By Suzette Lopez
On October 3, 1890, the wooden steamer FRED McBRIER was downbound in the darkness of night and fog with a load of iron ore along with her consorts J. B. LOZEN and A. STEWART on Lake Michigan. The propeller PROGRESS was upbound towing the schooner F. A. GEORGER. The two collided about seven miles west of Waugoshance. The McBRIER was struck amidships leaving a giant hole and sank in seven minutes. Captain John Andrews and his crew lost all their belongings but escaped with their lives.
The McBRIER was valued at $30,000 and insured for $28,500. Her owners libeled the PROGRESS for $43,000 in damages.
During August of 1892 while working to raise the steam barge OGEMAW, the Murphy Wrecking Company’s steamer JOHNSON was also searching between Waugoshance and Skilagelee for the wreck of the McBRIER. The wreck was able to remain elusive until 1967 when found by a group of divers lead by Jim Ryerse. Shortly after that John Steele, Dick Race and others recovered her 2,000 pound iron anchor. Her wreck sits upright in 104 feet of water. Her bow has separated but her engines and windlass are visible.
The FRED McBRIER was built in 1881 at Bay City, Mich., by F. W. Wheeler for James McBrier of Erie, Penn. She was a wooden steam barge measuring 161 feet in length and 31 feet in beam. Her maiden trip was from Bay City to Buffalo with 475,000 feet of lumber. According to marine historian Herman G. Runge, she came to Milwaukee once in a while with coal or lumber.
An interesting note was reported by the US Life Saving Service. On the evening of August 9, 1889, while on her way out of the harbor, coal laden and in front of the Cleveland Station, the McBRIER became disabled by reason of a piece of driftwood in her propeller. She was headed towards a collision with another vessel when the station men jumped into a small boat and with pike poles and lines were able to clear the log from her propeller. I image that to have been a large piece of driftwood.
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Suzette Lopez is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
Photo at top of page: FRED McBRIER color post card of her at the Toledo Coal Docks.
Other photos:
Photo credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
