1912 — Nov 23, schooner Rouse Simmons sinks, Lake MI storm 12m NE Two Rivers, WI–~17

— ~17 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

–11-23 Longacre. “The Christmas Tree Ship…,” Prologue Magazine, V.38, N.4, Winter 2006.*
— 17 Manitowoc Daily Herald, WI. “Mute Evidence of Loss of Boat Off Two Rivers.” 12-5-1912, 1.
— 17 Quincy Daily Herald, IL. “Searchers Find No Trace of Schooner.” 12-5-1912, p. 1.
— 17 Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003, p. 58.
— 17 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 218.
— 17 Thompson. Graveyard of the Lakes. 2004, p. 26.
— 17 Winona Republican-Herald, MN. “No Hope Now for Steamer.” 12-5-1912, p 1.
— 16 Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Crew of Ill-Fated Ship.” 11-30-1912, p. 12.
— 16 Dubuque Telegraph Herald, IA. “Schooner Lost on Lake Michigan.” 12-3-1912, p. 9.
— 16 News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI. “Schooner And Crew Is Lost.” 12-4-1912, p. 1.
— 16 Wisconsin Shipwrecks. “Rouse Simmons (1868)” (webpage). Accessed 1-14-2021.
— 15 Rock Island Argus, IL. “Vessel With 15 Men Lost.” 12-4-1912, p. 1.
— 14 Titusville Herald, PA. “Christmas Tree Boat is Reported Overdue.” 11-29-1912, p. 4, c.5.
— 12 Sturgeon Bay Advocate, WI. “Find Wreckage of Rouse Simmons.” 12-5-1912, p. 1.
— 11 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 261.
— 11 Bureau of Navigation (Commerce). Merchant Vessels of the United States…1913, 423.
— 11 McNeil. “Rouse Simmons…sunk, 23 Nov 1912.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes.
— 10 Urbana Courier-Herald, IL. “Think Ship Sank in Heavy Storm.” 12-6-1912, p. 1.

* Blanchard estimated death toll. While there can be found in various sources a range of 10-23 deaths, we choose to follow the Manitowoc Daily Herald (WI) of Dec 5, 1912, which names seventeen people thought to be onboard (see Dec 5 below for their listing). We note, as well, that Shelak, Swayze and Thompson also note seventeen deaths, as well as a number of newspapers, of which we cite one, seeing no need to be overly redundant.

We choose not to employ a range of 11-17 deaths, so as to encompass the number of eleven deaths noted by the Bureau of Navigation (U.S.), in that we have not always found the Bureau of Navigation a reliable source when it comes to fatality estimates.

*Longacre: The inclusion of the number twenty-three in the estimated death toll is based on speculation at the time: “Some estimates place the number of men aboard the ship as high as 23, when it was said that a party of lumberjacks had secured their passage back to Chicago.” From some newspaper accounts noted below there are statements that the Rouse typically carried lumbermen from Chicago to cut down trees upon arrival in Upper Michigan. Thus it is not at all clear that there were yet other lumberjacks onboard.

Narrative Information

Bureau of Navigation (US): “Sch. …Rouse Simmons…205 [gross tonnage]…1868 [year built]…11 [onboard]…11 [Lives lost]…Foundered…Nov. 23, 1912…Near Two River Point, Wis.”] (Bureau of Navigation (US). Forty-Fifth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…1913, “Part IV. Loss of American Vessels Reported During Fiscal Year 1913.” p. 423.)

Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive: “In 1913, the schooner ROUSE SIMMONS, Captain August Schueneman, departed Thompson Harbor (Michigan) with a load of fresh cut Christmas trees bound for Chicago. Somewhere between Kewaunee and Two Rivers, Wis., the SIMMONS was lost with all hands” (Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive. Report News (Nov 2008).)

Longacre: “By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the popular German tradition of decorating an evergreen tree in the home was widely practiced, and demand for Christmas trees was great. It was not uncommon for a handful of lake schooners to make late-season runs from northern Michigan and Wisconsin—before the worst storms and ice made lake travel too hazardous—loaded with thousands of Christmas trees for busy Chicago waterfront markets. Estimates of the number of Christmas schooners vary, but perhaps up to two dozen vessels in any season delivered evergreens to markets in Great Lakes states.

