“This change in owner and district brought bad luck to the aging schooner. The LILY E. left Manistee at 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 20th, laden with 180,000 ft. of lumber consigned to the yard at M. Engelmann & Co. of Milwaukee and arrived about 9 p.m. during a heavy north east gale. Although a tremendous sea was running outside, Capt. Charles A. Brook under took to sail his vessel into the harbor because no tug was in the bay. The schooner missed the entrance and struck the south pier with the bluff of her port bow but sustained no damage outside of the loss of her bobstays and cathead. The LILY E. was carried to leeward past the pier and Capt. Brook, seeing that she was in danger of going on the beach, ordered the sailors to let go both anchors. The port anchor checked the schooner somewhat but she continued to drift toward the beach.
“The plight of the LILY E. was discovered by Capt. Downer of the tug STARKE BROTHERS from the harbor. The tug was run “wide open” to the LILY E., and as the crew of the tug were about to take a tow line from the schooner, the port rudder chain of the tug parted disabling the latter so that it was with great difficulty that she was able to return to the harbor. The LILY E. continued to drag her anchors until she was broadside in the trough of the sea and carried on to the beach. She struck stern first and was carried about by the sea until she was head on to the wind at a position about one-half mile to the south of the south harbor pier and a quarter of a mile from the beach. The stranded vessel began to pound heavily and unshipped her rudder a few minutes after she struck.
“The disaster was also discovered about 9 p.m. by the station men on watch along the beach and the keeper, Capt. John E. Evenson, ordered out the surfboat at once. They pulled down the Kinnickinnic River until abreast of the LILY E., then dragged their boat across Jones’ Island and launched into the breakers. The sea was running so high that they could not reach the schooner, the surfboat being violently thrown back three times.
“The beach apparatus was brought from the station and on the first shot from the Lyle gun the bight of the line caught to the windward of the mizzen head. The whip line and hawser were sent off and the breeches buoy rigged. The buoy went off well until it was within 50 feet of the LILY E. where it snagged because the lines had twisted together while being hauled through the surf. The life-saving crew was unable to pull the buoy either way but the crew of the schooner went aloft and succeeded in freeing the line and getting the buoy in working order.
“Soon a sailor was seen climbing into the buoy and the lines were manned and worked with a will until it came close into the beach when two of the life savers rushed into the water waist-deep and pushed the buoy high and dry. A crowd of fishermen and their wives surrounded the sailor but he was rescued by Capt. Evenson who insisted upon his going to his home and having some refreshments. In reply the sailor expressed his determination to stay and see his comrades safe on the shore before he touched a mouthful or sought shelter. He gave his name as Robert Cousins of Sterling, Canada and said that there were still six men on the LILY E., Capt. Brook; Mate J. Morcomb, Chicago; Steward John Nichols, Ludington; Charles Matteson, Manistee; John Miller, Chicago; and Gus Franke, Chicago. One after another the crew came safely ashore while Capt. Brook remained in the rigging until all were safe and was the last man to be rescued.
“All Monday morning the LILY E. lay steady but shortly after noon a complete change in her position took place, from head to the wind when she struck to turned completely around with her bow being towards the shore. In the evening of the 21st, her spares commenced to work and it was the general opinion that she would undoubtedly prove a total loss if the weather did not moderate. A contract was made by the owners of the LILY E., M. Engelmann & Co., with Kirtland, Wolfe and Davidson Wrecking Co., to send the powerful wrecking tug LEVIATHAN to her as soon as the weather would permit. The LILY E. was valued at $10,000 and insured for $7,500 by the Crosby & Dimick’s agency at Buffalo in the Thames & Mersey Company.
“Captain Blackburn, the underwriter’s wrecking master, arrived from Chicago on Tuesday morning to look after the LILY E. The condition of the wreck was little changed from Monday except that she had careened over on her port side, working into the sand, until her deck on the port side forward was under water. Her deck load of lumber had been nearly all washed overboard but had been recovered and piled up on the beach. As the storm had subsided, a number of the crew went aboard during the afternoon to recover their clothing. The schooner did not appear to be damaged to any great extent as yet and Capt. Blackburn felt confident that she could be released. Her owner M. Engelmann also arrived on Tuesday and engaged the tug WILLIAM R. CROWELL of Manistee which was at Milwaukee for repairs to assist the LEVIATHAN in releasing the vessel.
“On Wednesday morning, the LEVIATHAN towed a lighter alongside the LILY E. and the work of removing the cargo was commenced. After her entire deckload was removed, a steam pump was placed on board but it failed to lower the water in her hold and the plan of floating the schooner by pumping her out was abandoned. It was decided to attempt to release the LILY E. by dredging a channel through the sand and then pulling her off as the lumber in her hold would float her. The LEVIATHAN spent the day dredging a channel to the wreck and Charlie Peak, a diver, made an examination of her hull and found the plank an inch apart in some places.
“The tugs LEVIATHAN and CROWEL dredged a channel about 300 ft. long to within 100 ft. of the vessel on Thursday but shortly after 2 p.m. a southeast sea set in which forced then to abandon the work and return to the harbor. Early Friday morning the weather was pleasant as the LEVIATHAN and CROWELL left the harbor for the wreck and the opinion among the wreckers was that they would have the LILY E. in the harbor before nightfall. The tugs continued dredging a channel through the sand and reached the vessel before noon. During the afternoon, the LEVIATHAN’s hawser was placed on board, made fast at the mainmast and ran under the schooner’s starboard quarter. Shortly after 5 p.m., the CROWELL got a line from the LEVIATHAN and started ahead while the hawser from the LILY E. was made fast on the LEVIATHAN. The first strain was put on the line but had no effect whatever on the stranded schooner. A second attempt was no more successful and a third attempt was made but the hawser parted which closed the work for the day, both tugs returning to the harbor, the wreck remaining in the same position as on Monday, but in far worse condition. Her decks amidship were sprung, she was slightly hogged, and her cabin had been washed off.
“The LEVIATHAN remained in the harbor on Saturday and left for Escanaba in the evening but one of her pumps remained on the LILY E. Peak was engaged to make another examination to determine why the wreck would not be pumped out and found that the oakum had worked out of her seams and several planks had stated to pull away from her hull. After he plugged the seams and patched the planks, another attempt was made to pump the wreck out but it was no more successful than the earlier ones.
“Since all efforts to pump the LILY E. out and pull her off had failed, it was decided to dredge all around the wreck as well and the tug CROWELL began this operation on Saturday afternoon. The tugs WELCOME, STARKE BROTHERS and CROWELL dredged a channel 12 ft. deep on the outside and around her bow and stern on Sunday. The LILY E. was stripped of her canvas and anchors on Monday for the purpose of lightening her as much as possible. The three tugs attempted to pull the wreck off but had no effect whatever.
“The owners of the LILY E. abandoned her to the underwriters on Tuesday, May 29th, eight days after the stranding.” WAS THIS THE END OF THE LILY E.????? Find out in part three.
(Schooner Days in Door County, by Walter & Mary Hirthe, p 71-80)
Suzette Lopez
Photo Credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
