Daniel R. Fountain
November 6, 1995
© 1997
Marquette Marine Archaeology Foundation
167 East Buffalo Road
Negaunee MI 49866
History:
The Arctic was launched in late April, 1851, and started service on the Buffalo
route for the E. B. & S. Ward Steamship Line. Almost immediately she was
involved in a mishap. On April 30, 1851, she collided with the bark John Irwin on
Lake Erie, resulting in $300 in damages to the Irwin. The Arctic sailed on various
routes for the Wards until 1856, when she was sold to the Clement Steamship
Company. During her career she suffered her share of misfortunes. On
September 30, 1853, she broke her shaft while off Waukegan, Illinois and had to
be towed to port for repairs. Six weeks later, she was blown ashore on Beaver
Island during a Lake Michigan gale, and lost her entire deck cargo. In October
1857, she again suffered mechanical damages and had to be towed to Milwaukee
for repairs.
The 1860 season found the Arctic under the command of Captain F. S. Miller,
running from Detroit to Ontonagon for Ward's Opposition Detroit and Lake Superior
Line. On her final voyage, she left Detroit with a full load of passengers and
freight, bound for Ontonagon and other Lake Superior ports. After discharging a
portion of her cargo and some of the passengers at Marquette, she cast off her
lines at 2 AM Tuesday, May 29, and headed on up the lake. As the Arctic neared
the Huron Islands, she steamed into a dense fog, prompting Captain Miller to
reduce her speed. Both the captain and the mate kept watch until they felt certain
that they had passed the islands, then ordered her course changed toward Point
Abbaye, en route to Portage Entry. Shortly after the change of course, at about
6:30 AM, the Arctic ran hard aground on the granite shore of the westernmost
Huron Island. The crew tried to stop the leaks in the hull and to back the steamer
off the rocks, but the waves soon began to build. As the Detroit Free Press of
June 8, 1860 reported,
The rain continued throughout the day Wednesday, but Thursday dawned clear
and calm. That evening an upbound steamer was sighted, and some of the crew
rowed out in a lifeboat to hail her. The steamer, the Fountain City, took aboard
the passengers, crew, and what little baggage and freight had been saved, and
delivered them to their destinations.
The Arctic was abandoned as a total wreck. The steamship line collected $16,000
in insurance for the loss of the vessel; her value was variously reported as $30,000
to $34,000. The Arctic was replaced on the Detroit to Ontonagon route by the
steamer Cleveland, which had been running on Lake Michigan between Milwaukee
and Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
In 1861 the Ward company's salvagers came to Lake Superior with the propeller
steamer Globe and a scow to salvage the wreck of the Arctic, as well as the
Gazelle, which had wrecked at Eagle Harbor in September, 1860. The Keweenaw
Register of August 9, 1861 noted,
A month later, the Detroit Free Press of September 17, 1861 noted,
Site Description:
The wreckage of the Arctic is concentrated in three main areas. On the east side
of the island is a large field of wreckage, apparently marking the site of the wreck
event. A large section of the starboard bow of the vessel lies in the channel
between Lighthouse Island and the small island to the south, and parts of the
Arctic's engine and midships hull lie just northwest of the boathouse on the west
side of the island.
The apparent site of the Arctic wreck event is located near the middle of the east
side of Lighthouse Island. Artifacts of all sizes and materials can be observed
here in depths ranging from 5 feet down to 100 feet or more. A rounded mass of
granite on the north side of the wreck site slopes into the water and plunges at an
increasing angle to a depth of 60 feet. The granite is riddled with cracks and
crevices, in which can be found many small artifacts. There are broken shards of
window glass, glass printed with a blue floral design, silvered mirror glass, broken
bottles, and small metallic artifacts of all sorts. Scattered throughout the area are
broken pieces of china. Imprinted on many of the pieces is a drawing of a
sidewheel steamer under way with the legend "E. B. & S. Ward's Steamers."
(Intact items of the pottery can be seen on display at the Marquette County
Historical Society Museum in Marquette, recovered by divers in the 1960's.) South
of the granite ledge is a field of boulders sloping steeply from the shoreline to the
nearly level bottom at 60 feet. Structural members and mechanical components
are strewn among the boulders and scattered along the pebble bottom. Several
pieces of wooden hull structure, apparently parts of her sides, lie on the bottom.
The hull is framed in an unusual manner: the pairs of futtocks, sided 4 to 5 inches
and molded 4 1/2 to 7 inches, are separated by 2 to 2 1/2 inch thick spacer blocks.
The frames are spaced 24 inches on center. One curved futtock was observed
which tapered in molded depth from 10 inches (which would correspond to floor
framing observed at the engine site) to 7 inches (which would appear to be the
depth of frame at the lower part of the sides) in a length of 7 feet 8 inches. Hull
planking is 2 1/2 inches thick. Ceiling consists of two layers of planking, laid
diagonally at right angles to each other.
