broke her shaft, and shattered her stern, so that she commenced filling. Her water-tight bulkhead, however, kept the water from her fires, so that she was able to keep her pony pumps going, and with these and her hand pumps, they were able to keep her afloat until towed into port, which was done by 75 oarsmen. Our informant stated that had she been 10 miles further down. These are the most reliable particulars we could get, and are to be taken with the usual allowance. Called at Eagle River, Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor. Met prop. Iron City that evening above Copper Harbor. Left Portage Lake on the afternoon of next day. Schooner Neptune was then unloading. Left Marquette at 1 1/2 o'clock on morning of 12th. There were a large number of vessels there loading; could not ascertain their names. Met steamer Traveler same day at noon off White Fish Point. Saw two schooners and one barque at anchor off Waiskee Bay; could not make out their names. Left Sault at 6 o'clock on evening of 2th. Met propeller Northern Light in Lake George. Came via Wellington mine, passing Detroit at 4 o'clock on morning of 13th. Met steamer City of Cleveland same morning off Thunder Bay. |
She brings 110 tons copper from Minnesota mine; 117 do. from Quincy; 54 do. from Amygulvid, Copper Falls, Central and Pethiwic mines; 4 1-2 tons pig iron; 4 bales furs; 10 tons of miscellaneous freight and 60 passengers.
The Illinois will leave on her return trip, on Tuesday evening the 17th, at 8 o'clock.
Propeller Water Witch
Publication:
Cleveland Leader (Cleveland, OH), 1 May 1862
ANOTHER LAKE DISASTER
_______
Reported Loss of the WaterWitch with all on Board -- Brig Gen. Worth Sunk at Saginaw.
_______
From the Detroit Free Press
The propeller B. F. Wade, in Chicago and Sarnia line, arrived in the city Monday evening, and reports the loss of the Water Witch, another propeller in the same trade. The Captain of the Wade states that he left Chicago two days after the Water Witch, touching at Mackinaw. At the latter port he received information of the Water Witch having been there and left for Sarnia. Near the entrance to Saginaw Bay he passed the upper works of a propeller floating in the lake, which is supposed to be the cabin of that vessel, as she had been due some days at Sarnia. There is also another vessel, that reports passing the upper works of a propeller, undoubtedly the same mentioned by the Captain of the Wade.
The Water Witch was a new vessel and commanded by an experienced navigator--Captain George H. Rider, formerly of the steamer City of Cleveland, and one well acquainted with the lakes. It is supposed all on board perished, as no information exists of their having reached any port. No doubt can exist but that a sad disaster has befallen some unfortunate vessel, and the fact that the Water Witch is overdue, leads to the belief that it is her. No particulars of any reliable character can yet be obtained, but the probability is that the next boat down will bring some.
This vessel was owned by E. B. Ward, and was considered a staunch craft. Whether it was swamped, blown up or sunk by collision is not known, but the fact of her being a new vessel would lead to the belief that it was neither of the two first.
The brig Gen. Worth was also sunk at Saginaw in nine feet of water. A dispatch of Strong & Munson reports it in a bad position.
MARINE DISASTER
The propeller Racine Ashore -- Not Lost -- Propeller Water Witch probably gone down with all on board. -- Schooner Gerrit Smith Leaking.--Schooner Wm. H. Stevens Ashore.--Total Loss of the Schooner Syracuse. _____
We learn by dispatches received at this city yesterday, that the propeller Racine, of the People's Line, reported to have been lost on Lake Huron, went ashore at Forty Mile Point, Lake Huron, and at last accounts was there full of water. The Racine passed Detroit on the 11th bound up from Buffalo with a cargo of merchandise. A Tug with steam pumps was sent from Detroit to her assistance.
The propeller Water Witch, of the Grand Trunk and Sarnia line, is supposed to have foundered in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, on Wednesday, and gone down with all on board. She was last seen on Wednesday morning, her smoke stack gone, and evidently in distress, a terrific gale blowing at the time, and nothing has since been heard of her. The Water Witch was bound from Chicago to Sarnia, and touched at this port a week ago Monday, the 8th inst., taking on board 400 bbl flour. Her cargo was chiefly made up of rolling freight. She was commanded by Captain RYDER, and had a crew of 22 men.
