On this day November 16, 1909, the steamer FRANCIS HINTON went ashore three miles south of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, in a heavy snowstorm and northeast gale. She was loaded at Marinette with 450,000 feet of lumber and sailed for Green Bay and then Chicago.
The FRANCIS HINTON was built at the Hanson & Scove shipyard of Manitowoc in 1889. Built for Truman & Cooper of Manitowoc at a cost of $35,000 she measured 152.2 feet in length, 30.9 feet in beam and 10.8 in depth. She was in the Lake Michigan lumber trade.
An interesting note listed in the account below from the Kewaunee Enterprise of November 19th is the lifesaving stations life boat was hauled to the scene on a truck by a double span of horses and when they returned to shore, hundreds of willing hands assisted in bringing in the life boat, all of whom arrived on the scene by interurban cars.
“During the severe storm Tuesday, the steamer FRANCIS HINTON, went ashore three miles south of Two Rivers. About eight o’clock in the morning, when the storm was about at its height, the barge rounded Twin River Point and began heading in, until abreast of the harbor at Two Rivers, when for some reason the course was again changed out into the lake. An hour later, the steamer was fast aground and huge waves were washing over her. The crew managed to reach shore in the yawl boat, after battling with the waves for nearly an hour. The lookout at the Two Rivers Life Saving Station, saw the plight of the distressed steamer and loading the life boat on the truck, hauled by a double span of horses and also taking the shore apparatus with the, proceeded to the scene of the wreck. Mountainous seas greeted the life saver. However, undaunted, they launched their boat and sometimes on the crews of a wave, then again buried in the depths of the angry seas, they managed to row to the disabled steamer. Not a sign of life was found on the deserted boat and the life savers returned to the shore, where hundreds of willing hands, who had proceeded to the wreck by the Interurban cars, from both Two Rivers and Manitowoc, assisted in bringing the life boat back to the shore.
“The FRANCIS HINTON was an “old timer” one of those that had visited the local port for many years. Built at Manitowoc more than twenty years ago, she was one of the “old school”. The boat was 154 feet long, 30 feet beam and had a gross tonnage of 417, was owned by George Oliver of Michigan City, Ind., and lumber laden from Manistique, Mich., to Milwaukee. The wrecked boat will become a total loss, having broken in two and the cargo has been scattered to unknown shores, by the maddening waves. Carrying the burden of seventy five summers and as many winters the Captain, James Campbell, gray haired, with his crew consisting of the following, indeed had a narrow escape: Mate C. Witney, Engineer Charles Martin, Assistant W. E. Lyons and C. Preston; crew, William Wilkinson, son, Fred Zenther, J. Thompson, E. A. Clark, Alex Thernstorm and E. Scott. “
FRANCIS HINTON dive card
In October of 1988, divers Randy “Roughwater” Wallander and Dan Hildebrand discovered the HINTON’s remains between Manitowoc and Two Rivers.
Wisconsin Maritime Trails Historical marker, photo courtesy of Carl Eisenberg
Suzette Lopez
Photo credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
