1873 – Dec 4, Freighter City of Detroit sinks in Lake Huron storm, Saginaw Bay, MI –19-20

–~20 Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2.
— 20 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 69.
— 19 McNeil. “City of Detroit (Propeller), sunk, 4 Dec 1873.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes.

Narrative Information

McNeil; Maritime History of the Great Lakes:
Reason for loss: sunk
Lives: 19
Freight: wheat, &c.
Remarks: Total loss
Date of Original 1873
Subject(s) Propellers
City of Detroit (Propeller)
….
Geographic Coverage Saginaw Bay [Lake Huron]
Michigan, United States
Latitude: 43.75002 Longitude: -83.66664

Swayze: “City of Detroit. Package and bulk freight propeller of 653 t. [tons]
“Lake Huron: The loss of the freighter City of Detroit was one of the worst disasters in the history of Saginaw Bay. The boat was laden with a cargo of wheat and barreled flour when she sailed into a storm on December 4, 1875, and never sailed out. All 20 of her crew were lost with the ship. One source gives 1863 as the year.” [It is clear from newspaper reporting that the dates Swayze shows are incorrect.]

Newspapers

Dec 6 & 8: “We find the following, dated Port Elgin, Dec. 6, in the Detroit Free Press of the 7th:

“Capt. Barres, of the barge Guiding Star, with a crew of seven arrived here this afternoon in a yawl boat with their feet badly frozen. They left the barge about nine miles out in a disabled condition. She was laden with 24,000 bushels of wheat, bound from Milwaukee for Sarnia, and was in tow of the propeller City of Detroit, which was laden with 8,000 bushels of wheat, the remainder of the cargo being rolling freight. The gale struck them at half past three this morning, when they cut the barge loose, and about seven o’clock the City of Detroit sunk in Saginaw Bay. Capt. Barrett saw three of crew of the propeller in a yawl, and one man was seen in another boat. It is feared the rest of the crew went down with the propeller. There were about twenty on board.

“The Detroit Tribune of the 9th contains the following dispatch, dated Port Huron, Dec. 8:

The captain and crew of the barge Guiding Star are here. The barge arrived at 3:45 p.m. All the crew had their feet frozen, and some were still worst injured. Wm. Dean and several others were in a very bad condition. All will probably get well.

“The gale struck the vessels at 4 o’clock Thursday morning, 25 miles this side of Au Sable. The propeller was put head to sea and rode it out with barge till 6 o’clock, the wind southwest, and the sea then 30 feet high. The propeller then seemed to lose power to manage herself, as she commenced to drift back toward the barge. The line was cut loose, and the propeller fell aft into the trough of the sea.

At 7 o’clock she listed over to port, and the gang-way near the engine was seen to be broken in. Soon her stern commenced to settle and a great sea struck her, carrying off cabin and pilot-house. Most of the crew were on the pilot-house, and all were swept into the lake. For a few minutes many were seen on fragments of the cabin, and then they seemed to disappear.

“A life-boat had been put off before the cabin was swept away, with three men, not known, from the barge. After the propeller sunk, the life-boat was seen for 10 minutes mounting the seas and going out into the lake ahead of the barge, and then was seen no more. The men had one oar only, and one man was pulling, the others slapping themselves to keep warm. The boat probably shipped some water, and the men would soon freeze to death. All hope is abandoned of any from the propeller being saved.

The barge rolled in the trough of the sea across Lake Huron from Thursday morning until Saturday noon. She shipped but little water, and the cargo is in good condition as far as has been seen. It is now being unloaded here. Small damage will probably be found. The men from the barge are receiving medical treatment here and all attention.”
(Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2.)

Dec 11: “A special dispatch from Port Huron to the Detroit Tribune under date of Dec 8th says that on last Thursday morning [Dec 4] the propeller City of Detroit was towing the barge Guiding Star about twenty five miles from Au Sable, when a gale struck them. Both crafts were put head to the sea, and rode it out all about six o’clock when the propeller became unmanageable. The line was cut loose and the propeller fell into the trough of the sea. Shortly after she listed over to port, with the gangway near the engine broken in, and her stern soon commenced settling. At this point a heavy sea struck her carrying away her cabin and pilot house, and sweeping nearly all the crew into the lake. It is believed that all were drowned. The barge rolled in the trough of the sea across Lake Huron, from Thursday morning till Saturday noon, when she arrived at Port Huron. All the crew had their feet frozen and some suffered still worse injuries; but it is thought they will recover.”
(Lake County Star, Baldwin, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-11-1873, p. 3, col. 1.)

Dec 12: “The propeller City of Detroit went down in Saginaw Bay on the night of the 4th inst. At last accounts northing had been heard of the passengers and crew, and it was believed they had been lost.” (True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “The West.” 12-12-1873, p. 2, col. 1.)

Sources

Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alpena-weekly-argus-dec-16-1873-p-2/

Lake County Star, Baldwin, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-11-1873, p. 3, col. 1. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-lake-county-star-dec-11-1873-p-3/

McNeill, William R. “City of Detroit (Propeller), sunk, 4 Dec 1873.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Accessed 11-11-2020 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/details.asp?ID=52882

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “The West.” 12-12-1873, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-true-northerner-dec-12-1873-p-2/