“In Chicago, most vessels, including the Rouse Simmons, sold the trees directly from their berths along the Chicago River’s Clark Street docks. Electric lights were strung from the schooner’s bow to stern, and customers were invited to board the ship to choose their trees. In addition to selling Christmas trees, many boat operators, including Schuenemann, made and sold wreaths, garlands, and other holiday decorations. Barbara Schuenemann and her three daughters helped make and sell these items as part of the family’s holiday trade.

“At some stage of Herman Schuenemann’s long career as a late-season tree captain, he was given the title of Captain Santa. The affectionate nickname was bestowed by Chicago’s local newspapers and by the city’s grateful residents. Schuenemann’s profits from selling Christmas trees had never made the family wealthy, but his reputation for generosity was well established, and he delighted in presenting trees to many of the city’s needy residents. Schuenemann enjoyed the sobriquet and proudly kept newspaper clippings about his role as Captain Santa in his oilskin wallet….

“On Friday, November 22, 1912, the Rouse Simmons, heavily laden with 3,000–5,000 Christmas trees filling its cargo hold and covering its deck, left the dock at Thompson, Michigan. Some eyewitnesses to the Rouse Simmons’s departure claimed the ship looked like a floating forest. Schuenemann’s departure, however, coincided with the beginnings of a tremendous winter storm on the lake that sent several other ships to the bottom, including the South Shore, Three Sisters, and Two Brothers.

“What happened after the Rouse Simmons departed the tiny harbor at Thompson with its heavy load of trees is unknown, but Life Saving Station logs testify that at 2:50 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, 1912, a surfman at the station in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, alerted the station keeper, Capt. Nelson Craite, that a schooner (the Rouse Simmons’s identity was unknown) was sighted headed south flying its flag at half-mast, a universal sign of distress. In his remarks on the incident, Craite wrote, “I immediately took the Glasses, and made out that there was a distress signal. The schooner was between 5 and 6 miles E.S.E. and blowing a Gale from the N.W.” Craite attempted to locate a gas tugboat to assist the schooner, but the vessel had left earlier in the day. After a few minutes, the life-saving crew at Kewaunee lost sight of the ship.

“At 3:10 p.m., Craite telephoned Station Keeper Capt. George E. Sogge at Two Rivers, the next station further south. Craite informed Sogge that a schooner was headed south, flying its flag at half-mast. Sogge immediately ordered the Two Rivers surfmen to launch the station’s powerboat. The boat reached the schooner’s approximate position shortly thereafter, but darkness, heavy snow, and mist obscured any trace of the Rouse Simmons and its crew. The schooner had vanished….

“Over the next weeks and months, remnants of Christmas trees washed ashore along Wisconsin’s coastline. Astonishingly, the lake continued to give up clues long after the vessel’s loss. In 1924 some fishermen in Wisconsin hauled in their nets and discovered a wallet wrapped in waterproof oilskin. Inside were the pristine contents that identified its owner as Herman Schuenemann, the captain of the Rouse Simmons. The wallet was returned to the family.

“What caused the disaster that befell the Rouse Simmons? There are several theories, but most likely a combination of circumstances or events drove the ship under in the heavy seas. Among the factors are the possibility that the vessel lost its ship’s wheel in the storm, its poor physical condition, heavy icing and snow on the vessel’s exterior and load, plus the load of 3,000–5,000 evergreen trees itself.

“A recent underwater archaeological survey, conducted in July and August 2006 by the Wisconsin Historical Society, discovered that the Rouse Simmons’s anchor chain, masts, and spar were all lying forward beyond the bow of the wreck. The location of these items suggest that the schooner’s weight was in the bow, causing it to nose-dive into the heavy seas and founder. Another explanation may be that the masts, rigging, and chains were all shoved forward when the vessel dove into the lake bed during its descent to the bottom….

“There is some disagreement over the exact number and the identities of the crew members aboard the Rouse Simmons, but newspaper accounts following the tragedy provide evidence that those aboard the vessel included Captain Schuenemann; Capt. Charles Nelson, who was part owner of the schooner; and approximately 9 or 10 other sailors. Some estimates place the number of men aboard the ship as high as 23, when it was said that a party of lumberjacks had secured their passage back to Chicago.