The schooner G. D. Norris, Capt. Ackerman, was the vessel which saw the Water Witch last. That was, as already stated , on Wednesday morning. The propeller was completely at the mercy of the waves, listed over on her be a ends. Some of the seamen on board the Norris went aloft, and are confident that she went down within half an hour after they first came in sight of her. The schooner was powerless to render any assistance, owing to the severity of the storm.
the Water Witch was a small propellor, having a tonnage of 262 tons, Custom House measurement, and was comparatively new, this being her second season. She was owned by Capt. E. B. Ward, and chartered by the Grand Trunk Railway. Her machinery was different from that of any other propellor on the lakes, with one exception, and this may possibly be the cause of her foundering. She had a walking beam, which, by means of complicated gearing, turned the shaft.
We could not learn whether there were any passengers on board the Water Witch. The freight agent of the Sarnia Line here is not aware of any having taken passage at this port.
The schooner Gerrit Smith, bound down with a cargo of 15,000 bushels wheat, unshipped her rudder off this port Monday night, and was towed into the river in a leaky condition. She yesterday discharged her cargo at DOWE & TIBBITS Marine Elevator. The Captain of the Gerrit Smith reports that he struck the bar coming out of Chicago, and that his was what caused the vessel to leak.
The steamer City of Cleveland arrived at Detroit Sunday morning, from Lake Superior, bringing news of a disaster to the schr. Wm. H. Stevens, on Lake Huron. While laying at Presque Isle, Thursday night, during a heavy gale, she learned from the steamer Parsons, also there, that the schooner Wm. H. Stevens was ashore at Scarecrow Reef. The Stevens had thrown overboard 5,000 bushels of her cargo of wheat. The Parsons endeavoured to get her off but did not succeed. When the City of Cleveland passed the point above alluded to, the vessel was not there, and it is presumed she got off.
In a late issue we stated that the propeller Free State reported having fallen in with the schooner Syracuse in a leaking condition near Presque Isle, Lake Huron, on her last upward trip, and having towed that vessel to within ten miles of the Straits, when the hasser broke and the propeller left her to shift for herself, expecting that she would be able to make a port of safety.
Yesterday the Captain and crew of the Syracuse arrived at this port on board the propeller Iowa, bringing intelligence of the sinking of their vessel within half an hour after the Free State parted with them. They saved themselves by taking to the small boats, and were picked up by the propeller Iowa.
The brig Candia came into port yesterday in a leaking condition and minus nearly all her canvas--lost in the recent gale.
The schooner William Fiske, bound from this port to Buffalo, with a cargo of 17,000 bus. wheat, sprang a leak in Lake Michigan, and was ran ashore in Cheboygan Bay. Captain hart of the tug Leviathan, put a steam pump on board of her, pulled her off, and towed her to Detroit. The tug Kate Williams left Detroit with her in tow Friday night. Her cargo is not much damaged.
Cleveland Daily Leader (Cleveland, Ohio) · Thu, Nov 19, 1863 · First Edition · Page 2
Awful Disaster-•Steamer Water Witch Reported Foundered on Saginaw Bay - All
on Board Supposed to Lost.
From the Detroit Advertiser, November 17.
Our city was excited last evening by painful rumors concerning the steamer
Water Witch. It was understood that she had not arrived at Sarnia, where she was due Thursday, having left Chicago nine days ago, but beyond this, little was
known with absolute certainly, although considerable coloring vas given to the report of the disaster by news received by the propeller B. F. Wade. The Wade reports that the Ontonagon and Antelope, which had arrived at Mackinac, passed
through portions of a wreck on Saginaw Bay, together with some miscellaneous articles of freight. Subsequently, we learn, Captain E. B. Ward, owner of the Water Witch, received a dispatch from S. Clement, of Milwaukee, stating that a vessel had arrived there which saw the Water Witch founder and sink in the gale of last Thursday on Saginaw Bay. There seems, therefore, very little room to doubt that the ill-fated steamer has actually gone down, with her precious freight of human lives, not a soul being spared to recount the fearful story of suffering and death. In the meantime we await, with breathless interest, the receipt of further particulars.
