1905 — Oct 19/20, Great Lakes storm, >27 wood vessels lost (>42 damaged/lost all types)– >44

–>50 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 77.
— 44 Blanchard tally from listing of vessels below.
— 22 Marshall News, MI. “Beneath The Waves.” 10-27-1905, p. 3, col. 1.
— 21 New York Times. “Lake Storm Deaths Now Total Twenty-One.” 10-22-1905, p. 1.

— 0 Alga (barge), Lake Superior.
— 0 Alta, schooner-barge, grounded on coast of Grand Island near Munising, Lake Superior.
— ? Argo, steamer, Lake Michigan
— 0 City of Erie, passenger steamer, Lake Erie.
— ? Commerce, schooner, Lake Huron
— 0 Cygnet, tug, foundered in gale at Cheboygan, Lake Huron.
— 0 D. P. Rhodes, barge-schooner, Lake Huron; stranded Lighthouse Point, near Cheboygan.
— 5 Emma L. Neilsen, schooner Lake Huron; stranded in Presque Isle Bay, MI.
— 0 Fisherman, tug, damaged off Alpena, Lake Huron.
— 0 Foster, schooner-barge
— ? Frank Perry, tug, lost off Boot Island, Lake Huron.
— 0 Galatea, barge, Lake Superior
— ? Glen Cuyler, schooner, Lake Huron.
— 0 Irene, tug, Lake Michigan
— 0 Iver Lawson, schooner, Lake Michigan.
— ? Jay Ochs, tug, Lake Huron.
— 2 John V. Jones, schooner, midlake, Lake Michigan. (William Thomas; Ever Olfsen drowned. )
— 1 Joseph S. Fay, steamer, Lake Huron. Near Rogers City, MI; mate drowned.
–17 Kaliyuga, steamer lost, Lake Huron, last seen ~5 miles off Presque Isle, MI.
— 0 Katahdin, schooner, stranded at Southampton, Lake Huron.
— 0 Kate Lyons, schooner, Lake Michigan.
— 0 Kingfisher, schooner, off Cleveland, Lake Erie.
— 0 Lydia, schooner, stranded on beach at Manistee, MI, Lake Huron.
— 0 Mautenee, schooner-barge, stranded 18 miles east of Erie, Lake Erie.
— 0 Melrose, schooner, Lake Huron.
— 9 Minnedosa (Canadian), schooner, foundered 2½M off Harbor Beach, MI, Lake Huron
— 0 Nirvana, schooner, Lake Superior, grounded entering Grand Marais port, MI for shelter.
— 0 Oregon, steamer, Lake Superior.
— ? Prince, schooner, Lake Huron.
— 0 Reliance, mail boat wrecked on the beach at Frankfort, MI, Lake Michigan.
— 0 Republic, steamer, stranded at Major Shoals, Lake Huron.
— 2 Sarah E Sheldon, schooner, Lake Erie, off Loraine and near Lincoln, OH.
— 0 Siberia, steamer, Oct 21, near Long Point, Ontario, Canada, Lake Erie.
— 0 Simla (Canadian), steamer, Lake Ontario.
— 8 Tasmania, schooner-barge, foundered near Southeast Shoal, Pelee Island, Lake Erie.
— 0 Three Sisters, schooner, Lake Michigan, ~Elk Rapids.
— 0 Unadilla, barge, Lake Erie off Buffalo breakwater.
— ? Vega, schooner, off Ludington, MI, Lake Michigan.
— 0 Walter Metcalf, tug, near breakwater light, Cleveland, OH, Lake Erie.
— 0 Western States, passenger steamer, Lake Erie at Long Point, Ontario Province, Canada.
— 0 Wisconsin, schooner, blown on rocks, off Loraine, OH, Lake Erie.
— 0 Yukon, schooner-barge, foundered off Ashtabula, Lake Erie.

Narrative Information
(General)

Weather Bureau: “The third severe storm [of 1905] was that of October 19-20. This storm gave southwest winds and gales over the lower lakes and the southern portions of Lakes Michigan and Huron, and high east to north winds over Lake Superior and the upper portions of Lakes Michigan and Huron. In all, 34 vessels were lost or sustained greater or less injury in this storm, 37 in the storm of November 28, and 9 in the storm of September 2, a total of 80 vessels for the three storms….” [P. 3.]

Newspapers

Oct 20: “Chicago, Oct. 20. – Death and destruction resulted from one of the fiercest gales that has ever swept over the great lakes which has been blowing for 12 hours and has not yet subsided, destroying much shipping, sinking a number of vessels, ruining docks and waterfront property at many ports. Many lives are reported lost while the property loss is reckoned by millions.

“Crippled vessels today sought refuge in every lake port and many wrecks are reported. The east shore of Lake Michigan suffered severely, dock property worth thousands of dollars being swept away at St. Joseph, South Haven, Holland, Grand Haven and Muskegon. Heavy waves are still bombarding the coasts. The storm raged from Lake Superior to Lake Ontario and great anxiety is felt for vessels on the lakes….

