1868 — Sep 8, steamer Hippocampus sinks, Lake Michigan storm, off St. Joseph, MI — 26

Blanchard on date of loss.*

— 26 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 247.
— 26 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [US] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 277.
— 26 Mansfield. Great Lakes Maritime History – History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899.
— 26 Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Hippocampus, (St. S.), 1868, Official No. U11819.
— 26 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 686.
— 26 News-Palladium. “Lake Storms and Gallant Ships. Her Life Was Short.” Sep 6, 1952, 13.
–~26 Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003, p. 131.
— 25 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 110.
— 24 St. Joseph Herald, MI. “Good News!” 9-12-1868, p. 4, col. 2.
— 18 Cincinnati Commercial. “Chicago. Fifteen Persons Saved from…Propeller.” 9-12-1868, p1.

* Blanchard on date of loss. Some sources note date of loss as Sep 7, some Sep 8, and at least one as Sep-7-8. Survivors picked up and brought to land two days after first newspaper speculation on the date of loss, stated that “a squall struck the vessel about 4 o’clock, Tuesday morning [Sep 8], and she went down almost instantly.”

Narrative Information

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Hippocampus, 152 [tons], stranded, 9 7 1868, St. Joseph, Mich. 26 [lives lost].”

News-Palladium, 1952: “The career of the steamer Hippocampus was brief, but, during her short span she wrote a spectacular —and mysterious—chapter in Great Lakes history. Like so many other lake vessels that went down , “at sea.,” the Hippocampus took with her to the bottom of the lake the answer to why and just how she foundered 84 years ago Sunday—on the night of Sept. 7-8, 1868 after leaving Benton Harbor and St. Joseph with an unusually large cargo of peaches for the Chicago market.

“The Hippocampus never reached Chicago, and because communications in those days were crude, it was a week before the tragic story became known here—and it was brought by the 16 survivors. Twenty-six others perished. Not long before the disaster, this advertisement appeared in the March 21, 1868 edition of the old Saturday Herald of St. Joseph:

New and staunch vessel Hippocampus, Capt. John Morrison. Making regular trips to Chicago. Boughton & Morrison, agents.

The Hippocampus WAS staunchly built, in 1866 by the standards of that early day. Her timbers were sound and heavy, and she was built by skilled shipbuilders in St. Joseph under the direction of Capt. John Morrison and Capt. Curtis Boughton, St. Joseph pioneers.

The Hippocampus was 122 feet long—a, pygmy in comparison to today’s giant ore carriers. Her beam was 21 feet. Over the main, or cargo deck, was a cabin deck for passengers. She followed the prevailing lines of the day. Last prototypes were the wooden steamers from Frank Woods and Charles McVea of the old Benton Transit Co.

“VERSIONS DIFFER

“Accounts of what happened that fatal Sept. 1 night vary, and there is now only hearsay. One account was that the Hippocampus encountered rough weather after clearing the piers and capsized when the extraordinary large cargo of fruit shifted. Another version is that the night was fair and clear, but that the hull of the ship struck a submerged obstruction near the junction of the St. Joseph and Paw-Paw rivers as she swung west, and that the blow caused a leak to develop that became too great for the pumps to handle.

“There is general agreement that the ship did capsize, and passengers and crew had no time or opportunity to launch life boats. Those below deck, including engine room crew and firemen, were trapped. The survivors, 16 in number, were able to climb aboard a raft on which they huddled for 26 hours until they were sighted by a steam tug. The tug, bound for Saugatuck, rescued the survivors but continued on to Saugatuck, from where the survivors made their way home and told their story of the disaster in which, published accounts at the time said, “those who were lost died like trapped rats.”

“Capt. John Morrison was not in command that fateful, night. He was sick and his place was taken by Capt. H. M. Brown, who was among the survivors. Capt. Morrison’s son, the late Capt. Charles Morrison, St. Joseph, was wheelsman. He was also saved and until his death several years ago sailed Lake Michigan, his last command being the steamer Frank Woods. He was 18 at the time the Hippocampus went down.

“Other survivors, all of whom were prominent early day residents here included Edward W. Hatch, cofounder of the St. Joseph Iron Works and the father of William and Conant Hatch; Joseph Riford, Benton Harbor pioneer for whom Riford street was named; Cyrus Rittenhouse, and R. Richardson James Trimble, V. Dailey, Joseph Cooley, George Fuller….

