Summary
Joseph Vorous was the Fish Creek captain of the Erie L. Hackley during its October 3, 1903 Green Bay loss. The later local reconstruction says he was last seen in the pilot house trying to turn the vessel into the wind.
Evidence and limits
The full name comes from a 1973 retrospective, while the contemporary Herald only reports a young man named Miller among the dead and does not name the captain. This record is therefore event-qualified: it does not infer a birth, family, residence beyond the source’s Fish Creek description, or an independent civil death record. The date is attached to the shipwreck, and the presumed death is based on the report that he was last seen aboard a vessel with eleven or twelve fatalities.
Open questions
- Can Fish Creek, Menominee, Door County, or maritime records identify Joseph Vorous more fully?
- Was Vorous the registered master, owner, or only the operating captain?
- Can a contemporary casualty list confirm his status among the dead?
See also
Sources
- Beaver Beacon, May 1973, “Ships of The Past.”Names Captain Joseph Vorous of Fish Creek as commander during the Hackley's 1903 Green Bay service and says he was last seen in the pilot house during the sinking. The record does not supply age, family, or civil identity.
- Wisconsin Shipwrecks, “Erie L. Hackley Maritime Trails Marker,” retrieved August 1, 2026.Corroborates the October 3, 1903 sinking and the vessel's nineteen-person casualty context, but does not name the captain.