The Water Witch was commanded by Captain George H. Ryder, of this city, than whom the waters never closed over a braver or manlier spirit. Regarding the others on board, we have at present no data. The route was between Chicago and Sarnia in the Grand Trunk Railway line, and during the summer, large numbers of passengers were regularly carried over this route, but it is reasonable to suppose that the number greatly diminished with the cessation of pleasure travel and the increasing danger of lake navigation.
The Water Witch was built at Newport and came out in 1861, and run last year in the Cleveland, Detroit and Lake Superior line. She was probably the swiftest propeller on the lakes, and was remarkably stanch build, but her machinery was in experimental, consisting of a cog-wheel engine and walking beam working athwart-ships. It is possible that she became un-manageable by the disarrangement of some part of her machinery, but the disaster may have been caused by her being too heavily laden to weather the gale.
The Illinois will leave on her return trip, on Tuesday evening the 17th, at 8 o'clock.
Propeller Water Witch
Publication:
Cleveland Leader (Cleveland, OH), 1 May 1862
ANOTHER LAKE DISASTER
_______
Reported Loss of the WaterWitch with all on Board -- Brig Gen. Worth Sunk at Saginaw.
_______
From the Detroit Free Press
The propeller B. F. Wade, in Chicago and Sarnia line, arrived in the city Monday evening, and reports the loss of the Water Witch, another propeller in the same trade. The Captain of the Wade states that he left Chicago two days after the Water Witch, touching at Mackinaw. At the latter port he received information of the Water Witch having been there and left for Sarnia. Near the entrance to Saginaw Bay he passed the upper works of a propeller floating in the lake, which is supposed to be the cabin of that vessel, as she had been due some days at Sarnia. There is also another vessel, that reports passing the upper works of a propeller, undoubtedly the same mentioned by the Captain of the Wade.
The Water Witch was a new vessel and commanded by an experienced navigator--Captain George H. Rider, formerly of the steamer City of Cleveland, and one well acquainted with the lakes. It is supposed all on board perished, as no information exists of their having reached any port. No doubt can exist but that a sad disaster has befallen some unfortunate vessel, and the fact that the Water Witch is overdue, leads to the belief that it is her. No particulars of any reliable character can yet be obtained, but the probability is that the next boat down will bring some.
This vessel was owned by E. B. Ward, and was considered a staunch craft. Whether it was swamped, blown up or sunk by collision is not known, but the fact of her being a new vessel would lead to the belief that it was neither of the two first.
The brig Gen. Worth was also sunk at Saginaw in nine feet of water. A dispatch of Strong & Munson reports it in a bad position.
MARINE DISASTER
The propeller Racine Ashore -- Not Lost -- Propeller Water Witch probably gone down with all on board. -- Schooner Gerrit Smith Leaking.--Schooner Wm. H. Stevens Ashore.--Total Loss of the Schooner Syracuse. _____
We learn by dispatches received at this city yesterday, that the propeller Racine, of the People's Line, reported to have been lost on Lake Huron, went ashore at Forty Mile Point, Lake Huron, and at last accounts was there full of water. The Racine passed Detroit on the 11th bound up from Buffalo with a cargo of merchandise. A Tug with steam pumps was sent from Detroit to her assistance.
The propeller Water Witch, of the Grand Trunk and Sarnia line, is supposed to have foundered in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, on Wednesday, and gone down with all on board. She was last seen on Wednesday morning, her smoke stack gone, and evidently in distress, a terrific gale blowing at the time, and nothing has since been heard of her. The Water Witch was bound from Chicago to Sarnia, and touched at this port a week ago Monday, the 8th inst., taking on board 400 bbl flour. Her cargo was chiefly made up of rolling freight. She was commanded by Captain RYDER, and had a crew of 22 men.
The schooner G. D. Norris, Capt. Ackerman, was the vessel which saw the Water Witch last. That was, as already stated , on Wednesday morning. The propeller was completely at the mercy of the waves, listed over on her be a ends. Some of the seamen on board the Norris went aloft, and are confident that she went down within half an hour after they first came in sight of her. The schooner was powerless to render any assistance, owing to the severity of the storm.
the Water Witch was a small propellor, having a tonnage of 262 tons, Custom House measurement, and was comparatively new, this being her second season. She was owned by Capt. E. B. Ward, and chartered by the Grand Trunk Railway. Her machinery was different from that of any other propellor on the lakes, with one exception, and this may possibly be the cause of her foundering. She had a walking beam, which, by means of complicated gearing, turned the shaft.