“Soaking wet, cold and fearful, the survivors waited hopefully for rescue through the late night and gray dawn. But another day was to pass before the passing tug saw them and affected the rescue. Days more were to pass before the terrible anxiety of their families was relieved and the sad news of death reached the loved ones of those who perished….” (News-Palladium. “Lake Storms and Gallant Ships. Her Life Was Short.” Sep 6, 1952, p. 13.)

Shelak: “Southern Michigan’s greatest loss of the mid-century was that of the propeller steamer Hippocampus, a 152-ton boat built in 1867 at St. Joseph. The following year, on September 8, the steamer was en route for Chicago from Benton Harbor when it was caught off St. Joseph in a heavy gale and was driven ashore. The vessel, brand new by lake standards, was a ruin. Worse, approximately 26 of those on board perished.”

Swayze: “Hippocampus. Merchant steamer. Lake Michigan: Little is known of the loss of this ship in 1868, except that she foundered on September 8 with the loss of 25 lives.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 110.)

Newspapers at the Time

Sep 9: “Chicago, September 9….The Hippocampus, a propeller of ninety tons burden, plying between St. Joseph, Michigan, and Chicago, in the peach trade, left St. Joseph on Monday night [7th] with about thirty passengers and a full crew, since which time nothing has been heard of her. As she wad due here yesterday morning[ 8th], it is feared that she has foundered during the storm on Monday night, and that all on board were lost.

“The following is a partial list of the passengers known to have taken passage on her: [We break into separate lines the names found in paragraph form]

Alvin M. Palmer,
James M. Sortore,
James Trimble,
W. Burridge,
John Burridge, Wm. Vaughan,
W. Hathaway,
C.C. Sulton,
B. C. Lewis and
Joseph Riford, all of Benton Hargor, Michigan;
E. M. Hatch, of St. Louis;
J. Sheen, of Bainbridge, Michigan;
Joseph Higbee,
W. S. Watrous [or Waterhouse] and
A. P. Whitney, of Chicago.

“The crew consisted of

Captain H. M. Brown;
Mate, Robert Richardson;
Clerk, J. P. Bloom, of St. Joseph;
Engineer, Richard Eustis, of Chicago;
Wheelsman, Charles Morrison, of St. Joseph;
And five deck hands names unknown.

“Tugs have been sent from here to search for the wreck.

“A dispatch from Benton Harbor, Michigan this evening, says the carto of the propeller Hippocampus consisted of 8,000 baskets of peaches, mostly on the main and hurricane decks. The theory is that, being top-heavy from extra weight on the upper decks, she capsized during a squall.

“The propeller Comet, which left St. Joe on the same night, reports having experienced heavy weather.

“The Hippocampus was valued at $22,000 and insured for $12,000.” (Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago…Loss of a Propeller and all on Board.” 9-10-1868, p. 1.)

Sep 10: “Chicago, September 10. – The steam-tug Geo. W. Wood, which left here at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, on a cruise after the lost propeller Hippocampus, arrived back at 5 P.M. today. She discovered a large quantity of fragments of the vessel and, among other things, her hurricane deck; and hopes are entertained that some persons took refuge on this and were taken off by a sail vessel not yet heard from.” (Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago. The Wrecked Propeller Heard from…” 9-11-1868, p. 1, col. 3.)

Sep 11: “Chicago, September 11. – Dispatches from St. Joseph, Michigan, this evening, report the arrival there of Captain Brown, of the Hippocampus, and fourteen other survivors from the wreck. They report that a squall struck the vessel about 3 o’clock, Tuesday morning, and she went down almost instantly. The survivors were in the water thirty-five hours, and were picked up by a sail vessel and carried to Saugatuck, a few miles from St. Joseph….

“The names of the lost, as far as ascertained, are as follows: [put into separate lines]

Passengers – John Schrim,
A.P. Whitney of Chicago,
M. K. Hathaway,
William Vaughan,
Alvin Palmer,
Joseph Marple,
Alvin Burridge and
J. K. Burridge

Crew – Robert Richardson, mate;
Eugene Eustis and
William Brown, engineers;
David Taylor, fireman, and
six deck hands….

(Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago. Fifteen Persons Saved from the Wrecked Propeller.” 9-12-1868, p. 1, col. 5.)

Sep 12: “Just as we were going to press a tug arrived from Saugatuck with fifteen of the crew and passengers saved from the ill-fated Hippocampus. The conjectures as to the cause of the disaster as stated above are nearly correct.

Passengers Saved. [we omit]

Officers Saved. [we omit]

Lost.
A. Burridge, Benton Harbor.
U. Higbee, “
J. K. Burridge, “
W. S. Watros, “
A. D. Palmer, “
R. N. Burk, Pipestone.
Wm Vaughn, Benton Harbor.
J. A. Markle, “
John Sehrum, Bainbridge.
A. P. Whitney, Chicago.

Crew Missing.

R. Richardson, Mate, St. Joseph.
R.T. Eustice, 1st Eng’r Chicago.
W. Brown, 2d Eng’r Chicago.
Daniel Moore, Cook & Porter “
Hiram Brant, Bainbridge.
Arthur Wooden, “
Eli Van Etting, “
M. Spink, “
Frank Mathews,
Albert James,
Chas. Williams, (colored) Chicago.
David Taylor, “ “
H. Mannell, “ B. Harbor.
Geo. B. VanHorn, “ “

(St. Joseph Herald, MI. “Good News!” 9-12-1868, p. 4, col. 2.)

Alphabetical Listing of Hippocampus Fatalities from sources above
(West, Deanna Branson. “1868 – Hippocampus – 1868.”)

Passengers

1. Burke, R. M. Pipestone
2. Burridge, Alvin Benton Harbor, MI
3. Burridge, J. K. Benton Harbor
4. Higbee, Uriah Benton Harbor
5. Marple, J. A. Benton Harbor
6. Palmer, A. G. Benton Harbor
7. Schrim, John Chicago
8. Vaughn, William Benton Harbor
9. Waterhouse, W. W. Benton Harbor
10. Whitney, A. P. Chicago

Crew Position

11. Brant, W. B. not noted Bainbridge, MI
12. Brown, William 2nd Engineer Chicago
13. _____ David (black) not noted Chicago
14. Eustice, R. T. 1st Engineer Chicago
15. James, D. not noted Bainbridge
16. Manuel, H. (black) not noted Benton Harbor
17. Matthews, Frank not noted Pipestone
18. Moore, B. M. not noted Chicago
19. Richardson, Robert Mate St. Joseph
20. Spirk, Murray not noted Bainbridge
21. Van Horn, George B. not noted Benton Harbor
22. Vanethroy, Eli not noted Bainbridge
23. Wright, Joseph not noted Chicago
24. Williams (black) not noted Chicago
25. Wooden, Arthur non noted Bainbridge
26. Unnamed Cook Chicago

Sources

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

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago. Fifteen Persons Saved from the Wrecked Propeller.” 9-12-1868, p. 1, col. 5. Accessed 11-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-sep-12-1868-p-1/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago…Loss of a Propeller and all on Board.” 9-10-1868, p. 1. Accessed 11-25-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-sep-10-1868-p-1/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Chicago. The Wrecked Propeller Heard from…” 9-11-1868, p. 1, col. 3. Accessed 11-25-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-sep-11-1868-p-1/

Lytle, William M., compiler, from Official Merchant Marine Documents of the United States and Other Sources; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (Editor, and Introduction by). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. “The Lytle List.” Mystic, CT: Steamship Historical Society of America (Publication No. 6), 1952. Accessed 8-16-2020 at:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015018039084&view=1up&seq=8&size=125

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. “Hippocampus, (St. S.), 1868, Official No. U11819.” Accessed 9-8-2009 at: http://www.hhpl.on.ca/GreatLakes/wrecks/Details.asp?ID=15217&n=8769

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI. “Lake Storms and Gallant Ships. Her Life Was Short.” 9-6-1952, p. 13. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=84692483

St. Joseph Herald, MI. “Good News!” 9-12-1868, p. 4, col. 2. Accessed 11-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/st-joseph-herald-press-sep-12-1868-p-4/

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

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

West, Deanna Branson. “1868 – Hippocampus – 1868.” Accessed 11-27-2020 at: http://berrien.migenweb.org/News_files/Hippocampus.htm