Schooner that sank 115 years ago and killed all but one on board found at the bottom

jfreakofkorn

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SchoonerThe Nelson that sank 115 years ago is found at the bottom of Lake Superior | Mail Online


A schooner that tragically sank in Lake Michigan 115 years ago was recently rediscovered in its watery grave.

The 199-foot long, three-masted Nelson sank near Grand Marais, Michigan in 1899 in the midst of a spring gale, claiming the lives of all but one of the 10 on board.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society located the schooner recently, and sent a diver down to take pictures of the boat on the bottom of Lake Superior.

'It is a significant find. This is a wreck I think a lot of people have been looking for for a number of years. It has a great story,' Darryll Ertel, Director of Marine Operations for the Great Lake Shipwreck Historical Society, told 9 & 10 News.

The Nelson was being towed by the steamer Folsum, along with another schooner named the Mary Mitchell, when the group of boats encountered rough waters due to a spring gale on May 13, 1899.

'Ice was covering the decks and before they knew it they were fighting for their lives,' Bruce Lynn, executive director of the Great Lakes shipwreck historical society said.

Captain White of the Folsum made the decision to turn the boats back to port when he noticed that the Nelson was lulling.

The captain of the Nelson worked quickly to put the his wife, infant child and the rest of the crew into a lifeboat.

He then jumped from the sinking boat and by the time he resurfaced, the ship was almost completely submerged.

Tragically, the lifeboat had been pulled under with it, and Captain Hagginey's family and the rest of the crew perished.

Hagginey survived after grabbing onto a piece of debris and eventually finding his way to shore.

'You have to think about 10 people and only one survivor and a captain that went down in front of his eyes. It is truly a tragic story but again this is a story we can tell and help people understand what was happening on the lakes in the 1890s,' Lynn said.
 

HenryWaltonJonesJr

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Tragic story, it's amazing he made it to shore and didn't died of exposure. How the two tow ships didn't find him is awful.
 

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