1847 — June 13~, schooner Merchant lost, Lake Superior storm ~Keweenaw Peninsula, MI –14-18

— 18 Disturnell, John. The Great Lakes or Inland Seas of America, 1863, p. 131.
–15-16 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY “Fears of a Wreck.” 7-13-1847, p. 3, col. 2.
–14-15 Boston Post. “Disaster on Lake Superior.” 7-26-1847, p. 2, col. 5.
— 15 Mansfield, John Brandts (Editor). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 654.
— 15 Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (Revised). 1969, p. 270.
— >15 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 150.
— 14 Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Merchant (Schooner), sunk, 13 Jun 1847.”
— 14 Wolff. Lake Superior Shipwrecks, 1990, p. 5

Narrative Information

Mansfield: 1847….Disaster on Lake Superior. – Thae schooner Merchant, Capt. Robert More, with a crew of seven beside seven passengers, was lost, with all on board, in June, on Lake Superior, with a cargo of supplies. She was formally owned at Buffalo by Barker & Holt, but at the time of her loss was owned by Coe & Colt. A furious gale prevailed at the time, and it was supposed she foundered.”

Ratigan: “The first Flying Dutchman on Lake Superior dates back to June of 1857 when the schooner Merchant ran into a gale and was lost with all hands – seven crew members, seven passengers, and Captain Robert More.”

Swayze: “Merchant. Passenger and freight brig or schooner of 74 t. [tons]. Lake Superior: The brig Merchant was a vessel of historic note. One of the first ships to engage in the copper trade, she was hauled around the Soo Rapids on skids in the winter of 1845-6. On June 13, 1847, she had her holds filled with freight and a full manifest of passengers when she was struck by a gale near Munising, MI. Said to be overloaded at the time, she was last see off Grand Island. At least 15 people disappeared with her.”

Wolfe: “The Lake’s first disappearance was…experienced in 1847. On June 11, 1847, the 80-ton schooner Merchant under Captain Robert Moore [or Brown] left the Soo for the Keweenaw Point area with 14 persons aboard. She was never heard from again, though the door to her companionway was found floating months later on the north shore of the lake. Five years after, a group of persons coasting the shore northwest of Grand Island reported seeing the top masts of a schooner about 30 feet below the surface. Reputedly, the observers would attempt salvage, although nothing is known of their efforts. Among the passengers aboard the ill-fated Merchant were representatives of mining companies bound for L’Anse, who allegedly carried $5,000 in cash, a rich prize for salvors in those days. The unfortunate Captain Moore had broken his leg the day before sailing and had tried to induce Captain Brown of the schooner Swallow to take the voyage.”

Newspaper

June 29: “The editor of the N. York Tribune, writing from Saut de Ste. Marie (lake Superior), June 29th, says: It is much feared here that in a gale which we encountered some sixteen days since, when going up, the schooner Merchant went down with all on board, including the agent and 14 or 15 miners and laborers of the national mining company, to say nothing of her cargo. She followed us out of port (Eagle harbor) on the 12th inst., kept in sight till late that night, and I cannot learn that she has been seen since. She had not reached L’Anse, her destination, not 250 miles hence, ten days afterward.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Fears of a Wreck.” 7-13-1847, p. 3, col. 2.)

July 26: “The report of the loss of schooner Merchant, on Lake Superior, in a tremendous gale on the 13th ult., has been confirmed. She had on board seven passengers and a crew of seven. Capt. Brown, of the Swallow, commanded her. Four of the passengers were in the employ of the National Mining Co.; their names are J. H. Woods and E. Gregory, of Pontiac, Michigan; L. C. Smith and George Howard, of Norwalk, Ohio. Her freight was for various mining companies at several points of the lake. The Merchant left the Saut on the 12th of June for L’Ause – the occurred the next day.”

Sources

Boston Post. “Disaster on Lake Superior.” 7-26-1847, p. 2, col. 5. Accessed 12-9-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-post-jul-26-1847-p-2/

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY “Fears of a Wreck.” 7-13-1847, p. 3, col. 2. Accessed 12-9-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brooklyn-daily-eagle-and-kings-county-democrat-jul-13-1847-p-3/

Disturnell, John. The Great Lakes or Inland Seas of America. New York: Charles Scribner, 1863. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=KVpnQB_7T2oC

Huron Reflector, MI. “Loss of the Schooner Merchant.” 7-27-1847, p. 2. Accessed 12-9-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-reflector-jul-27-1847-p-2/

Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. and Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. http://www.linkstothepast.com/marine/chapt36.html — Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Merchant (Schooner), sunk, 13 Jun 1847.” Accessed 12-9-2020 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/38393/data

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

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

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