1862 — Aug 9, sch. Oriole sinks; hit by Illinois in fog, Lake Superior, off Pictured Rocks, MI–12
–12 Mansfield. History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 691.
–12 McNeil. “Oriole (Schooner), sunk by collision, 9 Aug 1862.” Maritime History…Great Lakes.
–12 Monroe Sentinel, WI. August 20, 1862, p. 2.
–12 Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter O.
–12 Swayze. Shipwreck! A…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 178.
–12 Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. Annual Report of…Board of…Inspectors. 1863, 169.
–12 Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks. 1990, pp. 9.
Narrative Information
Mansfield: “1862….The schooner Oriole, Captain McAdam, laden with ore, collided with the steamer Illinois, and sunk with the loss of twelve lives, including the captain, his wife and mother-in-law.” (Mansfield. History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 691.)
Supervising Inspector of Steamboats: “The steamer Illinois, on the night of the 9th of August, off the Pictured Rocks, Lake Superior, in a fog, collided with the schooner Oriole, loaded with iron, on her passage down the lake, by which the Oriole went down almost instantly, with thirteen persons on board, all of whom, with one exception, were drowned.” (Supervising Inspector of Steamboats (US), 8th District. Annual Report of the Board of Supervising Inspectors. 1863, p. 169.)
Swayze:
“Type at loss : schooner, wood, 3-mast
Build info : 1857, Merry & Gay, Milan, OH
Specs : 141x26x12, 323 t.
Date of loss : 1862, Aug 9
Place of loss : several miles NE of Grand Isl., off Munising, MI
Lake : Superior
Type of loss : collision
Loss of life : 12 (or 10 or 13)
Carrying : iron ore
“Detail: She was rammed broadside by the upbound sidewheeler ILLINOIS and cut in two. ILLINOIS, in danger of sinking, made for Munising, while ORIOLE was left behind to founder quickly. The accident happened in fog. ORIOLE had passengers aboard, 3 of whom were lost. Bound Marquette for Erie, PA. The 1 survivor drifted 35 hrs. in yawl, then was rescued by the steamer GLOBE. The ILLINOIS, which had proceeded on her upward voyage after ascertaining that she was not, in fact, sinking, was subject of much angry criticism. Out of Cleveland. Master: Capt. McAdam(d). (Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter O.)
Wolff: “The 1860s….The first fatal collision on the lake [Superior] occurred on August 9, 1862. The 141-foot, 323-ton schooner Oriole under Captain Daniel McAdams had left Marquette [MI] at 8 p.m., Friday, August 8, bound for Erie, Pennsylvania, with 501 tons of iron ore in her hold. There were 13 persons aboard, the captain having brought his wife and mother-in-law as passengers. Shortly after departure, the schooner encountered a blinding fog. Since Captain McAdams could still see his masthead signal lights from the deck, he kept right on going. Three men joined the mate on watch after midnight. About 3 a.m., on the 9th, a steamer charged out of the mist, struck the schooner on her starboard quarter and literally cut the vessel in two. Only one persons survived; Cook Andrew P. Fleming of Sodus, New York, found himself cast from his bunk into the water. Grabbing a piece of wreckage, he floated for several hours, when day broke and the fog began to lift, he spotted the detached stern of his ship nearby, climbed back abord and lowered the ship’s undamaged yawl. The yawl had no oars and Fleming could only float around on the lake for the next day and a half. He was picked up by Captain Clifford of the brig Globe and brought to Marquette on August 11. Meanwhile, as the weather cleared, Captain McLeod of the schooner Plover found the remains of the Oriole, including portions of the sides, masts and deck, eight miles due north of Pictured Rocks. The hull had been completely severed; sails and rigging floated nearby, but there was no sign of life. Ten crewmen and two passengers had died with their ship.
“In Marquette, Cook Fleming discovered that his schooner had been downed by the crack steamer Illinois under Captain Ryder. As the ships had separated immediately after impact in the whiteout, Ryder was unaware that he had sunk the other. Thinking the schooner was not badly damaged, and with considerable bow injury to his own vessel, he had continued to Marquette….” (Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks…Reference to Maritime Accidents and Disasters. 1990, p. 9.)
Newspaper
Aug 20: “The schooner Oriole, with a cargo of iron ore, a few days since collided with the steamer Illinois on Lake Superior, and sunk. Capt. McAdam, his wife and mother, and nine of the crew were lost. The cook only was saved. The vessel is a total loss.” (Monroe Sentinel (WI). August 20, 1862, p. 2.)
Sources
Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. and Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. Google digitized. Accessed 1-2-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false
McNeil, William R. “Oriole (Schooner), sunk by collision, 9 Aug 1862.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes.
Monroe Sentinel, WI. August 20, 1862, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=38221420&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=4
Supervising Inspector of Steamboats (U.S.). Annual Report of the Board of Supervising Inspectors. 1863, p. 169 in Secretary of the Department of the Treasury on Finances for 1863. Accessed 1-2-2021 at: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/treasar/pages/60779_1860-1864.pdf
Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter O. Accessed 9-7-2009 at: http://greatlakeshistory.homestead.com/files/o.htm
Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.
Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks: Complete Reference to Maritime Accidents and Disasters. Duluth, MN: Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc., 1990.