Miztec (schooner barge)
Encyclopedia
The Miztec was built as a 3-masted schooner
in 1890. She was later converted to a barge
and served as a consort
for lumber hookers
on the Great Lakes
. She escaped destruction in a severe 1919 storm that sank her longtime companion, the SS Myron
, only to sink on the traditional day of bad luck, Friday the 13th
, 1921, with the loss of all hands. She came to rest on Lake Superior’s bottom off Whitefish Point near the Myron.
The Miztec’s wreck was illegally salvaged in the 1980s. Artifacts
from the Miztec became the property of the State of Michigan after they were seized in a 1992 Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
. The State allows the museum to hold a triple sheave
block and hook and a double sheave block and hook from the Miztec as a loan. Her wreck is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
as part of an underwater museum.
. She was enrolled at Port Huron, Michigan
on 8 April 1890. On 3 May 1890 she ran ashore near Minorville, Wisconsin.
The Miztec spent the final years of her career as a O.W. Blodgett Lumber Company barge consort
towed by lumber hookers
. She was stranded by her tow, the SS Myron
, off Vermilion Point
in a severe November gale in 1919. She narrowly escaped total destruction and suffered heavy damage but survived the storm while the Myron did not. She was rebuilt in 1919.
of the Zillah, Miztec, and Peshtigo locked through the Soo
headed for a spring gale and the Miztec’s doom on Friday 13 May 1921. The wooden steamer
Zillah was towing the schooner barges Miztec and Peshtigo. The Zillah and Miztec carried bulk salt bound for Duluth, Minnesota
and the empty Peshtigo was scheduled for drop off at Munising, Michigan
.
Ten miles west of Whitefish Point, the fleet met the full brunt of the storm’s heavy snow and near hurricane force winds. The 31 year old wooden Zillah started taking on water when her seams twisted open in the raging seas. Her 785 horsepower steam engine
could barely maintain her bow
to the seas. The master of the Zillah decided to turn around and take shelter in Whitefish Bay
. The Zillah’s tow line broke during strain of the turn, stranding the Miztec and Peshtigo in the storm, and then the tow line between the two barges broke.
In an effort to reach the lee of Whitefish Point, the Peshtigo set short sails that the wind soon shredded. The Peshtigo dragged both anchors as the waves and winds forced her toward shore and the pounding surf
of the dangerous shallows. When the crew of the Vermilion Point Life-saving Station
saw the Peshtigo’s struggle, they launched two surfboats
that were destroyed by the crashing sea. The Peshigo’s anchors finally caught hold about ¼ mile from shore and she and her crew survived the storm.
When the tow line between the Miztec and the Peshtigo broke, Captain Campbell of the Peshtigo saw the Miztec’s lights disappear with his brother onboard. His brother was the Miztec’s first mate. While the Miztec survived the 1919 storm that took her partner, the SS Myron, her run of good fortune
ended when she sank with the loss of all 7 crewmembers on the traditional day of bad luck, Friday the 13th.Captain Neal, who was rescued near death clinging to the pilothouse of the Myron in 1919, was serving as the Zillah's first mate when the Miztec sank in 1921. When the freighter
Renown came upon the flotsam of the Miztec’s sinking site, its crew sighted a body atop the deck house but unlike Captain Neal’s rescue, the body slipped into the seas as they approached.
The Renown reported their finding to United States Coast Guard
. The Coast Guard went to the wreck scene and buoyed the Miztec’s spar
that was protruding from shallow water with plans to dynamite her as a navigational hazard as she lay near the shipping lane, but they were unable to relocate her when they returned. It was believed that as her salt cargo dissolved, she moved along the lake bottom to deeper water. The Miztec came to rest not far from the wreck site her longtime companion lumber hooker, the SS Myron.
No bodies were recovered from the Miztec’s sinking site, but six days after she sank, Native Americans
on Maple Island, Ontario
discovered the body of Mrs. Florence Pederson, the cook and the wife of the captain of the Miztec.
The Miztec was an estimated $10,000 loss to O.W. Blodgett Lumber Company.
