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ARTIFACTS:The ship was famous when it sank in 1860, but museums aren't interested.
BY MICHAEL TARM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO - The rusty, 3-foot-long steam whistle Harry Zych cradles in his arms screamed in alarm 146 years ago this month as the stately USM Lady Elgin foundered and sank just north of Chicago -- one of the 19th century's worst maritime disasters.
A schooner had just sliced into the paddle-wheeled luxury steamer, breaching its hull and spilling its more than 500 passengers into Lake Michigan. All but about 100 would die within hours in the cold, storm-driven waters.
While its demise on Sept. 8, 1860, once captured the attention of Americans in the 19th century in much the way the sinking of the Titanic would in the 20th, the Queen of the Lakes -- as the Lady Elgin also was called -- is now largely forgotten.
Not, however, by Zych, who poured more than $200,000 and 20 years into locating the wreck, fought the state of Illinois over its artifacts and now finds himself in another battle: to win over museums that aren't interested in a ship unless it is named Titanic.
"This ship was the Holy Grail for shipwreck hunters around the Great Lakes," says the grizzled, hard-talking Zych. "But there just isn't interest out there.... I've been turned down by one museum after another."
The 58-year-old Vietnam veteran located the Lady Elgin's long-lost wreckage in 1989 five miles off Highland Park, in Chicago's northern suburbs. In 1999, he won a 10-year legal battle with the state over ownership of the wreck.
The sleek white Lady Elgin was one of the best-known ships plying the Great Lakes, and whenever it pulled into ports, crowds gathered to gawk, said Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes maritime historian.
"Worldwide, she was definitely the Titanic of her day," Baillod said. The ship's sinking even inspired a song, "Lost on the Lady Elgin," which became popular during the Civil War.
Among Zych's artifacts are parts of musical instruments and a chandelier, under which passengers danced until the collision with a 130-foot, Chicago-bound schooner -- the Augusta.
The Augusta rammed the 250-foot Lady Elgin's bow first, sheering off one of the larger ship's paddle wheels, then punching through its hull. The Lady Elgin flooded and sank within 30 minutes, while the Augusta stayed intact and sailed on to Chicago.
The whistle, which Zych says "sounded the death knell of the Lady Elgin," is among his most treasured artifacts. Among the several hundred others are china plates, swords, rifles and a spoon engraved with the words "Lady Elgin."
Zych said he has contacted about a dozen museums around Chicago about the artifacts. He blames their disinterest in part on what he calls a misplaced emphasis on flashy, entertainment-oriented exhibits.
"They don't want the hard artifacts anymore," he said. "They want the kind of display where kids can push buttons and then move on to the next entertainment."
Greg Borzo, an official at Chicago's Field Museum, said museums do face tough choices about what artifacts to exhibit. Less than one half of1 percent of the 23 million artifacts housed at the Field Museum is on public display, he said. Borzo was unaware of any contact between the museum and Zych.
Baillod said museums could be especially wary of Lady Elgin artifacts because of legal action begun in 1989 in which Illinois accused Zych of stealing artifacts. A later lawsuit sought state ownership of the ship's wreckage.
The Illinois Supreme Court sided with Zych in 1999, saying he was the rightful owner of the wreck.
"There's still a lot of baggage associated with the Lady Elgin because of the vilification by the state of Harry during the lawsuit," Baillod said. "The vilification wasn't justified. But some museums would deny him entry because of it."
Worst of all, claims Zych, was that the lawsuit opened the way for unscrupulous divers to loot the wreck while a court order barred him from going near it. Among the items they may have hauled away are the Lady Elgin's bell and ship's wheel.
Dave Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois State Preservation Agency, defended the lawsuit, saying the state had to try to establish state ownership in the name of historical preservation.
"There's no doubt that the common perception out there was, 'Hey, finders, keepers,' " he said. "But the state had the bigger-picture issue in mind."
BY MICHAEL TARM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO - The rusty, 3-foot-long steam whistle Harry Zych cradles in his arms screamed in alarm 146 years ago this month as the stately USM Lady Elgin foundered and sank just north of Chicago -- one of the 19th century's worst maritime disasters.
A schooner had just sliced into the paddle-wheeled luxury steamer, breaching its hull and spilling its more than 500 passengers into Lake Michigan. All but about 100 would die within hours in the cold, storm-driven waters.
While its demise on Sept. 8, 1860, once captured the attention of Americans in the 19th century in much the way the sinking of the Titanic would in the 20th, the Queen of the Lakes -- as the Lady Elgin also was called -- is now largely forgotten.
Not, however, by Zych, who poured more than $200,000 and 20 years into locating the wreck, fought the state of Illinois over its artifacts and now finds himself in another battle: to win over museums that aren't interested in a ship unless it is named Titanic.
"This ship was the Holy Grail for shipwreck hunters around the Great Lakes," says the grizzled, hard-talking Zych. "But there just isn't interest out there.... I've been turned down by one museum after another."
The 58-year-old Vietnam veteran located the Lady Elgin's long-lost wreckage in 1989 five miles off Highland Park, in Chicago's northern suburbs. In 1999, he won a 10-year legal battle with the state over ownership of the wreck.
The sleek white Lady Elgin was one of the best-known ships plying the Great Lakes, and whenever it pulled into ports, crowds gathered to gawk, said Brendon Baillod, a Great Lakes maritime historian.
"Worldwide, she was definitely the Titanic of her day," Baillod said. The ship's sinking even inspired a song, "Lost on the Lady Elgin," which became popular during the Civil War.
Among Zych's artifacts are parts of musical instruments and a chandelier, under which passengers danced until the collision with a 130-foot, Chicago-bound schooner -- the Augusta.
The Augusta rammed the 250-foot Lady Elgin's bow first, sheering off one of the larger ship's paddle wheels, then punching through its hull. The Lady Elgin flooded and sank within 30 minutes, while the Augusta stayed intact and sailed on to Chicago.
The whistle, which Zych says "sounded the death knell of the Lady Elgin," is among his most treasured artifacts. Among the several hundred others are china plates, swords, rifles and a spoon engraved with the words "Lady Elgin."
Zych said he has contacted about a dozen museums around Chicago about the artifacts. He blames their disinterest in part on what he calls a misplaced emphasis on flashy, entertainment-oriented exhibits.
"They don't want the hard artifacts anymore," he said. "They want the kind of display where kids can push buttons and then move on to the next entertainment."
Greg Borzo, an official at Chicago's Field Museum, said museums do face tough choices about what artifacts to exhibit. Less than one half of1 percent of the 23 million artifacts housed at the Field Museum is on public display, he said. Borzo was unaware of any contact between the museum and Zych.
Baillod said museums could be especially wary of Lady Elgin artifacts because of legal action begun in 1989 in which Illinois accused Zych of stealing artifacts. A later lawsuit sought state ownership of the ship's wreckage.
The Illinois Supreme Court sided with Zych in 1999, saying he was the rightful owner of the wreck.
"There's still a lot of baggage associated with the Lady Elgin because of the vilification by the state of Harry during the lawsuit," Baillod said. "The vilification wasn't justified. But some museums would deny him entry because of it."
Worst of all, claims Zych, was that the lawsuit opened the way for unscrupulous divers to loot the wreck while a court order barred him from going near it. Among the items they may have hauled away are the Lady Elgin's bell and ship's wheel.
Dave Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois State Preservation Agency, defended the lawsuit, saying the state had to try to establish state ownership in the name of historical preservation.
"There's no doubt that the common perception out there was, 'Hey, finders, keepers,' " he said. "But the state had the bigger-picture issue in mind."
