Summary
The gasoline fish boat Vega burned off Beaver Island in June 1914 with Jerry Yettaw, William Heath, and Henry Papineau aboard. The held reports name Guy Lamphear and Yettaw as owners, describe the route from Charlevoix toward Saint James, and place the fire about three miles from Sand Bay opposite Martin Point.
Evidence and limits
The June 27 Herald confirms a charred portion of the cabin and reports an oil spot and buoy marking what was thought to be the submerged wreck. The 2003 Courier scrapbook reprint supplies the three men’s full names and the owner’s name. The archive’s later July follow-up reports that Yettaw and Papineau’s bodies were recovered; the held material does not yet report a recovery of Heath’s body.
The July 4 issue explicitly dates the burning to June 15. The June 27 report’s “last Monday” wording does not reconcile with that direct date, so the exact date is retained with the discrepancy documented rather than silently erased.
Open questions
- What was the exact loss date and the final disposition of the wreck?
- Was the boat’s owner Guy Lamphear or “Lamphear and Jerry Yettaw” as the reprint states, and what records document their ownership?
- Can a Coast Guard, coroner, cemetery, or probate record identify William Heath and confirm his fate?
- Can a survey, diver report, or contemporary chart locate the submerged wreck?
See also
- Vega (gasoline boat, 1914)
- Jerry Yettaw (Vega loss)
- William Heath (Vega loss)
- Henry Papineau (Vega loss)
- Sand Bay
- Martin Point
Sources
- Charlevoix Courier, June 17, 1914, “Boat burns off Beaver Island,” reprinted in the 2003 scrapbook section.The reprinted report names Jerry Yettaw, William Heath, and Henry Papineau, identifies the Vega as owned by Guy Lamphear and Jerry Yettaw, and places the fire about three miles from Sand Bay opposite Martin’s Point.
- Charlevoix County Herald, June 27, 1914, “Vega’s Loss Confirmed.”Reports charred cabin wood from the gasoline boat Vega, burned off Beaver Island with three men lost, caps identified on the beach, and oil marking a suspected submerged wreck; the article is attributed to the Charlevoix Sentinel.
- Charlevoix County Herald, July 4, 1914, report of the Vega victims.The held issue explicitly dates the burning to June 15 and reports that Jerry Yettaw and Henry Papineau's bodies were found on the island shore and brought to Charlevoix.