1936 — Oct 17, Can. Sand Merchant sinks, Lake Erie storm, US waters ~15m off Avon Pt., OH-19

— 19 Alchem Incorporated. “Erie-Huron Shipwrecks”
— 19 Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln. “Nineteen Drowned On Lake Erie.” 10-19-1936, p. 1-2.
— 19 Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks S.
— 19 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 209.

Narrative Information

Alchem: “Sand Merchant: Steel steam sandsucker of 252 ft capsized and sank in a powerful gale 10/17/1936. Nineteen of the crew of twenty six were killed in the wreck.” (Alchem Incorporated. Lake Erie Shipwreck Map “B” and Index.)

Swayze: “She capsized and sank in a storm. An inquiry determined that her heavy sandsucking gear on deck contributed to her instability.” (Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks S.)

Swayze: “Sand Merchant. Steel steam sandsucker of 1,891 t. [tons] and 252 ft., launched in 1927 at Collingwood, Ont. Lake Erie: A terrific gale swept the length of Lake Erie on October 17, 1936, and the steamer Sand Merchant was unfortunate enough to be right in the path of it. Probably top-heavy with her intricate jumble of deck gear and sandsucking equipment, the vessel capsized and sank in big waves. She went down with 19 of her 26 crewmen, off Avon Point, several miles west of Cleveland.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 209.)

Newspaper

Oct 19: “Cleveland. (AP). Eighteen crew members and a woman passenger of the Canadian ship Sand Merchant drowned Saturday night [Oct 17] when the 252 foot sand sucker rolled over in a 50 mile gale which swept across treacherous Lake Eire 14 miles northwest of Cleveland. Many of the sailors desperately clung to two capsized lifeboats for hours before sliding off to their death. Seven men were rescued at about 8 a.m. by two freighters en route to Lake Erie ports. Those saved were…[we omit the seven names].

The List of Lost.

“Meuse, the deck engineer, gave the following list of those apparently lost:

Bernard Drinkwater, first mate, Port Stanley, Ont.
Pat Bourrie, second mate, Victoria Harbor, Ont.
Dan Bourrie, wheelsman, brother of Pat.
Amos Dault, wheelsman, Victoria Harbor, brother of Herman.
Joseph Dault, pump engineer, Victoria Harbor, also brother of Herman
Walter M’innes, chief engineer, Bay De Vin Bech, N.B.
Sanford Gray, third engineer, Victoria Harbor.
Nicholas M’Carthy, oiler, address unknown.
Roland De Mille, oiler, Rexton, N.B.
Harold Cannon, fireman, Cape Tormentine.
Peter Daigle, fireman, Rexton, N.B.
Two Firemen, names unknown.
Henry Little, first cook, Toronto.
Frank Burns, second cook, Toronto.
William Grant, pump engineer, Thoraid, Ont.
Harry White, deckhand, son of Martin [Martin White, 2nd engineer, Cape Breton, survived.]
Alphonse (last name unknown), operator, brother-in-law of Pat Bourrie.
Mrs. Bernard Drinkwater, wife of the first mate, a passenger.

“….Meuse, Gifford, Morse and White were picked up by the Bessemer and Marquette No. 2. They were suffering from exposure and White’s condition was described as serious. Gifford, who suffered least from the ten hours of exposure, said the woman on the boat was Mrs. Bernie Drinkwater of Port Stanley, Ont., wife of the first mate. She had boarded the boat at Windsor for a short trip.

“Clifford said most of the crew were thrown into the lake as the boat rolled over. They swam to the lifeboats which capsized immediately. One by one they slid into the lake. At dawn when the two freighters hove into sight only the seven were left.

“It began to blow shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday. The Sand Merchant had picked up a load of sand at Point Pelee, Ont., for Cleveland. The ship left Point Pelee shortly after 2 p.m. It started to rain in the evening and the wind came stronger.

Ship Turns on Side.

“‘I was off watch at the time,’ Gifford said. ‘They called me at 9 p.m. There was a port list, but it didn’t seem serious. I was called on deck, the ship kept listing more and more. We got the lifeboats ready. All of a sudden the ship dipped. He turned over on her side and dumped the lifeboats in the water. They upset as they hit. We had torn up sheets and lighted them and sent up flares before she turned over.

“‘The two lifeboats were together most of the time. By morning the other boat disappeared. We didn’t see it until about a half hour before we were picked up. We drifted within a mile and a half of shore once and we thought we might make port, but we drifted out again.’

“Gifford said Captain McClellan was with the other lifeboat. Martin White, the 50 year old engineer whose son was lost, was not allowed to see the visitors at the hospital. Nurses said they did not attempt to question him about his son and did not know whether White was aware of his death. It was young White’s first season with the Sand Merchant.

“Gifford and Morse said the pumps on the Sand Merchant had been in action for several hours before the sinking. ‘We were trying to pump her out so the sand wouldn’t shift and make it list more,’ Gifford said. ‘Then she began to list badly. We were forced into the trough of the sea on account of the list.’….” (Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln. “Nineteen Drowned On Lake Erie.” 10-19-1936, pp. 1-2.)

Sources

Alchem Incorporated. Lake Erie Shipwreck Map “B” and Index. Accessed 1-11-2021 at: http://www.alcheminc.com/huron.html

Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln. “Nineteen Drowned On Lake Erie.” 10-19-1936, p. 1. Accessed 1-11-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-jul-19-1936-p-2/

Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks S. Accessed 1-11-2021 at: http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/s.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.