The Miztec’s wreck is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve for future generations of scuba divers. The Miztec’s remains are broken and scattered on the lake bottom but her anchor
and chain and other gear are still present.Although the Miztec’s wreck is one of the shallower wrecks, sports divers are cautioned to be certain of their abilities and equipment for dives because the preserve does not include protective bay or coves from the cold and volatile weather.Divers who visit the wreck sites are expected to observe preservation laws and "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles".
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
in 1890. She was later converted to a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
and served as a consort
Consort (nautical)
Consort is a nautical term for unpowered Great Lakes vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner barge or steamer barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920...
for lumber hookers
Lumber hooker
Lumber hooker is a nautical term for a Great Lakes ship designed to carry her own deck load of lumber and to tow one or two barges. The barges were large old schooners stripped of their masts and running gear to carry large cargoes of lumber....
on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. She escaped destruction in a severe 1919 storm that sank her longtime companion, the SS Myron
SS Myron
The SS Myron was a wooden steamship built in 1888. She spent her 31 year career as lumber hooker towing schooner barges on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1919 in a Lake Superior November gale with the loss of all her crewmen but her captain who was found drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne. ...
, only to sink on the traditional day of bad luck, Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, 1921, with the loss of all hands. She came to rest on Lake Superior’s bottom off Whitefish Point near the Myron.
The Miztec’s wreck was illegally salvaged in the 1980s. Artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
from the Miztec became the property of the State of Michigan after they were seized in a 1992 Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station north of Paradise in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society , the Michigan Audubon Society , and the United States...
. The State allows the museum to hold a triple sheave
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
block and hook and a double sheave block and hook from the Miztec as a loan. Her wreck is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve was established in 1987 to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources on of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay and around Whitefish Point, Michigan. The formation of the Michigan Underwater Preserves helped stop controversy over...
as part of an underwater museum.
Career
The 194 foot wooden Miztec was built as a 3-masted schooner in 1890 in Marine City, MichiganMarine City, Michigan
Marine City is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the west bank of the St. Clair River, it is one of the cities in the River District north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron. The population was 4,652 at the 2000 census...
. She was enrolled at Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
on 8 April 1890. On 3 May 1890 she ran ashore near Minorville, Wisconsin.
The Miztec spent the final years of her career as a O.W. Blodgett Lumber Company barge consort
Consort (nautical)
Consort is a nautical term for unpowered Great Lakes vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner barge or steamer barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920...
towed by lumber hookers
Lumber hooker
Lumber hooker is a nautical term for a Great Lakes ship designed to carry her own deck load of lumber and to tow one or two barges. The barges were large old schooners stripped of their masts and running gear to carry large cargoes of lumber....
. She was stranded by her tow, the SS Myron
SS Myron
The SS Myron was a wooden steamship built in 1888. She spent her 31 year career as lumber hooker towing schooner barges on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1919 in a Lake Superior November gale with the loss of all her crewmen but her captain who was found drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne. ...
, off Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point is a remote, undeveloped shore with a rich history lying west of Whitefish Point, Michigan, on a stretch of Lake Superior’s southeast coast known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" or, in the title of a book by noted Great Lakes maritime historian , ""...
in a severe November gale in 1919. She narrowly escaped total destruction and suffered heavy damage but survived the storm while the Myron did not. She was rebuilt in 1919.
Final voyage
The Blodgett fleetFlotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
of the Zillah, Miztec, and Peshtigo locked through the Soo
Soo Locks
The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario...
headed for a spring gale and the Miztec’s doom on Friday 13 May 1921. The wooden steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Zillah was towing the schooner barges Miztec and Peshtigo. The Zillah and Miztec carried bulk salt bound for Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and the empty Peshtigo was scheduled for drop off at Munising, Michigan
Munising, Michigan
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,539. It is the county seat of Alger County...
.