We could not learn whether there were any passengers on board the Water Witch. The freight agent of the Sarnia Line here is not aware of any having taken passage at this port.
The schooner Gerrit Smith, bound down with a cargo of 15,000 bushels wheat, unshipped her rudder off this port Monday night, and was towed into the river in a leaky condition. She yesterday discharged her cargo at DOWE & TIBBITS Marine Elevator. The Captain of the Gerrit Smith reports that he struck the bar coming out of Chicago, and that his was what caused the vessel to leak.
The steamer City of Cleveland arrived at Detroit Sunday morning, from Lake Superior, bringing news of a disaster to the schr. Wm. H. Stevens, on Lake Huron. While laying at Presque Isle, Thursday night, during a heavy gale, she learned from the steamer Parsons, also there, that the schooner Wm. H. Stevens was ashore at Scarecrow Reef. The Stevens had thrown overboard 5,000 bushels of her cargo of wheat. The Parsons endeavoured to get her off but did not succeed. When the City of Cleveland passed the point above alluded to, the vessel was not there, and it is presumed she got off.
In a late issue we stated that the propeller Free State reported having fallen in with the schooner Syracuse in a leaking condition near Presque Isle, Lake Huron, on her last upward trip, and having towed that vessel to within ten miles of the Straits, when the hasser broke and the propeller left her to shift for herself, expecting that she would be able to make a port of safety.
Yesterday the Captain and crew of the Syracuse arrived at this port on board the propeller Iowa, bringing intelligence of the sinking of their vessel within half an hour after the Free State parted with them. They saved themselves by taking to the small boats, and were picked up by the propeller Iowa.
The brig Candia came into port yesterday in a leaking condition and minus nearly all her canvas--lost in the recent gale.
The schooner William Fiske, bound from this port to Buffalo, with a cargo of 17,000 bus. wheat, sprang a leak in Lake Michigan, and was ran ashore in Cheboygan Bay. Captain hart of the tug Leviathan, put a steam pump on board of her, pulled her off, and towed her to Detroit. The tug Kate Williams left Detroit with her in tow Friday night. Her cargo is not much damaged.
Cleveland Daily Leader (Cleveland, Ohio) · Thu, Nov 19, 1863 · First Edition · Page 2
Awful Disaster-•Steamer Water Witch Reported Foundered on Saginaw Bay - All
on Board Supposed to Lost.
From the Detroit Advertiser, November 17.
Our city was excited last evening by painful rumors concerning the steamer
Water Witch. It was understood that she had not arrived at Sarnia, where she was due Thursday, having left Chicago nine days ago, but beyond this, little was
known with absolute certainly, although considerable coloring vas given to the report of the disaster by news received by the propeller B. F. Wade. The Wade reports that the Ontonagon and Antelope, which had arrived at Mackinac, passed
through portions of a wreck on Saginaw Bay, together with some miscellaneous articles of freight. Subsequently, we learn, Captain E. B. Ward, owner of the Water Witch, received a dispatch from S. Clement, of Milwaukee, stating that a vessel had arrived there which saw the Water Witch founder and sink in the gale of last Thursday on Saginaw Bay. There seems, therefore, very little room to doubt that the ill-fated steamer has actually gone down, with her precious freight of human lives, not a soul being spared to recount the fearful story of suffering and death. In the meantime we await, with breathless interest, the receipt of further particulars.
The Water Witch was commanded by Captain George H. Ryder, of this city, than whom the waters never closed over a braver or manlier spirit. Regarding the others on board, we have at present no data. The route was between Chicago and Sarnia in the Grand Trunk Railway line, and during the summer, large numbers of passengers were regularly carried over this route, but it is reasonable to suppose that the number greatly diminished with the cessation of pleasure travel and the increasing danger of lake navigation.
The Water Witch was built at Newport and came out in 1861, and run last year in the Cleveland, Detroit and Lake Superior line. She was probably the swiftest propeller on the lakes, and was remarkably stanch build, but her machinery was in experimental, consisting of a cog-wheel engine and walking beam working athwart-ships. It is possible that she became un-manageable by the disarrangement of some part of her machinery, but the disaster may have been caused by her being too heavily laden to weather the gale.