The Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-10-30, Page 5(1 ,
4
w7
ry r .A f .• M c 114.' •
128YEAR —44
r
D.
obertcij
GNAL
I. y
AI
111111111111011111
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1975
The Great Storm - November 9- 13, 1913
NrMa,
STA
vx.
V
i1
SECOND SECTION
Milton Smith refused to sail;
later called to identify dea
*
Fort Gratiot light, located at the entrance of Lake Huron
from the St. Clair River, Port Huron, Michigan.'
This Is the Regina, owned by Canada Interlake Company and registered in
was built in 1907 - 249', x 4.3' x 20'. Her exact location is still a mystery held
Take.
England. She
in trust by the
Beginning -.this week, The Goderich-
Signal Star is pleased to present an
• original manuscript in two parts by
William • Humphries of Mooretown
Marine concerning The Great Storm -
1913.
Mr. Humphries, .a hlo(b diver whose
p Y
interest in Great Lakes Shipping has
aided him and a companion to locate the
wreck 'of the Wexford just north of
Goderich Harbor, has been researching
the storm for three years. All photos
appearing with his articles are from his
extensive collection of historical marine
photographs.
Over the years there have been many
severe and costly storms sweep over the
Great Lakes, but the"storm of November
19-13, was perhaps the ._worst. in.history: In•
Lake Huron alone eight ships and their''''"
crews were lost. Lake Superior claimed
two ships while La4e Erie swallowed up
Light Ship No. 82 at Buffalo.
Many ships were grounded and damaged
beyond repair. Others were released,
repaired and returned to service as was the
case of the "Northern Queen".
Each year various newspapers print a
small commemorative'article of this tragic
event; however; after 'sortie three years
research, numerous photos and the aid .of
the Goderich Signal -Star, I would like to
present this series about. the storm - its
heroes, its tragedy and lasting mysteries.
'To many senior citizens this event can be
readily recalled; to middle aged persons
it's a -story handed down; and to young
people the event is ancient.history
l.
Perhaps the folldwing,poem givarme by
Capt. R. Wilson (author unknown) best
illustrates the,importanceof this event and
to eventual changes it iead to.
The Storm of Nov. 9, 1913
The ninth day of November last
Will be remembereNong.
The loss by storm on that day
Could not be told in song.
On that November morning
The wind and sleet and snow
Increased until the afternoon
The Storm was fierce, I know.
Not only on ,Lake Huron
Lake Erie and St. Clair,
And also on Lake Superior
Each one received theirshare.
Their'loss they will remember
But who could count the cost
Two hundred and seventy sailors
And thirty ships were lost.
The strongest vessel on the lake
Will never reach the shore.
The bravest sailors on the boats
Will see their friends no more.
Life boats and life preservers
Proved that day to no avail.
They were no use that stormy night
They could not stand the gale.
Some tried the life preservers,
No sailor'need be told,
It's better to sink at once
Than perish with the cold.'
And after that eventful night,
For one full week or more
There have ° been many . sailors found
Along Lake Huron's shore.
One of them a letter from
His mother, far away,
,Saying, "You will be home at New Year's
Can't I see you Christmas Day?"
Thus we have a beginning. Eight ships
and experienced crews vanished, without
any survivors to tell of the battle of man
and elements, just wreckagepand various
signs of heroism.
Until recently only one of .the ship's
positions was known and it holds a mighty
mystery,
Unexplained forces often 'motivate
people as happened to, Milton Smith on
November 5, 1913:
Milton was an assistant engineer
aboard the "Charles S. Price" and while
taking on their • cargo of coal at
Cleveland a voide or force made Milton
Smith go to Captain Wm., Black ..and
request his time be made up and he be
paid.off as he was not going on this trip.
The captain—explained to Smith this_.__._
was tobe the last trip of the year., and the
'company was to pay the crew a bonus at
•the completion of the ,season. Smith
insisted he did not,wish to go, for rlo real
....................awbn...-..
Capt. Black paid him off, Smith was to
go home which he did and after loading,
the ship pulled out on herlast trip.
Some ten days later Milton Smith'w.as
called upon and thus began one of the
Lake's greatest unsolved mysteries.
As the "Price" proceeded on her"way
up the St. Clair River, Howard Mackley
was wheeling. As was the custom years
ago many people would stand on docks
and wave to friends, or family as a ship
passed.
Such was the 'case o'n that morning of
November 9, 1913 when the ship passed
St, Clair, Michigan and the ships whistle
sounded as, people waved from shore.
Among those, was Mackley's wife and
young. child.
The "Price" proceeded into Lake
Huron, the winds were southerly at
about 5 - 15 mph. By 11 a.m. the
barometer rapidly dropped, the winds
picked up and -history Was in the making.