“Many vessels are reported sunk. At Loraine, Ohio, the steamer Sarah E. Sheldon with 20 men aboard was wrecked five miles off shore. The crew is believed to be safe except two, who are known to have been drowned. The steamer Wisconsin was blown on the rocks just outside the same harbor….

“The tug Irene and the schooner Glenn Cuyler were lost off Menominee….” (Oregon Journal, Portland. “Death and Destruction Result from Fierce Gale That Sweeps Over Entire Chain of Great Lakes.” 10-20-1905, p. 1.)

Oct 21: “Because of the severe storm of night before yesterday, business has been all but suspended in some sections of the upper peninsula. The railroads and telegraph companies have not entirely recovered from the shock. In fact local telegraph service is badly demoralized today.

“Marquette has been shut off from communication with the east, and it was not until early today that the wires to that city were in condition to be worked. The Detroit line is in working order as far as Soo Junction and an operator has been sent from the Soo to assist in handling the business. No weather reports or other dispatches from outside have been received in two days and all the information that could be secured has come from local superintendent, Alexander G. Burns, who has taken every opportunity to give such information to the people as he was able to obtain by local observations….

“As near as can be learned the worst part of the storm passed over the peninsula to the west of the Soo. At Newberry it is claimed 14 inches of snow fell, while east of the Soo the fall was very light….

“…it was not until this morning that the first reports of the loss of several vessels, including the new steel tug Frank Perry of this city was reported here. Ten persons lost their lives and at least a dozen vessels were wrecked or seriously damaged. Later reports will doubtless increase the number and it will not be surprising if a larger number of lives were lost….

On Lake Michigan.

“Chicago, Oct. 21. – The storm which Thursday night and yesterday swept northern Lake Michigan and Lakes Huron and Erie was one of the most severe in recent years. As far as returns were obtainable last night, ten vessels have been completely wrecked and twelve to fifteen others more or less severely damaged.

“Twelve lives are known to have been lost. As the gale on southern Lake Huron and Lake Erie is still blowing fiercely, it is feared other losses, both of life and property, will be reported within the next twenty-four hours.

“The boat wrecked are:

Tug Frank Perry, off Boot island.
Steamer Joseph S. Fay, near Rogers City, Mich.; mate drowned.
Barge D. P. Rhodes, near Cheboygan.
Schooner Emma L. Neilson, stranded in Presque Isle harbor.
Schooner Minnedosa, foundered two and one -half miles off Harbor Beach, Lake Huron, carried down her entire crew of eight me and the captain’s wife.
Schooner, either the Tasmania or Ashland, near the southeast shoal lightship, Lake Erie, carried a crew of eight.
Steamer Sarah RE. Sheldon, near Loraine, O.
Schooner Kingfisher, off Cleveland

(Evening News, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. “Terrific Wind Storm Sweeps Lake Region.” 10-21-1905, p.1.)

Breakout on the Kaliyuga
–18 Defiance Express, Defiance, OH. “Steamer Lost.” 10-24-1905, p. 7, col. 3. (lost Oct 19-20)
–18 Van Wert Daily Bulletin, OH. “Steamer Missing.” 10-24-1905, p. 1. (Speculates Oct 20.)
–18 Weekly Telegram, Eau Claire, WI. “Lake Steamer Missing.” 10-24-1905, p. 3.
–17 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p250. (Shows Oct 19 loss.)
–17 Fort Wayne News, IN. “Vessels Search for Missing Boat.” 10-25-1905, p. 1.
–17 Swayze. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter K. (website) (Oct 20 loss.)
–17 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 125. (Oct 20 loss.)
–17 U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. Annual Report 1906, p. 13. (Shows loss as Oct 19.)
–17 Wreck Site. “SS Kaliyuga (+1905).” Accessed 12-3-2020. (Has date of loss as Oct 19.)

Narrative Information

Swayze: Kaliyuga….
“Type at loss: propeller, wood, bulk freight
“Build info: 1887, S. Langell, St. Clair, MI
“Specs: 270x40x21…
“Date of loss: 1905, Oct 20
“Place of loss: last seen off Presque Isle, MI
“Lake: Huron
“Type of loss: storm
“Loss of life: 17 (all)
“Carrying: iron ore

“Detail: Went missing in the “Great Gale of 1905.”…. Some bodies later recovered showed that at least part of the crew had abandoned ship. Owned by St. Clair Steamship Co. (J.H. Sheadle, prop.).” (Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter K.)

Swayze: “Kaliyuga. Wooden bulk freight steamer of 1,941 t. [tons] and 270 ft. launched in 1887 at St. Clair, MI.

