1885 – Nov 7, snowstorm, passenger ship Algoma grounds, Greenstone, Mott Island, MI–37-48

— 48 McNeil. Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Algoma (Propeller)…aground, 7 Nov 1885.”
— 48 Saginaw Courier-Herald, MI. “She Sank Suddenly…Steamer Algoma…” 11-11-1885.
–37-48 Wolfe. Lake Superior Shipwrecks… 1990, p. 44, noting range from various reports.
— 47 Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 11-11-1885. Cited in: Lenihan/National Park Service
— 46 greatlakesvesselhistory.com. “Algoma 1.” Accessed 4-5-2022.
— 46 superiortrips.com. “Algoma.” Accessed 4-5-2022.
— 45 New York Times. “The Algoma Disaster.” 11-13-1885, p. 1.
— 42 Thunder Bay Public Library. “Wreck of the Steamship Algoma (1885).” Ourontario.ca.
–30 crew members
–12 passengers
— 41 Saginaw Courier-Herald, MI. “The Latest Particulars…Steamer Algoma.” 11-12-1885.
–29 named crew
–12 named passengers
— 37 Cleveland Leader, 11-10-1885. Cited in: Lenihan/National Park Service.
— 37 Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (Revised Ed.). 1969, p. 267.
— 37(48?) Swayze, David A. Great Lakes Shipwreck Files. Alphabetical Shipwreck List. “A”
— >37 Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks… 1990, p. 44.
— 33 Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 11-10-1885. Cited in: Lenihan/National Park Service

Narrative Information

Ratigan: “The most ill-fated passenger boat in the history of the big cold Lake [Superior] was the Algoma. Her story involves two coincidences. One of the new liners operating in conjunction with the Canadian Pacific Railroad, she met her doom on the very day the last spike was driven at Craigellachie on Eagle Pass in the Rockies to join the eastern to the western rails of the road.

“The second coincidence involving the Algoma is the fact that she was cut in two by her owners and later broken in two by Lake Superior. Built in Scotland, she crossed the western ocean and, in order to get through the locks in the St. Lawrence and the Welland canals, she was separated amidships at a Montreal shipyard. Then the two halves were towed through the system of locks in the St. Lawrence River, across Lake Ontario, and through the Welland cut around Niagara Falls into Lake Erie where another shipyard at Buffalo joined her together again, not an unusual procedure on the Seaway.

“With her white cabins and her black hull, the propeller Algoma struck pride into the hears of Canadians. Big and sleek and fast, she was put on the run between Owen Sound, Lake Huron, and Port Arthur, Lake Superior. Toward the end of her second season, on November 7, 1885, she ran into a storm on the upper Lake. Sleet froze her ropes and auxiliary sails, then snow squalls blotted out landmarks.

“Captain John I. Moore displayed remarkable seamanship in handling his vessel under savage conditions, and he missed bringing her through the maze or rocks off the wild easter tip of Isle Royale [MI[ by a few feet, but a burst of the storm lifted up the Algoma and brought her down on a veritable pinnacle of doom one mile from Rock Harbor Light.

“The floating palace that men had cut in two after pains-taking hours of labor was broken in two by Lake Superior in as many minutes. There were thirty-seven persons who went to their deaths off the steep icy decks of the Algoma almost at once, many of them to be hauled up later in fishermen’s nets that had been set before the storm.

“A section of the cabin crashed down on Captain Moore, pinning him to the deck with serious injuries. As the forward end of the wreck broke loose with a vicious wrenching of metal, he called the other thirteen survivors around him. ‘Kneel down,’ he told them, ‘and follow me in prayer.’ The thirteen knelt beside the fallen captain on a deck storm-swept with debris and drifted snow and sharp ice. Their prayers were answered hours later when the Algoma’s sister ship, the Athabasca, came along to lower lifeboats and removed all passengers to Rock of Ages Lighthouse, where they took turns standing inside throughout the chilly night. At dawn these lucky survivors…were taken across the Lake by a Coast Guard cutter to Keweenaw Peninsula where the town of Houghton made them welcome…” (Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (Revised Ed.). 1969, pp. 267-268.)

Wolff: “The first week of November [1885] brought one of the most ghastly catastrophes in the history of Lake Superior sailing. The 262-foot, 1,773 net-ton propeller Algoma of the Canadian Pacific Railroad was one of the finest steel passenger ships on the Great Lakes. She was brand new, having been built in Scotland by Aiken and Mansell at Kelvinhaugh-on-Clyde in 1883. Her engine was constructed by the renowned John Rowan of Govan, Scotland. Along with her fleetmates Alberta and Athabasca, she was the pride of the Canadian merchant marine on the lakes.

