J. S. Harvey
Ship stats
Depth: 1-8 feet
Coordinates: To be announced
Vessel Type: Brigantine
Length: 126.7 feet
Breadth: 25.5 feet
Gross Tonnage: 299.06
Cargo: Wheat
Built: 1855 by Alfred Gilson or P.R. Beaupre at Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Port of Registry at Loss: Chicago, Illinois
Owner at Loss: J. Peacock, Chicago, Illinois
Date Lost: December 8, 1884
Cause of Loss: Stranded in storm
Loss of Life: Reportedly 1 of 8
Historical Background
The brigantine J.S. Harvey was built in 1855 by Alfred Gilson or P.R. Beaupre at Sheboygan, Wisconsin for John S. Harvey of Milwaukee. It was 126.7 feet long, 25.5-foot breadth and a 10-foot depth of hold, measuring 299.06 gross tons. Throughout its 9-year-long career, J.S. Harvey was operated by several Milwaukee and Chicago-based-owners in the grain trade, primarily sailing between Lake Michigan ports and Buffalo, New York.
On December 7, 1864, J.S. Harvey was downbound through the Welland Canal laden with wheat from Milwaukee for Ogdensburg, New York on a rare trip to Lake America. After clearing from Port Weller, J.S. Harvey was caught in a gale while sailing along the north shore of the lake. The captain, unfamiliar with the harbor at Oswego, which was notoriously difficult to enter in rough conditions, resolved to seek shelter at that port. However, arriving off Oswego on the morning of December 8, J.S. Harvey was unable to enter the harbor and was driven eastward by the wind and waves. J.S. Harvey’s crew dropped both of its anchors in an attempt to prevent their vessel from going ashore, but one of the anchor cables snapped and they continued to drift eastward, dragging the remaining anchor.
Around 4:00 p.m., J.S. Harvey went ashore east of the mouth of the Little Salmon River. Though the wreck was witnessed by local residents, it was nearly nightfall, and nothing could be done to rescue the crew until the following morning on account of the high waves. The crew suffered through a frigid night, taking shelter from the waves along the rigging. The captain, perished from exposure while awaiting rescue during the night. By 4:00 a.m. a boat had been brought overland from Port Ontario to the scene of the wreck and a crew of volunteers rescued seven survivors from the wreck.
Wreck Site
J.S. Harvey’s wreckage lies broken and scattered in shallow water along a wide area of shoreline in southern Mexico Bay, approximately 1.5 miles east of the mouth of the Little Salmon River. The principal remains of the hull consist of the bilge (lower hull), now partially embedded in the shoreline, and a large section of the port side of the hull. Additional pieces of the hull are scattered across a wide area of the lake bed. The site is intermittently buried and unburied by shifting sands in 1 to 8 feet of water. Access to this site is from the water only in shallow-draft vessels, as the shoreline adjacent to the wreck is private property.
