1907 — April 13-14, Steam barge Arcadia founders, Lake Michigan off Big Sable, MI–11-14

–11-14 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— 16 News Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI. “3 Boats Lost…Crew Was Drowned.” 4-23-1907, 1.
— 16 Richmond Palladium, IN. “Crew Thrown Overboard….Arcadia Founders.” 4-23-1907, 6.
–10-15 Diamond Drill, Crystal Fall, MI. “Down With All Hands.” 4-27-1907, p. 2.
— 14 Burlington Evening Gazette, IA. “Ship With All On Board Lost.” 4-23-1907, p. 1.
— 14 Lincoln Daily Star, NE. “Barge Is Lost With All Hands.” 4-22-1907, p. 9, col. 2.
— 14 Northeast Michigan Oral History…Historic Photograph Archive. Alpena County Library.
— 13 The Mail, Hagerstown, MD. “Floating Corpse Pickup Up On Lake.” 4-26-1907, p. 3.
— 12 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 234.
— 12 U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…1908, p. 381.
— 11 U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. Annual Report 1907, p. 13.
— 4-10 Swayze. Shipwreck!….Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 25.

* Blanchard estimated death toll. Most reporting at the time which we have reviewed notes there were 14 aboard and that all were lost. We have cited only a small sampling of these accounts. However, in that the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service notes 11 deaths and the U.S. Bureau of Navigation notes 12 deaths, we choose to employ a range of deaths from 11-14. We are not convinced of reports of fewer than eleven deaths or more than fourteen.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Arcadia. St.s. [steam screw]. 1888 [built]. Apr 13 1907. Foundered. Big Sable, Mich. All lives (12) lost.”

Swayze: Arcadia. Wooden bulk freight steamer of 230 t. and 118 ft., launched at Milwaukee in 1888.

“Lake Michigan: Several contradictory reports exist concerning the loss of this steamer in a storm at Big Sable Point, Michigan, in 1907. The number of lives lost is reported as 4, 9, or 10, the date as April 11, April 23 or sometime in January, and the ship is said to have either foundered or gone aground and broken up in place.”

U.S. Bureau of Navigation: “Arcadia…235 [tons]. 1888 [built]. 12 [on board]. 12 [lives lost]. Foundered. April 13, 1907. Big Sable, MI.”

U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service “…the steamer Arcadia [foundered] on the east shore of Lake Michigan, on April 13, 1907, by which 11 lives were lost.” (Annual Report 1907, p. 13.)

Newspapers

April 22: “Manistee, Mich., April 22. – The wooden lumber barge Arcadia which left this port April 12, for Two Rivers with a cargo of hardwood, has undoubtedly been lost in Lake Michigan with her captain and owner, Harry May, his wife and a woman cook and a crew of about eleven men. Marine men here would not be surprised to hear her wreck was caused by a boiler explosion. Some hold the theory that she went down as the result of the storm of April 14.

“Wreckage has been found along the beach from Pentwater north to Little Point Sable and part of it has been identified as the cargo of the lost craft. Portions of her cabins and bulwarks have also been found on the beach near Pentwater.” (Lincoln Daily Star, NE. “Barge Is Lost With All Hands.” 4-22-1907, p. 9, col. 2.)

April 23: “Manistee, Mich., April 23. – The wooden lumber barge Arcadia, which left this port April 12 for Two Rivers with a cargo of hard wood, undoubtedly has been lost in Lake Michigan with her captain and owner Harry May, and about thirteen others….

“The known list of persons on board the Arcadia was:

Captain Harry May.
Mrs. Harry May.
A young woman, cook, name unknown here.
Otto Chavalia, sailor, Manistee.
Harry Powers, sailor Manistee.
[Charles McIntyre, coal passer, Manistee.]
There were about eight more members of the crew.

“The wreckage had been found along the beach from Pentwater, north to Little Point Sauble [sic], part of it has been identified as the cargo of the lost craft. Portions of her cabins and bulwarks also has been found on the beach near Pentwater.

