On this day November 15, 1890, the wooden steamer NEVADA foundered about fifteen miles north of Two River point. This story has all the plots of a good mystery movie – sinking on a calm day, possibly scrapping the bottom in the river, her crew attacking her captain, her captain shooting one of the crew, her insurance expiring an hour after she sinks making the policy valid, her engineer and mate arrested three years later for pumping her full of water! Luckily her crew survived but some faced a grueling interrogation.
The NEVADA was built at Bay City, Mich., in 1882 by William Crosthwaite for John Kelderhouse of Buffalo. She measured 186 feet in length by 30 feet in beam. The following newspaper accounts relay the events of the time.
“FOUNDERING IN A CALM
“Saturday morning, November 15th, Lake Michigan calm as a mill pond, a light breeze, cloudy weather, a day when the foundering of a huge steamer was the least anticipated, and yet occurred, and one of the big steam barges rests at the bottom of Lake Michigan forever. At 9 am, the steamship Metacomet, Captain Tim Kelley, stopped abreast of Manitowoc harbor blowing distress whistles. A tug went out and soon returned, having in tow the life boat, and a crew of men from the steam barge Nevada of Sandusky, which they report they were obliged to abandon fifteen miles north of Two Rivers point, she being then in a sinking condition, having six feet of water in her hold and her fires out.
“SINKS IN EIGHT FATHOMS
“Tugs ARTIC and CYCLONE started out in search of the Nevada, in the hope of pulling her towards shore and beaching her, but the steamer had disappeared beneath the waters, the pilot house, a few fenders, and wreckage floating about were all that was left to tell that such a craft ever existed.
Soundings were made and it was found that she lay in about eighty fathoms, being somewhat deeper than the late Mr. McGinty’s resting place.
“SLIGHT CQAUSE – FATAL RESULT
“The Nevada was loaded with coal destined for Sheboygan, in coming through the rivers she struck an obstruction, causing a leak, which increased to such an extent that on Friday she had two feet of water in her hold, crawling up to six feet by daylight Saturday, nearly quenching her fires. In answer to her distress signals the Metacomet took her in tow, but she handled bad, would not steer, and the tow line parted, when it was concluded to abandon her, as above stated.
“AN UNLUCKY SEASON
“The Nevada was rebuilt at Wolf & Davidson’s shipyard last winter, $18,000 being expended o her. On her first trip she ran ashore on Pilot Island, Green Bay; was released, towed to Manitowoc, where she received $8,000 worth or repairs. Next, her captain got into some difficulty with his crew in Milwaukee, and in defending himself from their attacks, shot one of his assailants. Captain William Landgraff is still under small bonds to appear to answer to the4 charge, but the general opinion is that he will be cleared, as it seems to have been in self defense.
“The Nevada was insured for $50,000. Report has it that her policy expired November 15th, at noon, and as she sank an hour previous the policy is valid.” (Marine Record, Nov 20, 1890, p. 6)
“Much satisfaction is expressed in shipping circles here on the acquittal of Captain W. H. Landgraf on the charge of shooting Charles Wilber on board the steamer Nevada at Milwaukee last season. This is the second trial which the Captain has undergone the jury having disagreed on the first, the verdict hold positively that the action taken by Captain Landgraf was in self-defense.” (Marine Record, May 21, 1891, p. 4)
“Buffalo – the underwriters have paid up the claim of the owners of the propeller Nevada, which was lost near Manitowoc last fall. The amount of the insurance was $50,000 which is paid in full and the suit withdrawn.” (Marine Record, July 9, 1891, p. 4)
“Chicago, Nov. 18, 1893 – John A. Schurg, engineer of the steamer Nevada, who is under indictment for sinking a vessel, was lodged in the county jail yesterday. District Attorney Gilchrist and other government officers were closeted with him for hours and he was put through a severe course of cross examination. It is understood, however, that the effort to obtain from him either a confession of his own guilt or incriminating evidence against others, was a failure. It is said Captain J. P. Goodman, who was mate of the Nevada on her last trip, will be arrested on the same charge when he arrives in Chicago on the Schooner American Union.” (Saginaw Courier Herald Nov 19, 1893)
“CHARGED WITH FOUNDERING THE NEVADA.
“Duluth, Minn., Nov. 15, 1890. – John A. Schurg, engineer on the steamer MARINA, was arrested at Two Harbors yesterday. He is charged with willfully casting away the steamship NEVADA by opening her sea cock and pumping her full of water when he was her engineer, Nov. 14, 1890. He was indicted by the Grand Jury in Chicago. The owner of the NEVADA got $40,000 insurance money, and Schurg is said to have received $1,000 for the job.” (Buffalo Evening News, Wednesday, November 15, 1893 p.4, c.1)
No one was charged with the sinking of the NEVADA. One reason might have been that the law attached the death penalty to the crime of casting off a vessel. It was also common thought in shipping circles that since the boat was heavily mortgaged and the insurance money mainly went to pay off creditors, a captain would not have cast off their vessel for such a small payout and he certainly would not have shared his intention with the mate and engineer.
Suzette Lopez
Photo credit – Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
