 Selah Chamberlain inCleveland, Ohio | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Selah Chamberlain |
| Operator | |
| Port of registry |  United States,Cleveland, Ohio |
| Builder | Quayle & Martin[2] |
| Launched | April 1, 1873[3] |
| Maiden voyage | May 11, 1873[4] |
| In service | May 1, 1873[1] |
| Identification | U.S. Registry #115147[1] |
| Fate | Sunk in collision October 13, 1886[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 212 ft (65 m)[1] |
| Beam | 34 ft (10 m)[1] |
| Height | 14.8 ft (4.5 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 2 xScotch marine boiler |
| Propulsion | Non-condensing engine |
SELAH CHAMBERLAIN (bulk carrier) Shipwreck | |
   | |
| Location | 2 miles NE of Sheboygan Pt. in Lake Michigan |
| Nearest city | Sheboygan, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 43°46′12″N87°39′24″W / 43.769933°N 87.656683°W /43.769933; -87.656683 |
| Built | 1873 inCleveland, Ohio |
| Architect | Quayle & Martin |
| Architectural style | Bulk freighter |
| MPS | Great Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 100003288[5] |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 2019 |
SSSelah Chamberlain was a wooden-hulledGreat Lakes freighter that sank with the loss of five lives inLake Michigan in 1886, 6 miles (10 km) off the coast ofSheboygan,Sheboygan County, Wisconsin,United States, after being rammed by the steamerJohn Pridgeon Jr..[2] On January 7, 2019, the wreck ofSelah Chamberlain was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, and was given the reference number100003288.[5]
Selah Chamberlain (May 4, 1812 – December 27, 1890) was a railroad developer involved in the iron industry and banking. He was born inBrattleboro, Vermont, on May 4, 1812, to Selah and Abigail (née Burnett) Chamberlain. At the age of 21, he moved toBoston, Massachusetts, where he obtained business training as an apprentice working in a grocery store. In 1835, Chamberlain formed his own company, and was contracted to build an extension to theErie & Pennsylvania Canal.[6] His company was later contracted to help build theWabash & Erie Canal. In the 1840s, he supervised improvements to theSt. Lawrence River. In 1844, Chamberlain married Arabella Cochran, and had two children named James and William. In 1847 he went back toVermont to build pieces of a new railroad. Chamberlain was largely responsible for the construction of theRutland & Burlington Railroad, and theLake Champlain Railroad. In 1849, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and founded the Chamberlain, Gorham, & Perkins bank, which would merge into theMerchants National Bank in 1880. Also in 1849, he was contracted to build theCleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. In 1850, he was one of the co-founders of theCleveland Iron Mining Company. Chamberlain died on December 27, 1890, and was buried in theLake View Cemetery.[6]
Selah Chamberlain (Official number 115147) was built in 1873 by Quayle & Martin shipyard ofCleveland, Ohio. Her wooden hull was 212 feet (65 m) long, her beam was 34 feet (10 m) wide and her hull had a depth of 14.8 feet (4.5 m). She originally had agross tonnage of 894.69 tons.[2][4] She was powered by a two-cylinderhigh pressure engine, the cylinders of which each had a 30 inch (76 cm)bore; the engine was fueled by two 7.3 by 7.95 feet (2.23 m × 2.42 m)tubular firebox boilers. Both the engine and the boilers were built by the Globe Iron Works Company of Cleveland, Ohio.[4] She also had three masts and at the start of her career, a single deck. In her early career she was also classified as a steam barge.[2][4] She was generally used to carry cargo such asiron ore,coal andgrain betweenDuluth, Minnesota, andBuffalo, New York. She often regularly towed aschooner barge. She was originally built for Alva Bradley of Cleveland, Ohio.[4]
On May 11, 1873 whileSelah Chamberlain was on her maiden voyage bound from Cleveland, Ohio forEscanaba, Michigan, where she would load a cargo ofiron ore, she ran aground onBois Blanc Island while trying to negotiate theStraits of Mackinac. Fortunately,Selah Chamberlain received no major damage and was able to resume her journey the next day.[7]
In 1874 she had a second deck added, increasing her cargo carrying capacity, and increasing her gross tonnage to 1207.01 tons and hernet tonnage to 963.98 tons.[2][4]
In May, 1881Selah Chamberlain received repairs at the Globe Dry Docks at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1883 she was transferred to theBradley Transportation Company.[1][4]
On November 15, 1883Selah Chamberlain lost hermain mast, and got herrigging entangled in her propeller onLake Superior. In 1884 she was chartered to carry wheat from Duluth, Minnesota to Buffalo, New York for three runs.[1][4]
In October, 1884 while towing the schooner bargeJohn Martin,Selah Chamberlain encountered a gale and was driven against theCanadian Pacific Railway coal docks inPort Arthur, Ontario, causing approximately $1,500 worth of damage to them.[1][4][7] TheDuluth News Tribune published the following article about the event:
Early Sunday morning the (steam) bargeChamberlain towing the schoonerJohn Martin, arrived light to take out wheat. The wind was strong from the northeast, and as usual under such circumstances, a powerful current was running out of the canal. The barge entered all right, but the current caught the schooner and through her upon the bulkhead of the South pier. To prevent serious damage to the vessel, the tow line was cast off, and she swung around the pier and down towards to the beach on the South side. Both anchors were dropped, but the distance was so short and her momentum so great that they dragged and she went high on the beach, after breaking down some of the trestle work leading to the lighthouse at the end of the pier. The tugs in the harbor were powerless to render any assistance until the sea went down. Yesterday the tugsMollie Spencer,Nellie Cotton, andBrower, and the bargesChamberlain andE.B. Hale were busy in an effort to dredge and pull her off. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that they succeeded, and theMartin reached her dock. She is not damaged. In making for the Northern Pacific dock when she entered the harbor Sunday morning, the bargeChamberlain ran clear through the middle of the wagon bridge between that dock and the Northwest Coal docks. The bridge was impassible yesterday, but the barge was not injured.[7]
In 1885Selah Chamberlain received new upper decks and wasre-caulked. She spent the entire year hauling iron ore and grain with the schooner bargeJohn Martin and several other schooner barges.[7]
On October 13, 1886,Selah Chamberlain and her schooner barge,Fayette Brown were bound fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin, toEscanaba, Michigan, to load up a cargo of iron ore which they would then transport to Cleveland, Ohio. As they were sailing north, they encountered a dense fog.[8] At approximately 8:30 p.m., and about 7 miles (11 km) off shore,Selah Chamberlain's crew heard another vessel's whistle directly ahead.[9] Captain A. Greenly immediately signaled her whistle once, and then steered her to port. However, the collision was unavoidable andSelah Chamberlain was struck in her portbow by the slightly larger, and newerJohn Pridgeon Jr.[9][7] After the collision, the crew ofSelah Chamberlain cutFayette Brown loose, so ifSelah Chamberlain sank, she would not sinkFayette Brown as well.Selah Chamberlain sank approximately 15 minutes after the collision. Over the next few years, a number of unsuccessful operations to raiseSelah Chamberlain were carried out.[9]
The remains ofSelah Chamberlain lie 2nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northeast of Sheboygan Point in 90 feet (27 m) of water[10][11] within the boundaries of theWisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.[12] Her wreck is broken into three pieces. Much of her lower hull remains on the site, and her fantail stern is split, exposing her two boilers and her engine. Her wooden floors are reinforced with steel I-beams. Her tandem engine, and its decorated cast iron frame rise 25 feet (8 m) from the bottom of the lake.[13][14]
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