“The Arcadia was 119 feet in length, 26 feet beam, 9-foot draft, registering 230 tons, and was built in Milwaukee in 1888.” (Burlington Evening Gazette, IA. “Ship With All On Board Lost.” 4-23-1907, p. 1.)

April 23: “….While it has been impossible to learn absolutely how many persons were on the wrecked barge, it is generally believed that the number was between ten and fifteen with a majority of the reports agreeing on fourteen. The Arcadia left Manistee April 12. April 13 and 14 Lake Michigan was swept by such a severe storm that navigation was almost completely tied up. It was during this storm that the Arcadia was probably lost….” (Fort Wayne Sentinel, IN. Lumber Barge Sinks with a Crew of Fourteen.” 4-23-1907, p. 1.)

April 23: “Pentwater, April 23 – The steamer Arcadia, carrying a captain, mate and crew of 14 hands, was sunk off of this port this morning and all on board are supposed to have perished. The distress signals of the boat were seen just before dawn and boats put out from shore immediately. Three boats were launched but the oarsmen had hard work making any headway against the high sea and by the time the life boats reached a distance where they could be of help the boat sunk. The boat, it is thought, struck an uncharted rock.” (News Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI. “3 Boats Lost…Crew Was Drowned.” 4-23-1907, p. 1.)

April 23: “Pentwater, Mich., April 23. – The steam barge Arcadia, loaded with 141,000 feet of lumber, foundered off port with a crew of sixteen, according to advices from Manistee. She struck a leak and before the life saving crew could reach er, she lurched, throwing the crew overboard. Sailors were seen clinging to the rigging. However, waves prevented reaching them.” (Richmond Palladium, IN. “Crew Thrown Overboard. Steam Barge Arcadia Founders.” 4-23-1907, p. 6.)

April 24: “Ludington, Mich., April 24. – Fishermen today discovered the body of a young woman floating in Lake Michigan on one of the life preservers of the lost steamer Arcadia about it. The woman was undoubtedly cook of the Arcadia. She was only partially dressed, the clothing bearing evidence it was donned in great haste.” (Rock Island Argus, IL. “Is Cast Up By the Waves.” 4-24-1907, p. 10, col. 2.)

Sources

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

Burlington Evening Gazette, IA. “Ship With All On Board Lost.” 4-23-1907, p. 1. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-evening-gazette-apr-23-1907-p-1/

Diamond Drill, Crystal Fall, MI. “Down With All Hands.” 4-27-1907, p. 2. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-diamond-drill-apr-27-1907-p-2/

Fort Wayne Sentinel, IN. Lumber Barge Sinks with a Crew of Fourteen.” 4-23-1907, p. 1. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-wayne-sentinel-apr-23-1907-p-1/

Lincoln Daily Star, NE. “Barge Is Lost With All Hands.” 4-22-1907, p. 9, col. 2. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-daily-star-apr-22-1907-p-9/

Northeast Michigan Oral History and Historic Photograph Archive. Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: http://www.nemoha.org/2903217/data

Richmond Palladium, IN. “Crew Thrown Overboard. Steam Barge Arcadia Founders.” 4-23-1907, p. 6. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-richmond-palladium-and-sun-telegram-apr-23-1907-p-6/

Rock Island Argus, IL. “Is Cast Up By the Waves.” 4-24-1907, p. 10, col. 2. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rock-island-argus-apr-24-1907-p-10/

Steubenville Herald-Star, OH. “Body Found.” 4-25-1907, p. 1. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/steubenville-herald-star-apr-25-1907-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.

The Mail, Hagerstown, MD. “Floating Corpse Pickup Up On Lake.” 4-26-1907, p. 3. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hagerstown-mail-apr-26-1907-p-3/

United States Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce and Labor. Fortieth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…For the Year Ended June 30, 1908. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1908. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=kF0uAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:LCCNsn88028129#v=onepage&q=&f=false

United States Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspection Service to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1907. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1907. 374 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=slcpAAAAYAAJ

Winona Daily Republican Herald, MN. “Body of Woman Found.” 4-26-1907, p. 2, col. 5. Accessed 11-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/winona-republican-herald-apr-26-1907-p-2/