The winds reached, a reported 60 mph
and rapidly changed direction several'
times, the result being wind blowing one
direction, water moving the opposite.
Waves reached 35 feet putting a
tremendous pressure on the ships' hulls
and engines.
On November 11 it was reported that a
large freighter had turned turtle some 1'4
miles north of Gratiot Lite. Many
guesses were made as to her identity and
it was not until November.15 that a diver
from Detroit, William Baker, was able to
make a descent and examine the ship.
It was the "Charles S Price A gas
bouy was placed by the vessel and on
November 17, 1913 ;the air in her fore
peak finally leaked ,out and the ship
settled to the bottom.
Upon inspection the ship shows no
signs of. collision, Why did she go over?
Perhaps trying to turn and return to the
river?" Boiler' explosion? Internal ex-
plosion?
Several hull plates on her keel, a head
of the engine room are rifptured and are
bent out, perhgps by.explosion. Part of
•
her superstructure. was torn off ,and is
one mile north of the wreck.
In July of 1916 a salvage crew from
Sarnia - Port .Huron tried to raise the
vessel and after much preliminary work
the wreck of the Charles. S Price was
Officially abandoned July 26,. 1916. The
wrecking°crew classed her as a "heap of
junk.'.
Identification of crew members was
not . easy as many were wearing life
jackets belonging to another ship.
THE 'MIX-UP
Nov. 12 - Although the total extent of
the storm was not known sortie ,.one
hundred bodies had washed ashore from
Goderich to Bayfield,.and amongst those
weresome of the crew of the 'Regina'.
Nov. 13, a news release was made that
the, Canadian ship. . 1Regina'. was
"'probably lost tori Lake Huron with all her
, crew. Bodies of ten, supposed to be from
her were found, on the Canadian shore
near Thedford. -Relatives and friends
were asked _to go to the make -shift
morgue • at •Thedford to identify the
bodies.
Nov. 14,, Milton Smith of Port Huron
~came 'to Thedford to aid in the iden-
tification. Smithpointed out chief
engineer John Groundwater of the
"Charles S. Price", and was asked by
the coroner "Are you sure?"
Smith replied, "Assure as I know my
own name..
At this pihn`ta mystery as yet unsolved
was begining to Unfold.
The body of John Groundwater was
found wearing a life jacket from .the
'Regina'. Others identified as -members
from the 'Price' ' were. found wearing
jackets from the 'Regina' as members of
the 'Regina' had life jackets from the
'Price'. •
Exactly what occurred that night will
never be known. .
The 9,000 ton 'Price' was upbound with
a <load of coal and the 'Regina' was
upbound with a load of canned goods,
flour, hay and other merchandise.
Perhaps the 'Regina' tried to aid the
'Price' and under the stress the ship
floundered; the crews grabbing what
was available. There were no survivors -
only frozen bodies in life boats, some
froze in eachothers arms. '
Identification was a long tiring
procedure and unfortunately not every
body was identified. Some were perhaps
transcient workers ; others badly beaten
by water and frozen sand; and some had
been robbed_ of wallets, rings and wat-
ches.
Many of these have their final resting
berth in the Maitland .,Cemetery at
Goderich_under a commemorative stone
Marked "SAILORS".
"The worst storm the lakes ever saw."
(More Next Week)
"I never saw a gale on the lakes to
equal it and others with whom l have
talked since say they cannot recall
ever having heard of such a storm in
the past. I was in the storm of 1905,
but that was a summer Zephyr'
compared to the one which raged
over Lake Huroti Sunday. No person
on shore could begin to realize the
violence of the gale." Capt: W; -•C: Her
Master of "Geo. G. Crawford"
Nov 15, 1913.
u
The Charles S. Price is shown here (at top) as she was when she sailed on that fateful day
in 1913 and (at bottom) as she was found floating bottom up about ten miles north of Fort
Gratiot light. The Price was owned by Hanna Lines and was built 11 1910 -504' x 54'"x 21'.,
r;
The H. B. Hawgood came to rest high on the beach some three
miles from the St. Clair River following the disastrous storm in
which life boats and life preservers were of no use against the
icy gale. '
The Northerri,Queen came aground during the storm of 1913 at collection shows tugs hauling the great ship back out Intoopen
Kettle Point. This photograph from William 'Humphries' water. '
4
9
4)
.+
r.>t. ..p. alt+ , ~�+• �pF .•7< w: _ n:r rA'
�.. h. • ^W o w,� „, ,ti.. .,.. w. „w.•. ,.n- aw: r,„ M . lh..mm ... Ao, . ,,.
M