Ten miles west of Whitefish Point, the fleet met the full brunt of the storm’s heavy snow and near hurricane force winds. The 31 year old wooden Zillah started taking on water when her seams twisted open in the raging seas. Her 785 horsepower steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
could barely maintain her bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
to the seas. The master of the Zillah decided to turn around and take shelter in Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
. The Zillah’s tow line broke during strain of the turn, stranding the Miztec and Peshtigo in the storm, and then the tow line between the two barges broke.
In an effort to reach the lee of Whitefish Point, the Peshtigo set short sails that the wind soon shredded. The Peshtigo dragged both anchors as the waves and winds forced her toward shore and the pounding surf
Breaking wave
In fluid dynamics, a breaking wave is a wave whose amplitude reaches a critical level at which some process can suddenly start to occur that causes large amounts of wave energy to be transformed into turbulent kinetic energy...
of the dangerous shallows. When the crew of the Vermilion Point Life-saving Station
Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point is a remote, undeveloped shore with a rich history lying west of Whitefish Point, Michigan, on a stretch of Lake Superior’s southeast coast known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" or, in the title of a book by noted Great Lakes maritime historian , ""...
saw the Peshtigo’s struggle, they launched two surfboats
Surfboat
A surfboat is an oar-driven boat designed to enter the ocean from the beach in heavy surf or severe waves. It is often used in lifesaving or rescue missions where the most expedient access to victims is directly from the beach.-Construction:...
that were destroyed by the crashing sea. The Peshigo’s anchors finally caught hold about ¼ mile from shore and she and her crew survived the storm.
When the tow line between the Miztec and the Peshtigo broke, Captain Campbell of the Peshtigo saw the Miztec’s lights disappear with his brother onboard. His brother was the Miztec’s first mate. While the Miztec survived the 1919 storm that took her partner, the SS Myron, her run of good fortune
Luck
Luck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...
ended when she sank with the loss of all 7 crewmembers on the traditional day of bad luck, Friday the 13th.Captain Neal, who was rescued near death clinging to the pilothouse of the Myron in 1919, was serving as the Zillah's first mate when the Miztec sank in 1921. When the freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Renown came upon the flotsam of the Miztec’s sinking site, its crew sighted a body atop the deck house but unlike Captain Neal’s rescue, the body slipped into the seas as they approached.
The Renown reported their finding to United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. The Coast Guard went to the wreck scene and buoyed the Miztec’s spar
Spar
In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a...
that was protruding from shallow water with plans to dynamite her as a navigational hazard as she lay near the shipping lane, but they were unable to relocate her when they returned. It was believed that as her salt cargo dissolved, she moved along the lake bottom to deeper water. The Miztec came to rest not far from the wreck site her longtime companion lumber hooker, the SS Myron.
No bodies were recovered from the Miztec’s sinking site, but six days after she sank, Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
on Maple Island, Ontario
Whitestone, Ontario
Whitestone is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the name of a community within the township.The township, located in the Parry Sound District, had a population of 853 in the 2001 Canadian census.-History:...
discovered the body of Mrs. Florence Pederson, the cook and the wife of the captain of the Miztec.
The Miztec was an estimated $10,000 loss to O.W. Blodgett Lumber Company.
Wreck
The Miztec’s wreck was discovered in 1983 by the Oddessey Foundation in 45 to 50 ft (13.7 to 15.2 m) of water at 46°48.073′N 85°04.500′W.The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) raided the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point in 1992 for artifacts illegally removed from the Great Lakes bottomlands. The DNRE seized around 150 artifacts from the museum, including a triple sheave block and hook and a double sheave block and hook from the Miztec. Following a settlement agreement between the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and the State of Michigan, the State’s artifacts from the Miztec are on loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society for display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.The Miztec’s wreck is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve for future generations of scuba divers. The Miztec’s remains are broken and scattered on the lake bottom but her anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
and chain and other gear are still present.Although the Miztec’s wreck is one of the shallower wrecks, sports divers are cautioned to be certain of their abilities and equipment for dives because the preserve does not include protective bay or coves from the cold and volatile weather.Divers who visit the wreck sites are expected to observe preservation laws and "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles".