1883 — May 20, schooner Wells Burt sinks, Lake Michigan storm, off Evanston, IL –10-11

— 11 Karamanski. Schooner Passage: Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier. 2000, 176.
— 11 Logansport Journal, IN. “Lost in the Lake. The Schooner Wells Burt…” May 24, 1883, 1.
— 10 Mansfield. History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899, p. 789.
— 10 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 43.
— 10 W.H.S. Manitowoc Herald-News, WI. “Schooner ‘Wells Burt’…Foundered…1883.”

Narrative Information

Karamanski: “The Wells Burt, built in 1873 and valued at $45,000, was one of the most highly regarded vessels in Chicago’s grain fleet. Her sinking off Grosse Point [near Evanston, IL] on Chicago’s North Shore, amidst a sudden and severe May thunderstorm, stunned Lake Michigan sailors. ‘There never was wind or sea enough inside that point, to founder the Wells Burt,’ was the typical reaction. Some old sailing men contended that she had been run down by a careless steamer. Eleven men met their end on the deck of the Wells Burt….

“The storm, which had developed suddenly as tornadoes formed over northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, caught many ships out on the open lake. Forty-six ships were forced to ride out the blow at anchor outside the Chicago harbor as the funnels dissipated over the open water.”
(Karamanski. “Schooner Passage: Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier. 2000, p. 176.)

Mansfield: “1883….Loss of the Wells Burt. – During the fierce gale of May 20 the schooner Wells Burt was wrecked off Evanston and her entire crew of 10 perished, including Capt. Thomas Fountain. The Burt was built in 1873 and was of 756 tons burden. She was a full-rigged, three-masted schooner, and was loaded with coal for Chicago.” (History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899, p. 789.)

Swayze: “Wells Burt. Merchant schooner of 756 t. [tons],
Lake Michigan: The big schooner Wells Burt was laden with a cargo of coal when she foundered on May 20, 1883. All ten hands were lost when she went down five miles off Evanston Point, Illinois.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 43.)

Newspaper

May 24: “Chicago, May 24. The beautiful three-mast schooner Wells Burt is now reported among the ill-fated craft that succumbed to the elements Sunday night [20th]. She is owned by Mr. J. S. Dunham. The Wells Burt sailed from this port with the first fleet after the opening of navigation on the 1st of May. She carried 53,000 bushels of corn, and her destination was Buffalo. The vessel was on her return trip, laden with 1,540 tons of anthracite coal. Captain Thomas Fountain was in command. The rest of the crew are:

William P. Cody, mate;
Daniel Fountain, Captain’s son;
J. W. White,
Thomas Hickey,
W. McCarthy,
Jeff Powers,
Thomas George;
two men, unknown, and
one boy, unknown.

“Captain Smith, of the Rising Star, states that he saw the spars of a wreck at Grosse Point, north of Evanston. From flotsam that was picked up from the doomed schooner the Captain was led to believe that she was the Wells Burt. An oil-can bearing a tag with the name of the vessel was found.

“Mr. Dunham and a large crew went to Evanston in a tug, and are now at work on the wreck. At this writing no bodies have been recovered, and no news from the wreck has been received. There is not a shadow of doubt that the Wells Burt has gone down without leaving a survivor to tell the terrible story.” (Logansport Journal, IN. “Lost in the Lake…Schooner Wells Burt…” 5-24-1883, p.1.)

Sources

Karamanski, Theodore J. Schooner Passage: Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier. Wayne State University Press, 2000. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=xih_ki9bLyQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Logansport Journal, IN. “Lost in the Lake. The Schooner Wells Burt Goes Down in Lake Michigan with All Her Crew.” May 24, 1883, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83181101

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

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

Wisconsin Historical Society. Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles; Manitowoc Herald-News, WI. “Schooner ‘Wells Burt’ Once Pride of Lakes, Foundered Off Evanston in 1883.” [no date]. Accessed 11-15-2020 at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/WLHBA/articleView.asp?pg=1&id=15801&hdl=&np=&adv=yes&ln=&fn=&q=&y1=&y2=&ci=Manitowoc&co=&mhd=&shd