In 1909 the SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 vanished into a Lake Erie storm -- but what happened on board?
Summary
One night in December 1909 Sarah Clancy had a nightmare. Her brother’s voice was calling out as his ship sank into a storm. Three nights later, her brother John Clancy along with the SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 disappeared while attempting to cross Lake Erie.
The ship has yet to be found.
This post isn’t just about the disappearance of the SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (“M&B”) It’s also about a potential murder mystery that may have played out as the ship sank into Lake Erie during a storm.
(BTW, the youtube video I attached below is really quite good.)
The M&B is often described as the “holy grail” of Lake Erie’s shipwrecks because it is one of the most sought-after wrecks on the great lakes.
The Ship
The M&B was a steam-powered ferry built in 1905. The ship was designed to carry railway cars between ports on Lake Erie. Its interior had four rail tracks with space to carry thirty or more cars.
The Disappearance
On the morning of December 7th, 1909, the M&B left Conneaut Harbor in Ohio on the south shore of Lake Erie, for the Canadian Port Stanley on the north shore. This was a typical daily run for the ship which should have concluded in five hours.
The cargo has been variably reported as 30, 32, and 33 railcars filled largely with coal but also some steel beams and iron castings.
Shortly before departing, a passenger named Albert J. Weiss who was the treasurer of the Keystone Fish Company of Erie, Pennsylvania boarded the ship. He carried cash (reported as between $30,000 to $50,000) to purchase a Canadian fishing company.
When the ship left Conneaut Harbor at 10:43AM winds were gusting to 50 MPH. By evening there were sustained winds of up to 75 MPH.
After leaving the harbor, reports of the ship’s location become conflicted as she was reported by witnesses to be at both the Ontario side of Lake Erie as well as the Ohio side.
Some witnesses claim to have seen the ship outside Port Stanley harbor by 6PM. Witnesses claimed to have heard the ship’s whistle at 3AM near Port Stanley. The whistle was also reported to be heard at 5AM near Port Bruce, Ontario (a few miles east of Port Stanley).
However, the ship was also reported seen to the east of Conneaut, Ohio late on December 7th. Her whistle was reported to be heard in Conneaut at 1AM on December 8th. The Captain and Chief Engineer of a steamer anchored outside of Conneaut reported seeing the M&B.
Wreckage was reported near Long Point (a peninsula on the Canadian side that protrudes into Lake Erie ) by the William B. Davock on December 10th. Long Point was often used as shelter by ships in storms.
One of the M&B’s lifeboats was found on December 12th offshore from Erie, Pennsylvania with nine bodies and the abandoned clothing of a tenth.
What Happened to the Ship?
The M&B nearly sank the previous November. The ship was lacking a stern gate. The idea was that in rough weather that ship could just be steered directly into the seas. But when the stern sank down into the trough between waves, the hull filled with water. The ship was listing so badly that it’s upper railing was underwater. Captain McLeod reported this problem and the owners agreed to install a proper stern gate during the winter.
Alternatively, the railcars may have broken free and caused the ship to capsize.
Alternatively, battering waves may have flooded the boilers and extinguished the fires with the ship ultimately losing all power.
What Happened on Board?
One of the nine bodies found in the lifeboat was that of steward George R. Smith. Upon his person was a pair of large knives and a meat cleaver from the ship’s gallery.
On October 6th, 1910, the body of Captain McLeod was found with several slash wounds. Author Dwight Boyer imagined the M&B may have developed a severe list before sinking, making half of the lifeboats unlaunchable. Boyer thought it was possible that the Steward blamed the ship’s officers for their plight and brought the knives to attack these officers.
Where is the Wreck?
The M&B was replaced by the nearly identical Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (II), which had the addition of a stern gate. Dwight Boyer reports in his book “Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes” that the replacement scraped over a large uncharted obstruction during a trip from Conneaut to Port Stanley. Given the shallowness of Lake Erie and the height of M&B, it may have been the wreck.
In 1932 another ship (the Jack) struck wreckage about 35 miles southwest of Long Point, Ontario, resulting in damage to the propeller and rudder.
On October 13, 1902, the C.B. Lockwood sank into Lake Erie in 70 feet of water. It’s location on the bottom was well known, until it disappeared. It was eventually discovered that the wreck had completely sunk into a silt-filled glacially-formed valley at the bottom of the lake. Could this have happened to the M&B?
There have been rumours of sightings. The Ohio Shipwrecks web page (link below) says that divers have claimed to know the location of the wreck, keeping it secret for their own private dive site.
According to James Donahue’s blog (link below) the wreck has been seen from the air on clear days, about eight miles northeast of Conneaut in about 60 feet of water.
What do you think happened to the wreck?
Do you think there was a conflict on board between the officers and the crew?
Links / Credits
Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Marquette_%26_Bessemer_No._2
https://www.toledoblade.com/State/2012/03/19/Vanished-shipwreck-s-secret-revealed.html
https://www.ohioshipwrecks.org/shipwreckdetail.php?Wreck=33
James Donahue Blog: http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id173.html