“Following the tragedy, Barbara and her daughters continued the family’s Christmas tree business. Newspaper accounts suggest that they used schooners for several more years to bring trees to Chicago. Later, the women brought the evergreen trees to Chicago by train and then sold them from the deck of a docked schooner. After Barbara’s death in 1933, the daughters sold trees from the family’s lot for a few years.

“The loss of the Rouse Simmons, however, signaled the beginning of the end for schooners hauling loads of evergreens to Chicago. By 1920, the practice of bringing trees to Chicago via schooner had ceased. Just a few years later, the majority of the once-proud schooners lay leaking and decaying, moored in their berths around the lake.” (Longacre. “The Christmas Tree Ship…,” Prologue Magazine, V.38, N.4, Winter 2006.)

Swayze: “Rouse Simmons. Package and bulk freight schooner of 245 t. [tons] and 130 ft., launched in 1869 at Milwaukee. Lake Michigan: The saga of the schooner Rouse Simmons, the famous ‘Christmas tree ship’ is a familiar one to Lakes buffs. For many years the Simmons had capped her season by making her final run to Chicago with her holds and decks packed with Christmas trees from Michigan’s upper peninsula. In late November of 1913 [sic; 1912] the ship left Manistique, Michigan, loaded to the gunwales with her fragrant cargo. She sailed out into the teeth of a deadly westerly gale-blizzard, while most other lakers were making for shelter. The little ship struggled down the Wisconsin shore until, on the 16th [sic] she was overwhelmed by the gale and foundered off Kewaunee, Wisconsin. All 17 sailors aboard the Simmons failed to make it home for Christmas that year. The wreck was believed to have been located in 1989.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!… Directory…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 218.)

Thompson: “The wood-hulled schooner Rouse Simmons left Manistique, Michigan, in late November 1912, bound for Chicago with a load of freshly cut Christmas trees. It was later seen off Kewaunee, Wisconsin, flying a distress signal, but then disappeared to become the famed ‘Christmas tree ship’ of the Great Lakes. Captain Herman Scheunemann and his crew of sixteen vanished with their ship.” (Thompson 2006, 26.)

Wisconsin Shipwrecks: “Late in the afternoon on Nov. 22, the barometer was falling and the winds were increasing as the Rouse Simmons, fully loaded with evergreens, departed from Thompson, Mich., on her final voyage of the 1912 season. Captain Schuenemann knew the dangers of sailing in November, but there was little option for a Christmas tree merchant. Before departure, the kind-hearted Schuenemann invited a number of lumberjacks aboard to catch a ride back to Chicago to spend the holidays with friends and family. Captain Schuenemann, the Rouse Simmons, and her estimated 16 crew and passengers never arrived at Chicago. Lost with all hands somewhere on the lake, the location of the Rouse Simmons wreck remained a mystery for 59 years. Christmas trees washed up along the coastline for years to follow; and, in 1923, Captain Schuenemann’s wallet came up in a fisherman’s net near Two Rivers, Wis. It was not until Milwaukee diver Kent Bellrichard discovered the vessel’s remains 12 miles northeast of Two Rivers, Wis., in 165 feet of water that the story began to unfold….” (Wisconsin Shipwrecks. “Rouse Simmons (1868)” (webpage).)
Newspapers

Nov 28: “By Associated Press. Chicago, Nov. 28. – The schooner Rouse Simmons, Captain Schunaman, with Christmas trees from Thompson, Mich., is reported here as two days overdue. The schooner carries fourteen hands and sailed from Thompson last Thursday [22nd].” (Titusville Herald, PA. “Christmas Tree Boat is Reported Overdue.” 11-29-1912, p. 4, col. 5.)

Nov 30: “….The names of the men on the ship [Rouse Simmons] follow: [We break paragraph into separate lines and number]

1. Captain, Frank Schuenemann
2. Chas [Charles] Nelson, [partner]
3. Alexander Johnson, first mate;
4. Edward Minogue,
5. Frank Sobat,
6. George Watson,
7. Ray Davis,
8. Conrad Griffin,
9. George Quinn,
10. Edward Murphy,
11. John Morwauski,
12. ‘Stump’ Morris,
13. Greely Peterson,
14. Frank Paul,
15. Edward Hogan and
16. Philip Bausewein, sailors….”

(Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Crew of Ill-Fated Ship.” 11-30-1912, p. 12.)

Dec 4: “(By Associated Press). Chicago, Dec. 4. – The schooner Rouse Simmons and her crew of 16 men has foundered in Lake Michigan. All hope that the boat might be safe was abandoned this afternoon when a telegram was received stating that quantities of wreckage, including a…hatch and Christmas trees, with which the Simmons was loaded, have been washed ashore at Pentwater, Mich. The boat was last seen off Kewaunee, Wis. She probably went down, taking the crew with her, in the severe storm that swept the northern part of the lake last week….

“The Simmons left Thompson, Mich., November 21, bound for Chicago….In the last fortnight several severe storms have swept Lake Michigan and it is believed the schooner and her crew perished during one of these blows. Very heavy weather has prevailed at times.

“….It is reported that a schooner answering the description of the Rouse Simmons was seen a week ago off Kewaunee, Wis. She was laboring heavily in a gale of snow and rain and was flying signals of distress….” (News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI. “Schooner And Crew Is Lost.” 12-4-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 4: “Chicago, Dec. 4. – The three-masted schooner Rouse Simmons, with Captain Schuenemann and a crew of 15, has been given up as lost by local shipping interests and government marine officials. The Simmons left Thompson Pier, Manistique, Nov. 21, for Chicago, with Christmas trees, which constituted its annual cargo for 30 years. In the fortnight just passed there have been several severe storms on the lake….” (Rock Island Argus, IL. “Vessel With 15 Men Lost.” 12-4-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 5: “The wreckage of the schooner Rouse Simmons was found on the schooner Rouse Simmons was found on the beach at Pentwater Wednesday by the lifesavers. The cabin of what is supposed to be that of the vessel as well as pieces of trees sticking to the wreckage are evidences of the grim tragedy that wiped out the crew of twelve.

“Among these are Capt. H. Schuenemann, Capt. Chas. Nelson, and a crew make up from Chicago that there taken along to cut Christmas trees in the north.

“It is now quite certain that the schooner went down in the big northwest blow of Sunday night [24th] through no survivor lives to tell the awful story.” (Sturgeon Bay Advocate, WI. “Find Wreckage of Rouse Simmons.” 12-5-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 5: “Chicago, Dec. 5. Hope for the safety of the three-masted schooner Rouse Simmons and her crew of ten men was practically abandoned in marine circles when work reached Chicago that numerous Christmas trees, which made up the cargo of the Rouse Simmons, and bits of unmarked wreckage had drifted ashore near Pentwater, Mich.

“The vessel was last reported off Kewaunee at 2 p.m. a week ago last Saturday [23rd], running south under full sail and flying distress signals from the foremast. A life-saving crew from the Two Rivers station, 24 miles south of Kewaunee, immediately put out and patrolled the coast a distance of 18 miles, eight miles off shore. The crew fought its way in a blinding snow-storm over the probable course of the ill-fated schooner, but found no trace of her….”

Names of Missing.

“Those missing and known to be on the Rouse Simmons when she sailed from Thompson’s pier, near Manistique, Mich., November 21, are:

Capt. Charles Nelson, skipper and part owner.
Capt. Herman Scheunemann, owner of cargo.
Steve E. Nelson, mate.
Charles Nelton, sailor.
Gilbert Svenson, sailor.
Frank Carlson, sailor.
Albert Lykstad, cook.
Ingvald Nyhous, sailor.
William Oberg, lumber shover.
Sven Inglehart, lumber shover.

All from Chicago.

“The Rouse Simmons has been chartered annually for a number of years by Captain Scheunemann for a post season trip to the northern peninsula of Michigan for Christmas trees and holiday greens. She left Chicago about ten weeks ago with a crew of 13.” (Urbana Courier-Herald, IL. “Think Ship Sank in Heavy Storm.” 12-6-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 5: “Manitowoc, Wi., Dec. 5 – Mute evidence tending to show that the schooner Rouse Simmons lies at the bottom of Lake Michigan off Two Rivers Point, 12 miles north of this city, was brought here today by fishermen who in lifting their nets found entangled in the mesh, several small particles of Christmas tree tops. The find was made by Two Rivers fishermen about five miles north of that city and the life saving crew is making an investigation in an attempt to locate the wreckage of the missing boat.

