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5. Ariadne

Ariadne

Historical Background

The two-masted schooner Ariadne was built in 1867 at Port Burwell, Ontario by Captain David Foster for an unidentified Robinson of Newcastle, Ontario. Ariadne was 97 feet in length, 22-foot in breadth and had a 9.5-foot depth of hold, measuring 158 gross tons.

During its 19-year long career, Ariadne was operated by no less than three owners before being purchased by its final owner, Captain Southerland McKay of Whitby, Ontario in 1884.

On Friday, November 26, Ariadne departed Bath, Ontario on its last trip of the season having loaded 10,000 bushels of barley for Gaylord, Downey & Company of Oswego. Aboard were Captain Hugh McKay along with his father Southerland McKay, serving as Mate, Charles Dean of Shannonville, Edward Mulligan of Picton, Maurice Young, and Thomas Cox, both of Toronto. Ariadne attempted to cross the lake to Oswego but was driven back to the shelter of Long Point where it lay at anchor until December 1.

On December 1, with the weather having calmed, Ariadne again attempted the crossing to Oswego. As Ariadne neared mid-lake that afternoon, a westerly gale arose, bringing with it blinding snow. One later report claimed that winds had reached as high as 60 miles per hour by nightfall with temperatures falling to 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Sailing blind, the Ariadnes sighted the Oswego Harbor Light after nightfall, and spent hours attempting to work upwind to the harbor entrance. Despite coming within sight of the breakwater, they were unable to make the harbor.

After several hours, winds blew out Ariadne’s jib. Unable to work to windward without the jib, Ariadne ran for the shelter of Henderson Harbor, 30 miles to the northeast. Ariadne was leaking badly. The pumps had become clogged and coated with ice, making them unusable. Struggling to steer, Ariadne jibed, snapping its main boom and fore gaff, leaving the schooner unmanageable. The crew managed to set a portion of the mainsail and turned east to run it aground in Mexico Bay

Around 2:30 in the morning, Ariadne struck upon Drowned Island, a half mile offshore from Black Pond. Over the next three hours, Ariadne worked its way over the shoal before stranding off Black Pond. The crew was forced to seek shelter from the waves in the rigging. Hours later, with the hull beginning to break apart and the masts threatening to fall, the crew climbed out of the rig to what little shelter was provided by the bow, which remained above the water. In descending from the ice-covered rigging, Captain Hugh McKay fell, was washed overboard and was drowned.

At 8:00 a.m. the wreck was sighted by local residents, one of whom set off to notify the U.S. Life Saving Station at Big Sandy pond, 5.5 miles south of the wreck. Rescue would come too late for two of the crew, Southerland McKay and Charles Dean,perished from hypothermia awaiting rescue.The USLSS crew arrived at the wreck around 3:00 p.m., rescuing the three exhausted survivors, who were near the point of perishing.

Wreck Site

Ariadne’s wreckage lies just off the beach at the southern end of Black Pond Wildlife Management Area in the town of Ellisburg, New York. The wreck is intermittently covered and uncovered by shifting sands, with the remains of the hull being broken and widely scattered. A large section of the bottom of the hull was exposed in 2020 and has now been reburied in the beach. The presently exposed remains, consisting of portions of the bow and the windlass, rest in 4-6 feet of water just offshore and are ideal for paddlers and snorkelers to explore.