“On November 5, the Algoma left Owen Sound for Port Arthur . The following evening, as the ship headed northwest from Whitefish Point, she encountered worsening weather: rain sleet, heavy snow and a violent gale from the northeast. She still made excellent time, about 16 mph. About 4 a.m. on November 7, Captain John Steed Moore, sensing that he was running ahead of schedule, ordered the auxiliary sails taken down, the engine checked down and the ship turned to the open lake. However, he was much closer to Isle Royale than he realized and at least two miles south of his expected curse.

“As the Algoma turned, she struck at the stern on Greenstone Rock, off what is now known as Mott Island, at the northeastern end of Isle Royale. The pummeling surf drove her further on the rocks and proceeded to punish er unmercifully. The ship had stranded about 4:20 a.m.; by 6 a.m. she had broken in two and the towering seas systematically ripped to pieces her whole hull and superstructure forward of the boilers. Passengers and crewmen were swept overboard to death in the icy waters. Captain Moore behaved heroically, herding survivors to the stern which remained on the reef, until he was crushed and trapped by the collapsing cabin. Despite his injuries, he retained command, leading the desperate hand in prayer through the dismal day and terrifying night which followed. Apparently, their prayers were answered; the seas subsided, a mate and two men succeeded in reaching shore. With the aid of a life line, they towed a makeshift raft from ship to shore, transferring 11 more bedraggled castaways. These 14 were all that remained of a total of 51 or more who had been aboard the Algoma. Fortunately, Isle Royale fishermen found the miserable group and gave them shelter and food, saving them from death by exposure.

“The next morning, at the request of Captain Moore, the fishermen took their boat north to the vessel lane and flagged down a passing passenger steamer which turned out to be the Athabasca. Captain Foote of the Athabasca hove to and picked up the Algoma’s people, taking them to Port Arthur where their dreadful experience was reported. Purser Alex McKenzie of the Algoma was among the dead and his records were destroyed; hence, the exact death toll is unknown, reports ranging from 37 to 48 – some stories listed 14 survivors….

“A court of inquiry appointed by the Canadian Minister of Marine tried Captain Moore and found him guilty of negligence due to his faulty navigation. He was suspended for a year, although in view of his exemplary behavior after the crash, three months of the sentence were remitted….” (Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks… 1990, p. 43-44.)

Sources

greatlakesvesselhistory.com. “Algoma 1.” Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/a/algoma-1

Lenihan, Daniel J. (Editor) Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, National Park Service. Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Isle Royale National Park. NPS, 1987. Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1635/upload/ISRO_139_D34_-26687.pdf

McNeil. Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Algoma (Propeller), C85766, aground, 7 Nov 1885.” Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/52618/data?n=3

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. “SS Algoma: Wreck Event and Survivor Accounts.” Isle Royale National Park. Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ss-algoma-wreck-event-and-survivor-accounts.htm

New York Times. “The Algoma Disaster.” 11-13-1885, p. 1. Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/11/13/109783188.html?pageNumber=1

Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (New Revised and Enlarged Edition). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1969.

Saginaw Courier-Herald, MI. “She Sank Suddenly; Further Particulars of the Loss of the Steamer Algoma, The Most Terrible Disaster in Years. Forty-Eight Persons Drowned.” 11-11-1885. Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ss-algoma-wreck-event-and-survivor-accounts.htm

Saginaw Courier-Herald, MI. “The Latest Particulars of the Wreck of the Canadian Steamer Algoma.” 11-12-1885. Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ss-algoma-wreck-event-and-survivor-accounts.htm

superiortrips.com. “Algoma.” Accessed 4-5-2022 at: http://www.superiortrips.com/Algoma_Shipwreck.htm

Swayze, David A. Great Lakes Shipwreck Files. Alphabetical Shipwreck List. “A” Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://greatlakesrex.wordpress.com/alphabetical-shipwreck-list/a/

Thunder Bay Public Library. “Wreck of the Steamship Algoma (1885).” Accessed 4-5-2022 at: https://images.ourontario.ca/gateway/details.asp?ID=56460

Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks: Complete Reference to Maritime Accidents and Disasters. Duluth, MN: Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc., 1990.