1914 — Apr 28, steamer Benjamin Noble sinks, Lake Superior gale, near Knife Isl. MN–16-20

–16-20 Blanchard estimated death toll range.*

— 22 Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the Letter N.
— 21 Swayze, David D. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lake. 1992, p.170.
— 20 Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN. “Steamer Lost Off Duluth…” 4-29-1914, p. 4.
— 20 Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive. Report News. “Wreck Located.”
— 20 Hemphill, Stephanie. “Mystery ship found. Minnesota Public Radio, 7-20-2005.
— 20 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 696.
— 20 Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (Revised). 1969, p. 271.
— 20 Wolff, Julius F., Jr. Lake Superior Shipwrecks. 1990, p. 152 of 152-153.
— 19 Bemidji Daily Pioneer, MN. “Shipwreck Inquiry Asked.” 5-4-1914, p. 5.
— 19 Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN. “Freighter Founders. Lost During Storm…” 4-30-1914, p.1.
— 18 Daily Plain Dealer, Wabash, IN. “Steamer and Crew of 18 Are Believed Lost.” 4-29-1914, 9.
— 18 Escanaba Press, MI. “No Trace Is Yet Found Of Body.” 5-3-1914, p. 1.
— 16 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 236.
— 16 Chicago Day Book. “Telegraph Briefs.” 4-29-1914, p. 27.
— 16 Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Benjamin Noble (Propeller), U206240, sunk, 28 Apr 1914.”
— 16 U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1914, p. 14.

* Blanchard estimated death toll range. Though Swayze notes twenty-one deaths in one place and twenty-two in another, we have been unable to locate any newspaper report at the time (and there were hundreds) noting more than 20, though some did note “20 if not more.” As one can see from the sampling we provide from the more than 250 newspaper reports we scanned through until the end of the year we found only reports of 16, 18, 19 or 20 deaths, with far more papers noting twenty than any other number. However, it is noted below that Captain Eisenhardt failed to file a trip report with the company, and thus the owners did not know who was aboard or how many were aboard. We have seen only nine names noted in newspaper reports.

Thus, having failed to determine an exact number of deaths, we resort to the range of deaths we note in sources at the time – 16-20.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Benj. Noble. St. s. [steel steamer]. 1,481 [tons]. 1909 [built]. Apr 28 1914. Foundered. Near Knife Island, Lake Superior. Steel vessel. All lives (16) lost.” (Berman. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 236.)

Hemphill/MN Public Radio: Writes that Randy Beebe and team were searching for Lake Superior wrecks the previous fall when they found the Benjamin Noble using their side scanner.

“….The wreck is about 20 miles out from Duluth. At that point, the lake is about 400-feet deep….”

Swayze, Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the Letter N:
“Official no. : 206240
Type at loss : propeller, steel, bulk freight
Build info : 1909, Detroit Shipbuilding, Wyandotte hull# 178
Specs : 239x42x19, 1481g 887n
Date of loss : 1914, Apr 27
Place of loss : somewhere between Two Harbors, MN and Duluth
Lake : Superior
Type of loss : storm
Loss of life : 22 [all]
Carrying : steel rails

“Detail: Reportedly overloaded, she turned back toward Two Harbors after an unsuccessful attempt to make the harbor at Duluth in a powerful gale. She foundered with all hands at an unknown position somewhere along that route. On April 29 her pilot house washed up on Minnesota Point. Master: Capt. John E. Eisenhardt (d) Owner: Capitol Transportation Co. Detroit [president- Benjamin Noble]. The wreck was located in 2004.” (Swayze. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter N.)

U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service: “On April 28, 1914, the steamer Benj. Noble, which was laden with steel rails, foundered on Lake Superior during a severe storm in a heavy sea, resulting in the loss of the entire crew of 16 persons.” (U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1914, p. 14.)

Wolfe: “….The deeply laden Noble was only a few miles behind the Norwalk as the two vessels were engulfed on the night of the 27th and morning of April 28 by one of the wildest spring gales ever to afflict the western lake. Gusts of 64 mph were recorded at Duluth at 6:56 a.m. on the 28th. So mountainous were the waves that the light on the south pierhead at Duluth was extinguished and the fog horn rendered inoperable….

“The Noble apparently continued to follow the Norwalk until 3:00 a.m., April 28, at which time the two ships were off Knife Island, 17 miles from Duluth. Captain Millen of the powerful 580-foot, 2,000-horsepower Daniel J. Morrell reported that he was watching, from a distance at this hour, the lights of two small vessels at that point which were fighting the seas. As he watched, the lights of the sternward ship disappeared….”

