SS Jane Miller

The Jane Miller
History
Name: SS Jane Miller
Owner: Andrew Port
Builder: Crop's shipyard in Little Current, ON[1]:p.238
Completed: 1879[1]:p.238
Fate: Lost in a storm on November 25, 1881 with 28 passengers and crew
General characteristics
Type: Cargo Ship
Tonnage: 210 gross tons[1]:p.238
Length: 78 ft (24 m)[1]:p.238
Beam: 18 ft (5.5 m)[1]:p.238
Installed power: Wood fired steam engine[1]:p.239
Crew: 10 [1]:p.239

SS Jane Miller was a Cargo Ship that sank with the loss of 28 lives near Wiarton, Ontario on Georgian Bay on November 25, 1881. Her wreck was discovered in 2017 resting upright in over 100 feet (30 m) of water.

History

The Jane Miller was built in 1879 for James Miller & Sons, and was used as a small freighter along the Bruce Peninsula and North Channel of Georgian Bay. In September 1879 she collided with the schooner Mountaineer at night on Owen Sound, badly damaging the schooner. It was sold to Andrew Port in June of 1880 to be used in general freight service along the south shore of Georgian Bay, the east side of the Bruce Peninsula, and Manitoulin Island.[1]:p.238[2]

Sinking

On the afternoon of November 25, 1881, the Jane Miller departed Owen Sound with a load of cargo. She arrived in Meaford, where thirty additional tons of cargo was loaded, much of which was stored on deck. The Jane Miller departed Meaford in the late afternoon headed for Spencer's Wharf near Wiarton as a blizzard began to blow with winds from the southwest. The strong winds and rough seas required a stop en route at Big Bay for additional cordwood for fuel. Departing Big Bay between 8 and 9 PM, eyewitnesses saw the Jane Miller pass White Cloud Island and enter Colpoys Bay. As she approached Spencer's Wharf, the blizzard intensified for a few minutes, and when the snow abated the Jane Miller had vanished without a trace.[1]:p.240-243[2]

Aftermath

The Jane Miller had little to no permanent ballast on board, instead relying on the weight of her fuel and cargo in her hold to keep her properly trimmed. It was speculated that the blizzard had resulted in the Jane Miller consuming more of her fuel than expected, and that combined with the extra cargo loaded at Meaford, had become top heavy. When the snowstorm increased in intensity in Colpoys Bay, a strong gust of wind flipped her on her side, and she sank in minutes.[1]:p.244

On December 4th three men started rowing from near Spencer's wharf towards White Cloud Island to see if they could find any indication of the missing ship. Half a mile northeast of Spencer's wharf they discovered a patch of discoloured water with air bubbles rising to the surface. Bearings from certain objects on the shore were made, and the position was later determined to be very close to the last observed location of the Jane Miller. Continuing on to White Cloud Island they found in a bay several items, including "oars, some pins of the lifeboat, a piece of a mast, and a steamers gang plank".[2]. The tugboat Tommy Wright dragged the area hoping to find the wreck, but was unsuccessful as soundings revealed depths greater than 33 fathoms (198 feet or 60.35 metres) in the area. [1]:p.244

A historical plaque was erected near Spencer's Wharf to commemorate the sinking.[3]

Crew & Passengers

NamePositionNotes
Richard Dawson Port[1]:p.239CaptainBrother[1]:p.239/Son[2] of ship owner Andrew Port
Charles Frederick Port[2]/Frank Port[1]:p.239PurserName uncertain, Son of ship owner Andrew Port
Alex Scales[1]:p.241Wheelman
James Christie[1]:p.241/Christison[2]Chief EngineerName uncertain
August Keppel[1]:p.241Fireman
Gilbert Colbert[1]:p.241/Corbet[2]Fireman
Three or Four unknown crewmen[2]Deckhand
Andrew Port[2]Passengership owner
J. Jestin [2]PassengerResident of Port Elgin
Stewart Thompson[2]PassengerResident of Meaford
Leon Butchart[1]:p.241/Hutshart[2]PassengerResident of Tobermory
Mrs Leon Butchart[1]:p.241/Hutshart[2]PassengerResident of Tobermory
Capt. Malcolm McLeod[2]PassengerResident of Goderich or Detroit
James Warner[2]PassengerResident of Meaford
James B. Hallock[2]PassengerResident of Meaford
Mr. Hill[2]PassengerResident of Collingwood Township.

There were an additional ten passengers whose names were not recorded, bound for Lion Head or Tobermory to work as labourers over the winter.

Shipwreck

The wreck of the Jane Miller was discovered on July 27, 2017 by a shipwreck hunting team made up of Jared Daniel, Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman operating with a permit issued by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The wreck is upright, in over 100 ft of water. The upper deck cabins have collapsed, but the hull is mostly intact. The permit did not allow for the divers to enter, but 16 corpses are reported to be visible inside the wreck. The discovery was announced on November 25, 2017, the 136th anniversary of the sinking. The exact position and depth of the wreck has not been released in order to protect the site.[4] Efforts are currently underway to have the wreck of the Jane Miller declared as a restricted/grave archaeological site.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Boyer, Dwight Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes, Dodd, Mead & Co, New York, 1968
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Jane Miller (Propeller), sunk, 23 Nov 1881
  3. ↑ "Loss of the "Jane Miller" Historical Plaque". www.ontarioplaques.com. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  4. ↑ "Jane Miller wreck discovered in Colpoys Bay". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  5. ↑ "BlackburnNews.com - MP Urges Government To Protect Jane Miller Shipwreck". blackburnnews.com. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.