There are a few pieces of the vessel's engine remaining at the wreck site,
suggesting that the engine was either broken apart during the year between the
sinking and the salvage, or that the engine was at least partly disassembled in
situ. The eccentric rod can be found there, although its lightweight iron trusswork
is bent nearly beyond recognition. Also to be seen a few feet away is what
appears to be the crosshead.
In the channel between Lighthouse Island and the small island to the south is a
73 foot long piece of wreckage which appears to be the starboard bow section
of a vessel. Depth markings up to XIII are carved into the stem, and the hull
side below the IX mark is sheathed in sheet iron. At first it was thought that
this might be a piece of the steamer Iosco, which sank in a storm somewhere
near the Huron Islands in September, 1905. An article in the Houghton Daily
Mining Gazette of September 12, 1905, referring to the wreckage from the
Iosco, said,
The wreckage seems to be too lightly framed to be a bulk freighter such as the
Iosco, however, but rather appears to be part of the Arctic. This piece has the
same split framing style as the engine bed and the hull pieces at the sinking site,
with futtocks measuring 4 by 5 1/2 inches at the lower ends, 2 inch spacers, and 2 1/2
inch planking, as well as the same double-layer diagonal ceiling and 24 inch frame
spacing. Just below the upper edge of this hull side are a series of rectangular
cut-outs, apparently where the deck beams extended through the side to form the
paddle wheel guards.
About a quarter mile north of the bow section lie the remains of the Arctic's engine
and part of her midships hull. This wreckage lies in 10 to 20 feet of water about
100 yards northwest of the boathouse on the west side of the island. The hull
section, which is 43 feet long and about 11 feet wide, lies upside down on a rocky
slope. It is distinguished by a pair of massive engine keelsons 20 inches wide and
56 inches high. Each of these engine beds is made up of three timbers. The
bottom member, which rides on the floor frames, is 20 inches deep, the middle
one is 17 inches, and the top member is 19 inches deep. The single centerline
keelson is 11 inches wide and 13 inches deep. On what appears to be the
starboard side, the floor timbers are broken off even with the engine keelson, while
on the port side they extend approximately 6 feet to the turn of the bilge. The floor
timbers are sided 4 inches and molded 10 inches. Each pair is separated by
spacer blocks 2 inches thick and 17 inches long. The frames are spaced 24
inches on center as in the rest of the hull. Alongside the port engine bed is a 14
by 9 inch sister keelson, and a 10 by 8 inch side keelson is located 20 inches
farther out at the turn of the bilge. Near the forward end of the starboard engine
bed is the broken-off stub of one of the forward A-frame legs, bolted to the engine
keelson. Part of the hull section still has its 2 1/2 inch thick planking, but no ceiling
was observed. A copper pipe 9 1/2 inches in diameter penetrates the hull just to
port of the centerline near the after end of the condenser sump. This is probably
the air pump discharge.
Bolted to the engine keelsons near the forward end is the condenser sump and
engine mounting base. The base consists of a heavy iron plate with two circular
openings in it. The after opening has a series of protruding threaded studs,
indicating where the air pump was removed during the salvage. The condenser
and engine cylinder apparently broke loose from the forward opening in the base,
rather than being unbolted, as both the condenser and base plate are broken in
this area, and portions of the condenser flange are still bolted to the base.
Lying at the bottom of the rocky slope is an iron cylinder 50 inches in inside
diameter and 16 feet 6 inches long, comprising the cylinder, condenser and lower
valve chest of the Arctic's low pressure vertical steam engine. The cylinder is built
up of three sections, flanged and bolted together. The lower 48 inches of the
cylinder assembly makes up the jet type steam condenser. Brackets on the sides
of the condenser match the angle of the A-frame, to which they were once bolted.
Above the condenser is the 16 inch long inlet section of the lower cylinder. The
main part of the cylinder is 11 feet 2 inches long. Four reinforcing bands about 6
inches across encircle the cylinder. The cylinder head at the upper end of the
cylinder is missing, apparently unbolted and removed during the salvage, as is the
upper valve chest. The lower valve chest, which contains balanced double poppet
valves for steam inlet to and exhaust from the lower side of the piston, remains
bolted to the cylinder and condenser. The piston is still in place near the top of
its stroke, 21 inches down in the cylinder, but the piston rod is broken or cut off a
few inches past the end of the cylinder.
Two truss rods with turnbuckles remain attached to pads riveted onto each side
of the cylinder; the rods are cut or broken near the base of the cylinder, and what
appear to be their lower ends can be found bolted to the engine keelsons.
Another pair of rods, the ends of which can be found bolted to each side of the
engine keelsons, probably reinforced the A-frame.
The area under and around the cylinder is littered with strips of 3 1/2 inch by 1 inch
tongue-and-grooved wooden slats resembling wall paneling. This was apparently
insulating sheathing which surrounded the cylinder, held in place by copper bands
(which can still be found under the cylinder).