Newspapers

Apr 29: “”Duluth, Minn., April 29. – The Steamer Benjamin Noble was lost off Duluth and twenty men are dead. Wreckage was found on Park Point. Life savers were unable to launch a boat because of high seas. No man reached shore so far as known.” (Albert Lea Evening Tribune, MN. “Steamer Lost Off Duluth. All on Board are Lost.” 4-29-1914, p. 4.)

Apr 29: “By United Press. Duluth, Minn., April 29. – Wreckage which was found today indicates that the steamer, Benjamin Noble, a vessel of 1,181 tones, upbound with a cargo of coal [sic], has been lost. Five other steamers are overdue and unreported. The Noble belonged to the Capital Transportation company and carried a crew of 18. Its home port is Detroit.” (Daily Plain Dealer, Wabash, IN. “Steamer and Crew of 18 Are Believed Lost.” 4-29-1914, p. 9.)

Apr 30: “Bulletin. (By Associated Press.)…Detroit, Mich., April 29. – Confirmation of the loss of the steel freighter Benjamin Noble in Lake Superior was given here by officials of the Capital Transportation company, owners of the vessel. Private advices received at the company’s offices indicate that all members of the crew perished. Those known to be in the crew were:

John E. Eisenhardt, Milwaukee, captain.
George H. Longlary, Niagara Falls, N.Y., mate.
Allie Coger, Port Clinton, O., chief engineer.
Paul Bolcorski, Oak Harbor, O., assistant engineer.
Jedwig Coger, Port Clinton, O., oiler.
John Cloman, Oswego, N.Y., steward.
Thomas Proud, Oswego, N.Y., assistant steward.
Otto Gunteh, Toledo, O., fireman.
William Genliett, Toledo, O., fireman.

“The Noble carried a cargo of railroad iron and coal, and was sunk off Minnesota Point.

“Capt. Eisenhardt, the Milwaukee man, who commanded the Noble, was making his first trip as captain. He was 31 years old.” (Manitowoc Daily Herald, WI. 4-30-1914, p. 1.

Apr 30: “Detroit. – Confirmation of loss of steel freighter Benjamin Noble in gale on Lake Superior given by officials of Capital Trans. Co. Vessel carried crew of 16 men.” (Chicago Day Book. “Telegraph Briefs.” 4-29-1914, p. 27.)

Apr 30: “Duluth, April 30. Lake Superior vesselmen and lifesavers added another chapter to mysteries of the inland sea when they abandoned all hope that the freighter Benjamin Noble survived the terrific storm of the last two days, or that any member of her crew of nineteen was still alive.

“The pilot house, oars and other flotsam washed ashore on Park Point here…

“Captain John Isenhardt [sic] of the Noble was making his first trip as a master. He failed to file a trip sheet and the names of all his crew are not known….” (Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN. “Steamer Lost Off Duluth. All on Board are Lost.” 4-29-1914, p. 4.)

Sources

Bemidji Daily Pioneer, MN. “Shipwreck Inquiry Asked.” 5-4-1914, p. 5. Accessed 12-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-bemidji-daily-pioneer-may-04-1914-p-5/

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

Chicago Day Book. “Telegraph Briefs.” 4-29-1914, p. 27. Accessed 12-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-day-book-apr-30-1914-p-27/

Daily Plain Dealer, Wabash, IN. “Steamer and Crew of 18 Are Believed Lost.” 4-29-1914, p. 9. Accessed 12-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wabash-daily-plain-dealer-apr-28-1914-p-9/

Escanaba Press, MI. “No Trace Is Yet Found Of Body.” 5-3-1914, p. 1. Accessed 12-17-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/escanaba-daily-press-may-03-1914-p-1/

Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN. “Freighter Founders. Lost During Storm Near Duluth.” 4-30-1914, p. 1. Accessed 12-17-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-evening-tribune-apr-30-1914-p-1/

Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN. “Steamer Lost Off Duluth. All on Board are Lost.” 4-29-1914, p. 4. Accessed 12-17-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-evening-tribune-apr-29-1914-p-4/

Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive. Report News. “Wreck Located.” Accessed 12-17-2020 at: http://www.boatnerd.com/news/archive/7-05.htm

Hemphill, Stephanie. “Mystery ship found. Minnesota Public Radio, 7-20-2005. Accessed 12-17-2020 at: http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/07/20_hemphills_superiorwreck/

Maritime History of the Great Lakes. “Benjamin Noble (Propeller), U206240, sunk, 28 Apr 1914.” Accessed 12-17-2020 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/61205/data?n=1

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.

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

Swayze, David D. Great Lakes Shipwrecks Beginning with the letter N. Accessed 9-7-2009 at: http://greatlakeshistory.homestead.com/files/n.htm

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lake. 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 for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1914. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1914. 55 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=_KbNAAAAMAAJ

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