“Lake Huron: This bulk carrier was loaded with iron ore for a Lake Erie steelmill when she was lost on October 20, 1905, with all 17 hands. The Kaliyuga is one of the ‘Flying Dutchmen’ of the Lakes. Like that legendary ship, she just sailed away, vanishing from all knowledge of mere men. Just like the Dutchman, she is sometimes said to be seen nosing wreathlike through the Thunder Bay fog, trying to find her way through the shoals to Alpena, and her mournful whistle can still be heard above the crash of storm waves. She was last seen off Presque Isle, Michigan, and is probably on the bottom somewhere off Thunder Bay.” (Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 125.)

U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service: “…steamer Kaliyuga [founders] on Lake Huron on October 19, 1905…17 lives were lost…” (US Steamboat Inspection Service. Annual Rpt. 1906, 13.)

Newspapers

Oct 24: “Cleveland, Oct. 24 – The freight steamer Kaliyuga, is believed to have gone down in Lake Huron with her crew of 18 men. While all hope has not been abandoned, no trace of her can be found, and it is thought that she succumbed to the gale that swept the late Thursday and Friday nights [Oct 19-20]. The Kaliyuga, with Captain F. L. Tonkin, of Painesville, O., in command, left Marquette several days ago with ore. The last heard of her was when she passed Sault Ste Marie. Telegrams have been sent to all points along the lake, but no word has been received regarding the missing boat.” (Defiance Express, Defiance, OH. “Steamer Lost.” 10-24-1905, p. 7, col. 3.)

Oct 24: “Cleveland, O., Oct. 24. – The ore steamer Kaliyuga, from Marquette Thursday, due in Cleveland Saturday night, has not been heard of. The Kaliyuga was in Lake Huron during the height of the storm on Friday. The boat has a crew of 18. Two boats have been sent from Cleveland to look for the Kaliyuga.” (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, OH. “Steamer Missing.” 10-24-1905, p. 1.)

Oct 25: “Cleveland, O., Oct. 25. – No word has yet been received from the steamer Kaliyuga, now five days overdue at Port Huron. The vessel was last seen about five miles from Presque Isla Thursday by the Frontenac. She was then heading for the shore. It is possible she foundered in the gale. The Kaliyuga carried a crew of seventeen men. Vesselmen are still hopeful that the Kaliyuga is afloat. The fact that no wreckage has been found strengthens this opinion. They say she has probably run out of coal and is lying among the Lake Huron islands far from telegraphic facilities. Vessels are searching for the missing boat.” (Fort Wayne News, IN. “Vessels Search for Missing Boat.” 10-25-1905, p. 1.)

Sources

Baltimore Sun, “Steamer Progress Safe..” 10-23-1905, p. 1. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/baltimore-sun-oct-23-1905-p-1/

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

Boston Sunday Globe. “Seventeen Lives Lost. Vessels Sunk Number 20. Several Are Still Unreported.” 10-22-1905, p. 4, col. 1. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-sunday-globe-oct-22-1905-p-4/

Defiance Express, Defiance, OH. “Steamer Lost.” 10-24-1905, p. 7, col. 3. Accessed 12-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/defiance-express-oct-24-1905-p-7/

Emmetsburg Democrat, IA. “Death List Growing.” 10-25-1905, p. 2. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/emmetsburg-democrat-oct-25-1905-p-2/

Evening News, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. “Terrific Wind Storm Sweeps Lake Region.” 10-21-1905, p.1. Accessed 11-23-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/sault-ste-marie-evening-news-oct-21-1905-p-1/

Fort Wayne News, IN. “Vessels Search for Missing Boat.” 10-25-1905, p. 1. Accessed 12-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-wayne-news-oct-25-1905-p-1/

Marshall News, MI. “Beneath The Waves.” 10-27-1905, p. 3, col. 1. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/marshall-news-oct-27-1905-p-3/

New York Times. “Lake Storm Deaths Now Total Twenty-One.” 10-22-1905, p. 1. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-times-oct-22-1905-p-1/

Oregon Journal, Portland. “Death and Destruction Result from Fierce Gale That Sweeps Over Entire Chain of Great Lakes.” 10-20-1905, p. 1. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/portland-oregon-daily-journal-oct-20-1905-p-1/

Rock Rapids Reporter, IA. “Tremendous Storm Hits Great Lakes.” 10-26-1905, p. 3. Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rock-rapids-reporter-oct-26-1905-p-3/

Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter K. Accessed 12-3-2020 at: http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/k.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.

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, 1906. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1906. 345 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZVcpAAAAYAAJ

Weather Bureau (Alfred J. Henry and Norman B. Conger), U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meteorological Chart of the Great Lakes, Summary for the Season of 1905, No. 2, 1905. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1906. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Meteorological_Chart_of_the_Great_Lakes/_TwaAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=tug%20irene%20

Weekly Telegram, Eau Claire, WI. “Lake Steamer Missing.” 10-24-1905, p. 3. Accessed 12-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eau-claire-weekly-telegram-oct-24-1905-p-3/

Wisconsin Shipwrecks. “John V. Jones (1875).” Accessed 11-23-2020 at: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Vessel/Details/325

Wreck Site. “SS Kaliyuga (+1905).” Accessed 12-3-2020 at: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?160721