The crushed remains of a broad cylindrical sheet-iron component lies under some
of the wreckage near the cylinder base. Visible inside one end of the cylinder is
a perforated circular brass strainer or diffuser. This may be the remains of the hot
well, which would have been mounted on top of the air pump to provide a supply
of heated feed water to the boiler.
Site Formation Analysis:
According to contemporary reports, the vessel broke apart within hours of its
sinking. This is corroborated by the broken and incomplete nature of the hull
wreckage at the sinking site. The Chicago Post and Tribune of June 8, 1860
stated,
It is likely that the bow side section in the channel between the islands was
washed there relatively soon after the grounding, as it is the most complete and
least damaged piece of wreckage located to date. Considering the "heavy
northeast gale" that tore the hulk apart, this is a logical site for hull components
to have been deposited.
The distribution of propulsion elements between two widely separated sites on
opposite sides of the island suggest the activities of the 1861 salvagers. At the
wreck site, pairs of arc-shaped iron straps which appear to have been part of the
paddle wheel assemblies can be found. Other artifacts suggest that the engine
and machinery were extensively damaged during the 15 months between the
sinking and the salvage, or that at least part of the salvage work was done on the
propulsion machinery while it was still at the wreck site. One distinctive engine
component found at the site is the eccentric rod, which rode on an eccentric on the
crankshaft and transferred its motion to the valve actuation gear. Its large
(approximately 24 inch diameter) bronze ring, constructed of four segments, is
partially unbolted, suggesting that the engine was partially disassembled on site.
What appears to be the crosshead, consisting of a pair of brass sliding blocks
separated by a heavy pivot pin, lies nearby. A round connecting rod at the center
of the pin appears to be the same size as the piston rod on the engine, while a
pair of flat cross-section connecting rods would have run up to the walking beam.
In order to complete the salvage of the engine, Ward's salvagers apparently raised
and floated the engine and its associated hull framing around the island to the only
shallow water in the area. They removed the air pump, unbolting it from its base.
The upper valve chest and cylinder head were also unbolted and removed. Other major parts
of the machinery have not been found on either side of the island and were
probably salvaged: the crank, paddle wheel shafts, shaft bearings, walking beam,
boiler, steam pipes and throttle valve remain unaccounted for.
The engine cylinder, condenser, and lower valve chest were left behind, and have
broken loose from the engine base. Why the salvage was incomplete is unknown.
The cylinder is cracked for some distance down from the upper flange; whether
this was the reason for its abandonment or a result of the same forces that broke
the cylinder loose from its base is unknown.
The sidewheel steamer Arctic was built by J. L. Wolverton of Newport, Michigan
in 1851. Owners were Eber B. Ward, who owned 30/65; Samuel Ward, 30/65; and
Thomas Butlin, 5/65. The Arctic had a length of 236 feet 6 inches, beam of 30
feet, and a depth of 12 feet, and measured 861 42/59 tons. She was outfitted with
a low pressure, single cylinder steam engine with a bore of 50 1/2 inches, and a
stroke of 10 feet. Her two paddle wheels were 30 feet in diameter, and she could
steam at 12 miles per hour. The new steamer cost $75,000.
"It became evident that the boat could not be saved and boats were
lowered and the passengers taken ashore. The baggage, most of
the provisions and furnishings followed. The cattle were thrown
overboard and towed to the rocks. A camp was built and everything
done to save the freight, but a heavy northeast gale springing up
prevented it. At noon the boat was abandoned having sunk to the
main deck so that she could not be approached with safety. She
sank entirely at 4 PM. An hour later the cabins and upper works
were gone leaving nothing in sight but part of one wheel and the
walking beam. The sea came up. The freight piled on the rocks
was washed off, as were all but two of the cattle. There was
bedding provisions and tents in abundance, but these were illy
calculated to keep out the rain and the passengers were all soaked
through by morning."
"The propeller Globe with a scow arrived last Sunday. Since then
they have secured the most valuable part of the steamer Gazelle's
machinery. They had previously saved the machinery of the Arctic,
which they have on board."
"The propeller Globe has arrived from Lake Superior with the
engines of the steamers Arctic and Gazelle."
Today, the scattered remains of at least two wrecked vessels may be found
around Lighthouse Island, the westernmost of the Hurons. In addition to the
Arctic, the schooner-barge George Nester wrecked near the north end of the island
on April 30, 1909.
"One of the larger pieces of the wreck is wedged between two of
the Islands, blocking the channel. The latter is very small and
very seldom used so that it will not be necessary to remove the
wreckage."
The wide dispersion of wreckage from the Arctic is probably the result of both
natural and human forces. The hull has been broken and scattered by wind,
waves and ice, but the engine and part of the hull were probably moved to the
west side of the island by salvagers.
"Her engine lies in about 4 fathoms of water, and her hull and other
woodwork were broken into fragments and scattered everywhere."