“The Two Rivers station crew patrolled the lake for twenty-four hours a week ago at the time a three mased schooner was reported in distress off Kewaunee and it is believed now the boat was the Simmons and that she was lost in the big sea which was raging at that time. Captain Sogge, of the Two Rivers statin, is of the opinion that the boat with its entire crew went down at this port.”
(Winona Republican-Herald, MN. “Wreckage Is Found.” 12-5-1912, p 1.)

Dec 5: “Chicago, Dec. 5….Carried Seventeen People –

“The Rouse carried seventeen people, one a woman. The lone woman aboard the boat was the wife of the captain, Oscar Nelson, who was in command.

“The others were:

Capt. Frank Schuenemann, Capt. Nelson’s partner in the Christmas tree venture.
Alex. Johnson, first mate.
Edward Minogue, sailor.
Frank Sobata, sailor.
George Watson, sailor.
Ry Davis, sailor.
Conrad Griffin, sailor.
George Quinn, sailor.
Edward Murphy, sailor.
John Morwauski, sailor.
‘Stump’ Morris, sailor.
Greely Peterson, sailor.
Frank Paul, sailor.
Edward Hogan, sailor.
Philip Bauswein, sailor….”

(Manitowoc Daily Herald, WI. “Mute Evidence of Loss of Boat Off Two Rivers.” 12-5-1912, p.1.)

Sources

Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972.

Dubuque Telegraph Herald, IA. “Schooner Lost on Lake Michigan.” 12-3-1912, p. 9. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dubuque-telegraph-herald-dec-03-1912-p-9/

Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive. “Report News (November 2008).” Accessed at: http://www.boatnerd.com/news/archive/11-08.htm

Longacre, Glenn V. “The Christmas Tree Ship: Captain Herman E. Schuenemann and the Schooner Rouse Simmons, Prologue Magazine, Winter 2006, Vol. 38, No. 4. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/winter/christmas-tree.html

Manitowoc Daily Herald, WI. “Mute Evidence of Loss of Boat Off Two Rivers.” 12-5-1912, p. 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/manitowoc-daily-herald-dec-05-1912-p-1/

Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Crew of Ill-Fated Ship.” 11-30-1912, p. 12. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/marion-weekly-star-nov-30-1912-p-12/

McNeil, William R. “Rouse Simmons (Schooner), U110087, sunk, 23 Nov 1912.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/45400/data?n=2

Quincy Daily Herald, IL. “Searchers Find No Trace of Schooner.” 12-5-1912, p. 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-daily-herald-dec-05-1912-p-1/

Rock Island Argus, IL. “Vessel With 15 Men Lost.” 12-4-1912, p. 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rock-island-argus-dec-04-1912-p-1/

Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4CBCcye0n6IC

Sturgeon Bay Advocate, WI. “Find Wreckage of Rouse Simmons.” 12-5-1912, p. 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sturgeon-bay-advocate-dec-05-1912-p-1/

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

Thompson, Mark L. Graveyard of the Lakes. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2004.

Titusville Herald, PA. “Christmas Tree Boat is Reported Overdue.” 11-29-1912, p. 4, col. 5. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/titusville-herald-nov-29-1912-p-4/

United States Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce. Forty-Fifth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…For the Year Ended June 30, 1913. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913. Google digitized. Accessed 1-14-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=1boYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Urbana Courier-Herald, IL. “Think Ship Sank in Heavy Storm.” 12-6-1912, p. 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/urbana-daily-courier-dec-05-1912-p-1/

Winona Republican-Herald, MN. “No Hope Now for Steamer.” 12-5-1912, p 1. Accessed 1-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/winona-republican-herald-dec-05-1912-p-1/

Wisconsin Shipwrecks. “Rouse Simmons (1868)” (webpage). Accessed 1-14-2021 at: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Vessel/Details/541